Adam Carolla: ‘Stop Sh*tting Out Kids You Can’t Afford’

[alp227]

Radio personality Adam Carolla has some strong feelings about good parenting and how to deal with issue of minimum wage.

His colorful advice: “The best parenting of all is not shitting out the kids when you can’t afford the kids.”

Carolla is not yelling about legitimate rape or suggesting masturbating is a sin like some of the whack-jobs in the Tea Party, but his suggestion makes no sense in the real world and it goes against the anti-abortion, anti-Planned Parenthood obsession the right is so consumed with now. This is a destructive and sexist message no matter what Carolla’s political affiliation is.

Adam, you live in that impenetrable bubble and you make sweeping statements about the entire population and how things “should be.” By barking out these idiotic statements, your implication is that women should keep their legs closed if they can’t afford children, right? That plays right into Rush Limbaugh’s successful lie that women just want the government to pay for our birth control and that we are sluts.

full: http://samuel-warde.com/2013/02/adam-carolla-stop-shtting-out-kids-you-cant-afford/

[Kalidurga]

1. It's really a lot worse than that.

Yes, there is that you shouldn't have sex if you can't afford the consequences meme. But, for many people who are in a relationship the not being able to afford kids comes long after they have had one or two children. One or both parents may lose a job. One may die. One or both could become ill. One or both may develop some dysfunction with finances. The family could lose everything in a natural disaster. One or both may have family they try and fail to help out... the list goes on and on with what can happen in life even if you didn't start having kids until you can afford them.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

19. Yeah, but they should have thought of that beforehand.

If they didn't come from money to begin with then who do these breeders think they are?

[Kalidurga]

22. Oh and heaven forbid if a middle class family that could afford a healthy child has one...

born with an expensive debilitating illness. Or a child have an accident that suddenly changes them to a special needs child. Or well there are a whole lot of ors in life that can turn very expensive very quickly.

[Jamastiene]

36. If the majority (the 99%) waited until we could afford to have children, to have children,

our species would soon die out.

[Kalidurga]

50. That is a conclusion I came to a while ago...

I was thinking about how long I would have had to wait to have kids. I would have been well into my 30s. Then it would of course take some time to find a partner once I had the funds.

[PasadenaTrudy]

76. And this is bad? n/t

[BlueJazz]

2. While it's true that people shouldn't have children they don't want and afford, the

...subject is a lot more complicated then just pressing buttons to appease the populace.

[Drahthaardogs]

13. If everyone waited until they truly felt they could "afford" them

I would guess our birth rate would be down about 80%. On the flip side, it is pretty hard to defend Octomom, but she is a pretty extreme example.

[TheDebbieDee]

28. +1,000

By the same token, if everybody waited until they could EASILY afford that college degree, car or house then almost no one would have any of these either.......

[kelliekat44]

49. +++1,000 And sometimes SEX is the only thing poor people have for pleasure.

If you are miserable, living in miserable conditions, and all around you there is no job, help in sight...SEX is always free, especially for married couples.

[LWolf]

84. That would be good for the planet.

Just think how it would reduce our carbon footprint.

I don't think births should be limited by level of privilege. I just think they should be limited, period.

[nobodyspecial]

3. Stop trying to be a comedian

when you aren't funny.

[Quantess]

67. That guy isn't funny.

I remember "Loveline" the radio advice program in the 90s, when I was living in my dorm room/closet and had no tv. It was Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew. I sort of liked Dr Drew but I found myself getting really irritated at Adam Carolla. That tool has no business giving anyone advice, either.

[joeunderdog]

89. What's even funnier

is that DU is having a major meltdown thread over a social commentary by a comedian.

Fucking WOW. We need a whole new forum--no website--if we are going to dissect this stuff.

Seriously?

[Warpy]

4. And never a word about how a meat cleaver should be

taken to the men who produce those children and then abandon them and their mothers.

Or about the preachers who blandly say "god will provide" when a woman is faced with a pregnancy she doesn't want, trying to make her avoid an abortion. No, reverend, god won't provide a damned thing any more than you will or the bastard who left her alone and pregnant will or the company who offhosred her husband's job will.

But I don't expect entitled males like Carolla ever to think about any of this stuff. Their anatomy has exempted them from needing to consider any of this stuff and, being bone lazy, they have simply never bothered to.

