And here we are in a world where U.S. Christians kill their children with exorcisms and medical neglect, and poison the survivors' minds with religious and racial hate, all in the name of parental rights -- oh, and in Jesus' name, too, amen. I wonder if those would fall under Phat's umbrella of "unless they are ruled incompetent."
Philip Larkin, that most dyspeptic of 20th century poets, had deep thoughts about parents and kids:
This Be The Verse
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.
- Philip Larkin (1922-1985)
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