In the film Network, Howard Beale famously galvanises a nation with the call, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Well, I am sad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore. I am sad, loyal Conservative Woman reader, because of the war the West is waging against its own children. In reality, it is a war on life.
Over the past few weeks, I have commented on the following stories: Richard Dawkins’s condemnation of parents who carry a Down’s syndrome pregnancy to term; the insufferable moaning by feminists and their taking the joy out of life.
We had Eleanor Mills in The Sunday Times calling the Duchess of Cambridge ‘a classy brood mare’ for wanting three children. Three children, we are told today, are a ‘luxury.’ In fact even wanting one child is ‘selfish’ according to some. It is just never ending – a never-ending war on children.
The liberals like to paint conservatives as the negative ones raining on parades with the catch-call “down with this sort of thing.” Perhaps we have been guilty of this now and again, but our negativity can be summed up thus: down with the State spending other people’s money, and controlling our lives. The progressives, however, are down on children.
Do not have a child with Down’s syndrome – it will cause everyone too much suffering (no evidence for this by the way) we are told. In fact, consider having children carefully as the only reason you want to have them is to pass on your genes. If you do have children do not have more than two – otherwise you will not be able to pay for their university fees.
In addition the feminists tell us not cook for our children as this is tyranny or, in fact, care for them. This is wasting your education. Just pop them in nursery. But even if you do this you will not be happy because of the ‘second shift’: the gruelling nightmare that is going home to your own family.
Is this it? Is this what the Left have to offer – that children are the road to hell?
This type of life view is not only depressing but also dangerous on many different levels. Having children is a challenge – but it is worthwhile. This moaning about how hard it is, whether you are at home, or at work, or doing both, misses the point.
Having children involves sacrifices – everyone knew this until about 30 years ago when suddenly the boomers believed in a drug-infused haze that they were entitled to feel blissfully happy all of the time.
As this piece explains, anything that is worthwhile in life requires time, effort and sacrifice, be it your career, your marriage or raising (raising not just having) children. It is nearly always worth it. This war on children by the Left is also a war on effort.
It is also odd that the greatest wailing comes from the middle classes. When did we become so pathetic? When did we become so depressed? Juggling work and kids is so hard – there is so much laundry for me to do, which really means there is so much laundry for me to place in a machine and for the machine to do.
I cannot afford the kids’ university fees, and on and on it goes. University fees – are you serious? You do know there are mothers living with five kids in a mud hut and their kids cannot read, never mind go to university. Put a sock in it.
I am not saying that people are not entitled to advocate reform and improvement even in the West. But this is not that – this is just pointless, endless, shrill, carping. And it is never enough, is it?
Free childcare? Not enough hours. More hours? Does not start early enough. Free school meals? It is only for the youngest children. 150 channels on the TV? The neighbour has 250 and Apple has put a free, free U2 album on my amazing new phone. Oh, the horror, the horror! I need to sit down with my skinny latte.
On a serious note, the current population level and debt obligations cannot be sustained at the current birthrate. We cannot afford to view children as burdens or commodities- they are in fact our greatest resource.
Now, I am not saying parents should ‘breed for the State’ – that is communism – but it needs to be understood that any civilisation that declares war on its own children will eventually die out. This is a fact.
Western civilisation is in decline for many reasons, one of which is the modern view that children are a curse not a gift.
