Passing your genes

[xoxoxoBruce]

Can somebody tell me why it's so important to pass on your genes?
There's plenty of testimony to claim people with both adopted and natural children love them equally. I don't deny that trying to make kids is fun. I assume that some people are curious about and want to experience the process. In the third world, you need kids to take care of you when you can't.
But why is it so important that when you're dust, there is someone still running around with your genes?
Does this somehow validate your life?
Does this justify the portion of the earths resources you've used up?
Why is adoption always regarded as a second choice?

[Undertoad]

Because my particular genetic combination is so awesome that it would actually be unethical not to add it to the gene pool for the future of humanity.



This may not work as a pickup line however

[Kitsune]

I recommend the book The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Good stuff.

[elSicomoro]

Originally posted by Undertoad
Because my particular genetic combination is so awesome that it would actually be unethical not to add it to the gene pool for the future of humanity.

Says the man who wants no children.

The gene passing seemed more important to men back in the days of yore. I would say it was a prestige and honor thing, as I can't say I've heard any real reasons as to why it was so important. Fortunately, women were around to keep the men in check--they were looking for quality, not quantity.

Then you had people procreating to help with the family business--maybe you ran a farm or something like that...so you needed all the hands you could get. And I would think it cheaper to raise a child than to pay an adult a living wage...more or less.

As far as adoption being "second rate," it's so unfortunate. Some people are so narrow-minded...they have this perfect idea in their mind of having their own perfect baby and raising it from birth to adulthood. It sounds nice in theory, but sometimes, it just doesn't work that way.

To tie it in to your post as a whole, Bruce--obviously, if you have to adopt, it's not really YOURS...it won't necessarily be in your image. And while there are many people out there that could give a shit less about that, unfortunately, that can play heavily on the minds of many others.

I just don't get some people...so desperate to have a child...so desperate to keep up with the Joneses. So desperate that they'll spend thousands of dollars to adopt a child from Eastern Europe or to essentially buy a baby on the black market. If that doesn't work, they'll head over to Asia, b/c Asian babies are almost as good as white ones. Meanwhile, there are a lot of relatively healthy black babies crying out for a mommy or daddy regardless of the color. And yet, that seems the furthest thing from some people's minds...maybe it's innocent, maybe it's hidden racism...who knows?

(And it doesn't help when some in the black community bitch about their babies being turned white...of course, you don't see them rushing to take them in.)

[Kitsune]

Originally posted by sycamore

I just don't get some people...so desperate to have a child...so desperate to keep up with the Joneses. So desperate that they'll spend thousands of dollars to adopt a child from Eastern Europe or to essentially buy a baby on the black market.

I'm pleased that someone else understands this. A couple I know were absolutely desperate to have a child because "everyone wants to have a baby!" and "everyone else has a baby!"

What disturbed me most was to find that they always referenced the child as a "baby". Never a "person" or "child" or "son" or "daughter". Just "baby". When they actually had the thing, I've never seen such a look of confusion on a man's face when the husband had to begin caring for a little person. I think it actually hit them at that point: their lives, for at least the next 18 years, were going to be completely different. They hadn't introduced something like a pet into the family, they had brought a new human being into the world.

And, of course, now she wants many more and he isn't so sure.

[hot_pastrami]

Here's an interesting take on the subject, which is basically a synposis of the book Kitsune referred to. It also has some interesting views on the reasons that we humans age and die as we do.

[lumberjim]

very interesting. almost as if we are just vehicles for these traveling genes. which, in a sense, I guess, we are.

not to hijack your thread bruce, but this reminds me of some stoned musings that have been rattling around my brain pan since high school.



this is a vague idea of what i mean

[tikat]

Rebel against our double-helix masters! Don't breed!

[Torrere]

Well, anyone who was disinclined to have children died out long ago. So anyone who is left wants to have children.

My take on "why do I exist?": We are created by gametes to make more gametes.

Oh, and I think that The most accurate answer to why people used to have a lot of children probably would have been "because sex is fun!"

[elSicomoro]

Originally posted by Torrere
Well, anyone who was disinclined to have children died out long ago. So anyone who is left wants to have children.

Ummm...how would you explain Tony, Rho and myself then?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally posted by sycamore


Ummm...how would you explain Tony, Rho and myself then?

April?

[elSicomoro]

Huh?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Unintended reproduction. People with the "I'm not a breeder" gene creating another generation of the same. Pre-pill, there was a lot of unintended creations.

[elSicomoro]

Ah, okay. But I'm disagreeing with Torrere's comment in general. I don't want children, and neither do Rho or Tony or a growing number of people.

If there is such a gene though, I would say it's a recessive one.

[russotto]

Originally posted by sycamore
Ummm...how would you explain Tony, Rho and myself then?

Possibility 1) You're a sport. (and so am I).

Possibility 2) Recessive gene for not wanting children gives heterozygote advantage.

Possibility 3) Recessive gene for not wanting children; Presence of non-breeding relations is pro-survival.

Possibility 4) Genes for other pro-survival traits linked to recessive non-breeding gene.

Possibility 5) Environmental change resulting in some gene variants formerly expressed as "wanting children" now expressed as "not wanting children".

(the list goes on)