RL Anger

[WTFE]

@Thenomain I said (rather implied) that evolution has solved overpopulation. And that we simply don't really like its solution.

Any species that overproduces dies out in mass die-offs until it reaches sustainable population levels again (which, in extreme cases, can be a level of 0). If goats overproduce (because, say, their predators died off somehow) they will go around eating the shit out of everything until there's nothing left to eat. Then they will starve to death in huge numbers until the number of goats left won't strip all the food. If they've been too efficient in stripping all the food, then all of them will die and we have an extinction from overpopulation.

This is evolution's solution. It just happens to be one that humans really wouldn't want to experience.

[Wizz]

I finally got custody of my kid this year, after his mother's family reached out to me and let me know he was being severely neglected. His mom was just locking him in his room all day, every day, only interacting with him at meal times...she didn't potty train him, she didn't vaccinate him, she didn't educate him or play with him, so when he came out here he was a mess. He has come so far in so many ways in the five months that I've had him but I am still so stunned I get literally ill every time I think about it. He is the most adorable little dude in the universe and I can't even believe I used to be in love with her, it makes me question whether I ever really knew her at all.

Taking him in has also changed my life in ways that I still don't understand. I had a group of friends I used to see pretty regularly, and they've basically disappeared. They make zero effort to see me or get involved, and so I have no real social life anymore.

Before I had my kid he was practically all I thought about in my free time and I was severely depressed, and I thought that would change when he came out and in a lot of ways it has, he is a little ball of sunshine and I love him to death...but now I'm just lonely and exhausted all the time. Jesus, single dad life.

[WTFE]

@Wizz said in RL Anger:

Taking him in has also changed my life in ways that I still don't understand. I had a group of friends I used to see pretty regularly, and they've basically disappeared. They make zero effort to see me or get involved, and so I have no real social life anymore.

Most young males without children of their own deep down really dislike children. From their perspective you were a guy who used to be cool to hang around with. You were someone who could do marathon sessions of <drinking|gaming|television|sports|whatever>. You could concentrate on it and be a big part of the crowd.

Now, after the child, you're a guy who has priorities that are above those of the herd's. The result it that you're no longer of the body. Landru has forsaken you.

Welcome to adult life. I wish I could say that it gets better…

[Auspice]

Ultimately, I'm glad I never had kids with my emotionally abusive ex.

...but there are still times I wish I could be in a stable relationship and have kids. I'd give up social life. I don't really have one as it is; between work full-time and school full-time and very few local friends, I can go a couple weeks sometimes without interacting with another person.

@tek I wish I could be more physically active. My body just loves to work against me. I think that's why I don't get hassled as much anymore. They know I'm doing what I can. But my teenage self? Yeeeeeah. I had knee surgery at 14 because I had a fucked up ligament in my knee that was being made worse from soccer... and I kept getting told - until my chiropractor stepped up to advocate for me - I was lying about being physically active and just needed to lose weight. And I hurt for any teenage girls ever being told the same.

[Tinuviel]

I fathered my first child when I was fifteen. Do not recommend. My family said I could become anything I wanted, so I became a disappointment.

[Kanye Qwest]

Overpopulation is not actually a problem. The global population produces enough food to feed the global population with ease, and I think all the humans on earth could live in Dallas if we packed them in with the population density of India*.

(*citation needed, I read something something about the Dallas/India thing and don't feel like finding it!)

The problem is a huge imbalance in resource consumption, and distribution.

[Coin]

@Kanye-Qwest said in RL Anger:

Overpopulation is not actually a problem. The global population produces enough food to feed the global population with ease, and I think all the humans on earth could live in Dallas if we packed them in with the population density of India*.

(*citation needed, I read something something about the Dallas/India thing and don't feel like finding it!)

The problem is a huge imbalance in resource consumption, and distribution.

IIRC, it's all of TEXAS, with the population density of NYC.

this link is about five years old but I suppose you could just add a billion or whatever? Same concept.

At that point you're looking a Dredd-style Megacity, too.

[Ganymede]

@Wizz said in RL Anger:

Before I had my kid he was practically all I thought about in my free time and I was severely depressed, and I thought that would change when he came out and in a lot of ways it has, he is a little ball of sunshine and I love him to death...but now I'm just lonely and exhausted all the time. Jesus, single dad life.

There are a lot of single moms out there just looking for a man to understand what they are going through. They aren't looking for love; they aren't looking for sex; they are just looking to end the loneliness.

May want to look into support groups. They exist.

I'd tell you to take comfort in the fact that you are better than many, many other people in the world, but that probably won't help much.

But, if you ever get the point that you are, like BWWAAAAAAHH HULK SMAAAAASH, I'm pretty sure you'll find more positive allies here than you might expect from a board full of sulking gamers.

[Arkandel]

@Kanye-Qwest There are significant indrastructure advantages in this theoretical arrangement - it's cheaper to build and maintain roads used by a thousand cars an hour than for ones used by ten cars an hour, for example.

But yes, resource distribution on the planet is terrible and only getting worse. When we think about it what most of us have in mind is the one per cent - those billionaires are taking their stuff! And it's true of course, they do...but the real culprit is everyone else, too. Our western lifestyles are downright lush compared to the conditions the actual majority of the human race endures; the idea we get to drive our own personal cars, have private apartments to play video games in on our high tech computers, eat meat every day at will... if we want equality some of those perks would need to go.

[Pandora]

Stop asking which came first, the goddamned chicken or the egg. The egg came first; a natural-born chicken HAS to come out of an egg, but the egg could have been the malformed/irradiated/evolutionary product of some closely-related creature.

[WTFE]

@Pandora: Eggs predate chickens by quite a few million years…

Note that the question is "which came first, the chicken or the egg", not "which came first, the chicken or the chicken egg".

In a similar line of thought, I've always felt that "spare the rod and spoil the child" was very clearly worded as a commandment, not a warning.

[silentsophia]

I work in Target on Black Friday. 9 hour shift.

please kill me.

[WTFE]

@silentsophia

Is Target the one that banned the open carry fruitcakes?

[silentsophia]

@WTFE Ours allows it. Target is the one who gets protested because we don't boot trans- folk out of the bathroom.

[WTFE]

@silentsophia: Ah. I lose track of the insanely stupid things in the USA these days.

[Miss Demeanor]

@silentsophia If its any consolation, nobody in my household will be setting foot outside until at least Sunday.

[Bobotron]

@Miss-Demeanor
I wish I was that lucky. I have to work tomorrow. At least Saturday will be good, the in-laws' thanksgiving.

[Miss Demeanor]

@Bobotron chuckles Lucky or cursed? I've been at the house with my 17 year old son all week. The 13 year old comes home tomorrow.

[Auspice]

I worked today, but I have tomorrow off!

[Bobotron]

@Miss-Demeanor
I am the youngest of six and my partner is the oldest of 8. Teenagers are the least of my hated things to deal with. I work for Aramark, the uniform company. We're either going to be slammed due to the holiday, or slow due to the holiday.