I just hope his saner brothers out there can get through to him. Women never will, he doesn't consider women to be worth listening to on any subject.

[cthulu2016]

8. Ironically,you probably think you are a good person

The evidence from this post is, however, pretty strong in the other direction.

But hey, without a few honest-to-goodness caricature man-hating loons jabbering about cutting off people's penises it just wouldn't be the internet.

[antigone382]

10. It's kind of impossible to caricature Adam Carolla. n/t

[Warpy]

14. Pity you didn't read the whole post

You might have been able to come up with a gratuitous insult that actually found its mark.

[LanternWaste]

54. So many levels of irony, indeed.

"without a few honest-to-goodness caricature man-hating loons jabbering about cutting off people's penises it just wouldn't be the internet...."

I too would joke about the metaphorical cross I'd carefully constructed to better martyr myself on for the sake of validation if I were youthful and absorbed in a fictional and oppressive scenario.



So many levels of irony, indeed.

[Squinch]

74. That's what you got from that? Maybe go back and read it again.

[flvegan]

18. A meat cleaver?

Please extrapolate on that, and the "should be" you talk about.

Your emotional bloodletting beyond that, I'll just let be.

[Warpy]

20. It's equivalen to the notion of "shitting kids out"

Now try reading the rest of the post.

[flvegan]

21. I've read it. I'm interested in your response.

Again, please elaborate.

[liberal_at_heart]

5. I was 19 and dirt poor when I had my first kid

There is not a single person on this planet that can tell me that having my daughter was a bad idea because I couldn't afford her at the time. I don't give a damn what Adam Carolla thinks. He's always been a bit of an ass anyway.

[Floyd_Gondolli]

68. I actually don't think that's what he saying

I think he's saying that at 19, you shouldn't have daughter #2, #3, #4 and #5 which unfortunately happens. In those situations I don't feel bad for the parents, I feel bad for the kids.

[CreekDog]

6. there's an excellent chance that any kid born is going to brighten the world

more than Adam Carolla dims it.

what an idiot.

[Ilsa]

7. "Sh*tting out" babies? So babies are fecal

matter to him. Screw him.

[frazzled]

16. My thought, too, though it's worse than that

It's only people who can't afford babies who apparently just expel them like a daily dump; other people "have" babies; poor people "shit them out." Something tells me there's something racist in this, too.

[Adsos Letter]

25. That was my first reaction.

I was less kind than you in my reaction.

[treestar]

64. That alone wrecks his credibility

Children are of no value to him. Then no one is. Is he willing to use the same terms for his mother's production of himself?

[demwing]

81. Contempt not concern

that's all Corolla has.

BTW, no idea Corolla was on radio. I thought he was just another failed comedian who keeps shitting out unfunny movies that no one wants to pay for.

[Bombtrack]

9. He's been saying this for years, but Adam has gotten saddeningly more right-wing in the past 3 years

But he'll never say anything around anyone who will challenge his bullshit. When he has outspoken liberal guests on he'll suck up and use their talent for good radio but start spouting off about anyone like them being pussies when they're not there.

And along those lines it's also frustrating to know that his cohosts completely disagree with all his increasingly right-wing bullshit but are intimidated to ever voice this, prefering to just try and change the subject.

[Dawson Leery]

12. Right wing hate radio merchants rarely go to any forum

where they will be challenged.

[NOVA_Dem]

71. I see you listen to his podcast too!

I stopped listening b/c when he would go on his bs rants that could be easily disproved but bald-Bryan and Teresa/Alison were to chicken to challenge him.

He didn't say a political peep in front of Michael Moore when he was on the podcast b/c he knew Moore would eat his half baked RW ideas for breakfast.

[Bombtrack]

88. Yup, but I'm down to about 1 or 2 a month. I only stream the shows with guests I REALLY want

People who I'm a big fan of or am just really interested in knowing more about (like Dave Attell or Patton Oswalt). There area also a growing number of reccuring guests whos names will make me NEVER even try to listen (like Jay Mohr or Frank Stallone).

[JaneyVee]

11. Conservatism is just about being an asshole.

[Orrex]

15. I'm old enough to remember when Adam Carolla actually existed

Jeez--how long ago was that? A decade?

