So apparently today the thing that has me screaming is living in a society built on hurting kids.

Not just child sexual abuse.

Every kind of harm & exploitation.

Why am I not having kids? Well, one reason is that I feel like there are plenty of kids in the world *already* for me to worry about, & there will always be more.

Maybe this is part of what upsets the right wing folks when childless people are concerned about the welfare of kids.

You're not supposed to worry about "other people's kids" (otherwise known as human beings with their own rights).

At BEST you're only supposed to worry about your kids, but even then, you're supposed to worry about competing for things, not their fucking well-being as individuals.

You're not supposed to look at a child & see a person. You're supposed to see *property*.

A childless adult concerned about the rights & needs of children has no "skin in the game" in their minds. If you *aren't* a child, & you don't have children of your own, then how does it affect you if children are suffering?

It does actually affect me in a number of ways, but even if it didn't, what the fuck? Is the question they are asking "why do you care about human beings?" or is it "why do you think children are human beings?"

Trick question! It's both.

But goddamn. Hurting kids is just so fucking NORMAL in our world, & it has to stop.

We don't need age verification online (a surveillance ploy). We need to stop normalizing the abuse & exploitation of children in every area of life & culture.

Keeping a kid off the Internet doesn't fucking protect them from the predatory adults around them. In fact, it may make them more vulnerable than ever.

@artemis I've spent a lot of time being emotional support for kids who didn't have a "safe adult" in real life. Usually they met my kid first and my kid brought them to me, like, here, my mom is your mom now. And that connection was important to a lot of those young people, even if it was only for a short time. Teachers are no longer able to provide that like they used to be, nor are neighbors. The whole "parents' rights" bs has seen to that. Young people now have so few options.
@secretsloth @artemis
It’s heartwarming when a child _chooses_ to trust you.
Even if that’s your own child.
Most parents would take it for granted.
Well, it isn’t. Nobody is owed their own child’s trust. It must be earned