The Opinions - America Needs More Children. JD Vance’s Shame Game Won’t Get Us There.

Episode Date: October 14, 2024

Despite concerns over the falling birthrate, especially on the right, the Times Opinion columnist David French recognizes that the push to have more families — and bigger ones — has become problematic. In this audio essay, French explains why he thinks the recent political conversation on the topic reveals “the worst form of natalism.”Thoughts? Email us at [e-mail]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is The Opinions, a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times opinion. You've heard the news. Here's what to make of it. My name is David French, and I'm a columnist for the New York Times. And like many conservatives, I believe the falling birth rate is a very important topic in the United States and in the world. And I consider myself a natalist, but I do have some profound concerns with how natalism is being discussed on the right. Not only do my kids serve as a permanent reminder of what's important, they also keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn't have anything keeping her humble. We're effectively run in this country by a bunch of childless cat ladies.

They are, I think, the truest, impurest form of evil today. What I worry about when I see things like the J.D. Vance, Childless Cat Lady comments or the just gross insults that you'll often see amongst right-wing influencers with large followings around this issue, is that rather than encouraging people, you're shaming people. And when you shame people, you actually inoculate them against your message. The worst form of natalism should not be entry to this discussion, but here we are. And that has been the entry point for a lot of people who haven't had any real thought about this for a long time. And that's exactly the wrong way to create culture change here.

One of the reasons why I think there has been some frustration around public policy and natalism is just, nothing has really been proven to work to take countries back up to that above replacement level. And so I do think culture change matters more than anything else. And that culture change is very, very complicated. So let's look at what's happening as we zoom further out. In 2018, I wrote a piece for National Review in which I tied declining birth rates to a lack of hope in the United States. And now in 2024, I'm even more convinced of that thesis, in part because we have a lot more data that backs it up. One of the things that we saw as the birth rate continued to fall in the Trump

years is a number of other social indicators that communicate, for lack of a better term, a lack of hope. So you see rising deaths of despair. Declining marriage rates. Marriage is another concrete sign of I have hope for the future. And so a lot of these signs of hopelessness have been increasing, and the signs of hopefulness have been decreasing. And so that is a larger meta issue that we cannot overlook. But in the bottom line, a lot of it is rooted in the fact that we're just more atomized and isolated from each other. In an interesting way, the Bowling Alone thesis that has really one of the most important diagnoses of American dysfunction in the last 25 years that says that our lack of friendships and civic connections is degrading multiple aspects of our lives. I think that comes

into play here. People have fewer friends than they used to have. Moms in particular feel isolated. And so really, you know, this notion of forming thick and enduring friendships that's not just something that is good for you and for your own flourishing and happiness, it's good for the community and the community's flourishing and happiness. And believe it or not, it's good for the next generation as well. So the entry point should be education and inspiration, not anger and fear. You're trying to educate people. Why? Why is it that you think that this is a concern? And it really is rooted in human flourishing. Education, both the selflessness, the love, the vitality, the flourishing, and also the economic elements as well. And then inspiration. You are not alone. You can be a good

parent. You can actually do this. And I will tell you, before our first child was born, I had a lot of doubts about my ability to be a good dad. I think it's the most human thing in the world. And it's not just enough to encourage people verbally, but to encourage people by supporting them. So creating a culture in which people come alongside and help, you know, that Hillary Clinton book, It Takes a Village, was roundly attacked on the conservative side of the aisle years ago when she wrote it. But it is true that a healthy environment, a healthy culture that is dedicated to helping people have all the children that they want to have and raise them in a happy, healthy, productive society means we help each other.

And so the way I would see it is through the means of encouragement, not shame. When a natalism movement is centered around education and inspiration and not fear and anger, you can absolutely have a country and a culture where big, thriving families, exist right alongside households and communities where there are adults who don't have kids, and it's all fine. It's all fine. The concern is not with, in my mind, is not with somebody who has thoughtfully decided that having kids is not right for them. Do what you think is right, okay? My concern is with the people who want to have kids, they really do, and they just think, can I do this financially? Can I do this as a person? And those are the people I want to

come alongside with and encourage. And so I think a healthy natalist movement is about how can we take those Americans who want to have children or want to have more children and encourage them in that endeavor. That, to me, is what a healthy natalist movement looks like. If you like this show, follow it on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. This show is produced by Derek Arthur, Sophia Alvarez Boyd, Veshaka, Feebara, Phoebe, Fibylette, Christina Samuelski, and Jillian Weinberger. It's edited by Kari Pitkin, Alison Bruzek, and Annie Rose Strasser.

Engineering, mixing, and original music by Isaac Jones, Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker, Carol Saburo, and Afim Shapiro. Additional music by Amin Sahota. The fact check team is Kate Sinclair, Mary Marge Locker, and Michelle Harris. Audience Strategy by Shannon Busta, Christina Samuelski, and Adrian Rivera. The executive producer of Times Opinion Audio is Annie Rose Dresser.