Now he's a "radio personality?" I'd forgotten all about him.

[pipoman]

17. If I had a nickel

for every comedian who said something stupid trying to be funny...well...I'd have some nickels..

[mythology]

39. I think in this instance

you'd have a shitload of nickels.

[kestrel91316]

23. They don't approve of birth control. They don't approve of

abortion. They don't approve of out-of-wedlock births. They don't approve of women who say no to men. They don't approve of births to households in poverty.

Sounds like the ONLY Republican-approved course of action for women is to magically get rich then lay down, shut up, and hope to god you don't wind up pregnant.

[hughee99]

24. I didn't hear that the guy who said this opposes birth control

I remember way back when he was on a show with Dr. Drew and he seemed to support it then.

[kestrel91316]

30. If he's a RWer and supports birth control he is in a tiny minority.

[hughee99]

31. He's also an atheist. I don't know too many atheists that oppose birth control.

I'd bet RW atheists are also pretty rare.

[amandabeech]

58. Kestrel, I always hate to disagree with you, because you nearly always make so much sense.

But I have to disagree here based on my experiences with my conservative friends in my home town. They're not full tea party, but are very traditional conservatives.

Most don't like abortion, although they don't go off about it. They think that people should wait until they are married and have enough money to scrape by with a baby before they become parents. They also think that two or three children are plenty, and that people should try to stop at that if they can't afford to feed and clothe more through high school.

But each and every one of the conservatives that I know has only two or three children. That doesn't happen naturally very often when you marry in your late teens or early '20s. Even the Roman Catholics have only two or three children when their parents had 5-10 children.

They're not asking anything of others that they don't do themselves.

Sometimes, I think that conservative talk radio gets in the crazies, like the Duggars or something, and then insinuates that all conservatives disapprove of all birth control.

That's just not true in my experience.

[Erose999]

66. Its that they don't approve of poor people and minorities. They're fine with b/c, abortion, divorce,

out-of-wedlock births, single parent homes etc etc etc as long as we're talking about high income White people living in affluent suburbs.

Limbaugh - divorced 5 times
Rep. Joe Walsh - deadbeat dad
Ted Nugent - admitted pedophile
etc etc

Values are only for the poor and other undesirables.

[dkf]

26. It's inelegantly phrased but how else do you prevent having a kid who is raised on a minimum wage?

Well I guess if there is no minimum wage then you wouldn't have kids of minimum wage workers either.

So there are two solutions. Get rid of the minimum wage or prevent someone on the minimum wage from having children.

Of course the assumption is that raising a child on a minimum wage is a problem. If you think that is fine then the whole question is moot.

[wickerwoman]

27. Be born immune to illness, disfunctional relationships and being made redundant?

Pity more people haven't picked up the trick.

[Warpy]

34. The original minimum wage was designed

so that you could afford to feed a wife and a couple of kids on it, since men were breadwinners then and women were chucked out of their jobs as soon as the first pregnancy started to show.

Now it won't even feed a single adult properly, give him safe housing, and allow him to visit a doctor when he gets sick or injured.

That is how far the conservatives have allowed it to fall since the 70s. Shame on the lot of them.

Had it been indexed to inflation, I doubt if this whole thread would have been necessary and Mr. Radio Asshole would rather be wailing about how men had become disposable since women's work paid enough for mothers to feed their children without a man around.

[Arcanetrance]

38. The answer to your question is proper education, training, health care and social programs.

Since it's doubtful the right will ever allow minimum wage to be a wage one can live on ever again. We must find a way to give proper training and education to those in society who can't afford it that way the poor have a more even playing field. Beyond that birth is a gamble the fact that anyone survives and is born "normal" is amazing. But the cost of birth and it seems abortion considering how many states are trying to do away with funding, breaks the bank for most of those in the middle class and below. So we have to have health care for everyone that will provide for those things. Furthermore the human body is fragile one accident can do so much damage. Again this is where proper health care would keep a family from losing it all. Now to social programs there should be programs in place that provide true unlimited unemployment coverage and food stamps should be a guarantee to those that need them. Life still wouldn't be perfect but these things would help reduce so much poverty and those struggling while live on minimum wage.

