Knew I was going to get bombarded for the comment, but thought: what the hell, let's see the fireworks display.
novella said:
Wow, that's the most Fascist thing I've read on this site.
Wow, on this entire site? That makes me grin from ear to ear... but not like Mr and Mrs Dollar though, coz that would be wrong.
And what paragon of morality and clean living would control this basic human right? And I guess this is supposed to prevent child abuse, even though it is a hidden crime perpetrated by seemingly normal people behind closed doors.
What are the qualifications for reproduction? How about alcoholics, smokers, obese people, depressed people, unemployed, bad drivers, guys who don't want to change diapers, handicapped, people bad at math, slothful idiots, bowling fanatics, compulsive shoppers . . .?
And I guess you would sterilize anyone who failed the licensing procedure?
You miss my point entirely. The whole idea behind making parents get licenses is NOT to qualify who can or cannot have children. The idea behind getting a license to have kids is primarily a precautionary one: to ensure that parents at least have access to the basic information on what it takes to raise a child (i.e.: contrary to popular though, babies do not bounce back up when you throw them on the floor). Which is why I drew the analogy of car licenses. To get a license, one has to attend classes (think of it more of a diploma / cert than license) and to maintain one's license, one has to attend classes at each stage of the child's life.
Despite the article, I went off on a slight tangent. I wrote that statement because I started thinking about all the child abuse that occurs simply because people don't know any better (i.e.: that's how I was brought up, and that's how I'll bring my children up. There is nothing wrong with slapping your child until they stop crying or moving); not acts of perversity. So, having a license system in place basically means that parents can be taught to break the cycle. Does this mean that all parents who attend classes will break the cycle? No. But it does have the potential of opening their eyes to the "errors of their ways / comprehension".
This is an idea that I have been toying with philosophically, so there are other aspects to this "system" that are not being relayed here; nor will I relay them here. If given the chance, would I actually enforce such a system? No. But I enjoying thinking of it as a possible option mainly because it is food for thought.
And I will bite the bait, novella: there are situations where I believe that the "we" should come before the "I", and that us humans have a tendency to hide behind the word "Rights" when it is convenient. So if that is what makes a fascist to you, then I bow and say: "Fascist at your service."
