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Yeah, sort of. The thing is there's really not an appropriate way to bring this kind of thing up. But without someone bringing it up - necessarily obnoxiously, inappropriately, hypocritically, and sanctimoniously - the opposing viewpoint never gets aired. It might be because I have sympathy with both "sides" (though it's not exactly my place to have sympathy with), but things start to feel whitewashed and depressing to me after a while of one side being neglected because it's not appropriate - for good reason - to criticize random people's life choices. I think if I actually had five kids, and no one ever said anything to me about how it was environmentally irresponsible (because change is enacted by large groups of people making small, responsible choices, and it does get undermined in a way that is too small to defend rationally without seeming ridiculous, but important nonetheless), it would slowly make me really inscrutably upset. But maybe I'm into externalized self-loathing.

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I wouldn't bring it up. But I'm glad that every so often someone acts boorishly enough to feel entitled to do it, just so the issue can be aired and defended, even if no one is obligated to defend their own choices. Idk.

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I dunno, people complain a lot about things people say to them over and over, based on their tattoos or their decision not to have kids or whatever. I don't ever quite get up in arms about it. "Freedom" doesn't mean the freedom to escape random criticism from ignoramuses. It doesn't mean there's no "cost" to making unusual decisions; that cost is dealing with obnoxious people who would impose their sense of order on you. It doesn't mean you get to be immune from feedback. That would mean the freedom to create an individualized fantasy world. It just means the choice is available to you.

This message was edited 3/31/2012, 7:40 AM