[jeff47]

73. Because people work the same job for 30 years today

It's almost unheard of for someone to lose their job and have a lot of trouble finding a similar replacement job. No one was ever getting paid in the upper 5%, then find themselves working a low-paying retail job because that's all they can find.

Alternatively, you could realize your question is based on some really dumb assumptions.

[HiPointDem]

29. yeah, only the upper middle classes & the rich should breed. corolla = d-list, no-talent rightist

libertarian.

he likes pot & hates social programs.

hollywood brat; fuck him.

[Dawson Leery]

48. There is a reason why conservative "comedians" never make it.

[HiPointDem]

59. skewering the poor and powerless isn't very funny, just like the bully who beats up on the

50-pound kid with glasses isn't funny.

comedy is at its best when it skewers power and vanity.

[dtom67]

32. cats like him do not really understand what they are talking about...

If you really want to get the population of poor people down, you must raise their standard of living. If he is concerned about the birth rate, it has been proven that education is the key.

So better education and a more equitable wealth distribution, Adam!!

Don't be too hard on the guy, though; his job is to make ignorant statements for people to laugh at.
If he really bothers you, just write him about your take on what he has said. Maybe he'll see the light....

[kenny blankenship]

33. We could try making their lives Hell on Earth!

We've been trying that for a couple hundred years since our republic was founded. Since the policy is already traditional, no novel arguments have to be invented to convince a skeptical public. The policy antedated the birth of the republic to be sure, but for accounting purposes let's start the clock at 1787. The Indians -as in the people of the Indian subcontinent- have been trying the same thing for a couple of millennia now with mixed success. Some observers say they're finally turning the corner over there (at 800 million people) and hellish conditions have finally begun to disuade poor people from having offspring that they can't care for. If true that would put a reasonable floor under our own expectations for success. Be it resolved then: in 1,500 years or so from now, if trying to persuade poor people not to breed still greater numbers into lifelong poverty by extending nothing to them but the backs of our hands has not succeeded, we should think about trying something else.

[Jamastiene]

35. He needs some basic lessons about where babies really come from, among other things.

Women don't "shit" babies out and they don't "make" babies alone. He is a sexist asshole. He needs to quit shitting out sexist bullshit, for starters.

[Recursion]

37. The paradox of thrift

For an individual, a child is a very expensive thing. For society, a childless person is a very expensive thing. A higher birth rate would have taken away even the nominal problems social security and Medicare face.

[The2ndWheel]

40. Correct

A higher birth rate also makes our environmental issues more complicated Not that a lower birth rate in a civilization built on growth is less complicated.

Anyway, we can't stop, but we can't continue. We're prisoners of history, and slaves to the future.

[sadbear]

41. Is this similar to being told not to adopt animals if you can't afford to...

the hundreds of dollars to take them to the vet twice a year?

"'Tis better to let them die unloved and unwanted in an animal shelter?"

(Sorry to throw that out there. This just pisses me off.)

[Renew Deal]

44. I'd say yes.

I'm pretty sure the choice for people isn't "adoption or death" even if that's the reality of it. But people shouldn't adopt pets if they are not financially and mentally prepared to deal with them. Pets are a big (and lovable) commitment.

[Renew Deal]

42. I don't think this is sexist because kids don't just affect women

They are a financial burden of men too.

He also doesn't say "close your legs." He says don't have kids if you can't afford him. That's a legitimate point.

Carroll's is not some sort of prude. I think his first fame came from the "Love Line" call in show.

[kurtzapril4]

61. Yeah, I wonder why nobody else pointed that out.

Kids are a burden on women and men. I don't think people should have kids if they can't afford them.

I knew when I was young that I was going to be a creative type person, and there's not much money in that. I knew that I'd be a touring musician, which doesn't leave much time for raising kids. I've never been married. My belief is that one should be married before one has children. I realise that other people feel differently, and that's fine.

So, because of all those things, I didn't have children. Sometimes I regret it, most of the time I don't. I couldn't have provided any kind of life for a kid. It wouldn't have been fair for the kid. Being poor is no fun, I have experience.

[jeff47]

75. Because one's life situation never goes down.

People never get divorced. Or lose their job and take one that pays waaaaaaay less. It's all those stupid poor people breeding like crazy..

