People in the suburbs buy SUVs instead of minivans not because they need the four-wheel-drive capabilities, but because the SUVs lack the minivan's close association with low-prestige activities like parenting, and instead provide the aura of high-prestige activities like whitewater kayaking. Why should kayaking be more prestigious than parenting? Because parenting isn't prestigious in our society. If it were, childless people would drive minivans just to partake of the aura.
I had foolishly assumed that people are having fewer (or no) children for a variety of reasons, the main ones being:
1 The increasing availability of various forms of birth control.
2 The large number of people who finish their education deep in debt.
3 The extention of adolescence in a prosperous society where lots of people go to college and grad school.
2 comments:
Why should kayaking be more prestigious than parenting? Because parenting isn't prestigious in our society.
Tautology, anyone?
Why is Glenn Reynolds an idiot? Because he is an idiot.
I hate to defend InstaPundit, but I read the original article, Clark, and the writer admitted all the financial and economic aspects right up front. Quite explicitly. It's right there in the first few paragraphs.
And glaivester didn't point to a tautology, though that little argument isn't the best in the piece by a long shot.
As for me, kayaking is definitely cheaper than parenting. But I don't need an SUV to carry around a kayak. One of my junkers will do.
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