[cbdo2007]

43. Why do people take opinions of comedians so seriously??

What next? You gonna get mad at Chris Rock for saying he picks up women at abortion rallys?? They are jokes and the more people talk about this jokes the more people want to listen to them.

[NickB79]

45. Bill Hicks and George Carlin said the same thing 20 years ago

Bill Hicks:

George Carlin:

Yet they're beloved comedians here on DU. Go figure

[Tommy_Carcetti]

47. Didn't care for both of them, either.

I do respect Carlin as a comedian, but didn't really like most of his material.

Except for his "Baseball versus Football" monologue. That was spot on.

[alp227]

56. They are satirists a la Stewart and colbert.

Carolla is trying to be a hipper Limbaugh for the 35-and-under crowd.

[Floyd_Gondolli]

69. Two geniuses

And yes, they were SPOT ON.

I couldn't give a rat's ass about what Corolla has to say anything, but the concept that people who can't be bothered to put on a rubber "because it doesn't feel as good" or take a pill should be applauded is utterly absurd. If you're 18 and can barely take care of yourself you shouldn't be having kids, much less 3 or 4. But according to some in this thread, it should be encouraged.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

79. thank you. I wanted to reply to the OP

because I agree with it. Yeah the phrasing was pretty hyperbolic; I've never heard of the guy before. Don't know what the backstory is.

But continuous population growth is a negative in every way.

As for the issue....Condoms are cheaper than babies. And though some people, even those who are too young or broke, do thrive when kids come into the picture, it's more typical that the consequences are much more negative. Poverty, delinquency, broken relationships, abuse....kids create added stress. Not all people deal well with it; even traditionally approved married couples with decent money experience increases in divorce rates once they start producing kids.

I think there should be incentives for NOT having kids!

[CrawlingChaos]

72. BIG difference - the "you can't afford" part

I never heard either Carlin or Hicks espouse the notion that only poor people shouldn't have children, which is what Carolla was doing. Big, big difference.

[NickB79]

78. Hicks clearly implies it in his skits

"If it were a miracle then not every nine months any yin yang in the world could drop a litter of these mewling cabbages on the planet. And in case you have not checked the single mom statistics lately the miracle is spreading like wildfire. Hallujeh.

"Trailer parks all over America filling up with little miracles. Thunk, thunk, thunk. Look at all my little miracles. Filling up my trailer like a sardine can. Look at them.

"You know what would be a little miracle? If I could remember your daddy's name. I guess I'll have to call you Trucker Jr. That's all I remember about your daddy was his fuzzy little pot belly riding on top of me shooting his caffeine ridden semen into my belly to produce my little water head miracle baby child. Thunk. There's your brother, Pizza Delivery Boy Jr., thunk here's your other brother, thunk here's your other brother, Will Work For Food Jr."

Yeah, clearly he's not picking on poor people who can't afford children

Have you never heard his skit about "holding off on the rutting until we get this air/food thing figured out?"

[CrawlingChaos]

82. That is NOT what Bill Hicks was about

He and Carlin ranted about the same things - far too many children being born to *everyone* and the prevalent fetishistic attitudes toward children.

I agree with both of them - overpopulation is a HUGE problem and the decision whether to have a child should never be undertaken casually. Carlin and Hicks trying to let some air out of the "every child is a snowflake/miracle" hot air balloon is a damn sight different that Carolla's remarks.

[midwest irish]

46. Adam Carolla

was the host of a show called "The Man Show" where part of his act was to routinely call women sluts and bimbos. The show went to commercial by showing bikini clad women "jumping on trampolines." If you ever need an example of how women are treated likes objects and how it is justified as normal in our society, The Man Show is a perfect example.

[Bombtrack]

90. Not quite the truth

I'm not his lackey but no need to get things wrong.

[Drale]

51. I agree but the problem is so much deeper than those elegant words

People without access to birth control or without the information on how to use if correctly because no matter what the religious types say, people are not going to stop having sex. Its even deeper than that as well but I'm not an expert on the subject so I don't want to make myself look stupid. Quality birth control for everyone would really help the problem though.

[Puzzledtraveller]

83. Hmm

I wish I could say it was that, and only that but it's not. In fact I see it everyday. As a caseworker I have clients who as soon as they had one child they are back in applying for medicaid due to pregnancy again. These aren't self supporting individuals so much as they are those who were raised in the system and are now on it themselves. What is maddening at times is that the will complain of the hardship they and their children are enduring as they willingly create and recreate the circumstances that are keeping them down. They have access here to many services and we can refer them to these places, just not particular procedures by name. In fact, we require a proof of pregnancy from a doctor or nurse with an expected due date. Many of them get this from Planned Parenthood. I am not saying this everyone, but be certain that this is happening a lot and the volume is increasing. A client of min brought her daughter who just turned 22 in to show her how to get SNAP, that was how she told me as I was bringing them back to my office. 22 is important because on a SNAP case you are not an adult if you live in your parents home and are under 22 years of age. At 22 you can have a separate case so long as you claim you purchase and prepare your own meals.

[hollysmom]

52. I thought that was Jimmy Kimmel

who has since cleaned up his act.

I am not sure how much people actually think these things or feel their audience wants them to think it. I have heard he is very pleasant in person.

[MADem]

53. He regards himself as a turd from his mama, then?

Does he not realize that families with a minimum wage earner as the "head of household used to be able to afford to have children, because "minimum" wage used to mean the minimum wage needed to support an entire family--not just one person.

The minimum wage has lost so much ground over the years, it's now the minimum wage to keep a person fed, clothed OR housed--but not necessarily all three.

[bamacrat]

55. Illustrates the need for adequate and free birth control.

While he could have put it better, all the people of the world could benefit from having fewer kids. Sad part is is that many poor people or even middle class ones cant afford birth control. The more affluent or those of us lucky enough to get decent jobs and make a good living are having less kids. Not because they are smarter or more responsible, but they can afford insurance and gyno care, birth control etc. This is the same as the war on drugs in that those most negatively affected by it are poor people and minorities. Poor people want to have kids, and are good parents once said child comes. Wealthy people are good parents too, but can choose when and how often they reproduce. Poor people, or those who are not allowed access to birth control because of religion, money or R policies are those who suffer first and most.

[HiPointDem]

60. wish corolla's parents had used some.

[RedstDem]

57. corrolla is not entertaining

even though he's made a fortune being an "entertainer"
wish these types would STFU

[Erose999]

62. Adam Corolla is as much of a misogynist dickbag as any Tea party member. Fuck that guy. With a

hand split live oak fence rail wrapped in barbed wire and turpentine and set on fire. And a handfull of broken glass and thumbtacks as a lubricant.

[treestar]

63. Who knows whether or not anyone can "afford" the kid?

Is there a standard cost? Do people have guaranteed incomes? This line of thinking serves no useful purpose. There is no way to constitutionally enforce any rules - this isn't totalitarian China.

[baldguy]

65. Why doesn't he stop shitting out TV shows people don't watch & radio that people don't listen too?

[NOVA_Dem]

70. He's an unfunny blowhard that's turning RW for money. n/t

[PasadenaTrudy]

77. I have to agree with him on this n/t

[Skittles]

80. Adam who?

[redgreenandblue]

85. The sexist way of making what otherwise *might* have been a valid point. nt

[union_maid]

86. Plenty of people making minimum wage now...

who were doing a whole lot better when they had their kids. In a world where the value of labor decreases while thereal cost of living increases it's got to be hard to project what you're going to be able to afford in time to have a family. Sometimes I'm grateful to be old. We didn't know we needed to be able to afford kids. We just assumed our incomes would rise and they did. For a while.

[madville]

87. Free birth control and abortions should be readily available

Free birth control, abortions, morning after pills, etc should be readily available at every county health department. Then more of those unaffordable kids wouldn't exist right Adam?

[Daniel537]

91. Condoms are pretty cheap.

People are free to purchase as many of those as they want. No need to resort to any of the other things you mentioned. Carolla is right on this one. Its just common sense. If you barely have enough money, or none at all, to take care of yourself why would you want to bring a child into this world and make them suffer through poverty for god knows how long? Too many people on this thread giving excuses for irresponsible, selfish behavior. Put a rubber on it and you won't have to deal with working three jobs just to put a meal on the table for your family.

[madville]

92. Condoms are expensive

Poor people can't afford $20 for a dozen condoms on a recurring basis. Many county health departments do offer free condoms, so I don;t see a problem with free female birth control, morning after pills or abortion procedures.