October 12, 2024

"Hospitals and shops catering to pets have become ubiquitous, while childbirth clinics have all but disappeared..."

"... as South Korea’s birthrate has become the lowest in the world. In parks and neighborhoods, strollers are more often than not carrying dogs. Online shopping malls say they sell more baby carriages for dogs than for babies.... 'Liam is like a child to me,' said Ms. Sim, 34, who does not plan to get married or have children. 'I love him the way my mom loved me. I eat old food in the refrigerator, saving the freshest chicken breast for Liam.' Her mother, Park Young-seon, 66, said she felt sad that many young women had chosen not to have babies. But she said she had come to accept Liam as 'my grandson.' On a recent weekend, the mother and daughter joined six other families who took their dogs on a picnic to Mireuksa, a Buddhist temple in central South Korea. So-called temple stays are a way for ordinary people to meditate and enjoy the monastic quiet. Now, some temples encourage families to bring their dogs along. All participants, human and canine, wear gray Buddhist vests and rosaries."

From "One of the World’s Loneliest Countries Finds Companionship in Dogs/They have become pampered family members in South Korea, which has the world’s lowest birthrate and where much of the population lives alone" (NYT).

21 comments:

n.n said...

The evolution of pet parents amid the progressive devaluation of human life through social progress, planned parenthood, etc. Generation Selfie.

Václav Patrik Šulik said...

As PD James foretold. (Children of Men).

Skeptical Voter said...

Until my oldest niece produced some grandchildren for my brother and sister in law, the two of them referred to the niece's dogs as their "Granddogs". Time and five grandchildren from their two daughters fixed all that.

Yancey Ward said...

Not even a death throe of a culture....just death yipping.

Aggie said...

We love our dogs, and our pets are always treated as family members, but I could never see them as proxies for grandchildren. I wonder why South Koreans aren't having children. In the US, it seems mostly driven by the perception that they cannot be afforded. Which sits just fine with the Open Borders bunch.

In my area, a lot of people used to get rid of unwanted litters of mutts and kittens, by levying a handsome 're-homing' fee - often 200-500 bucks. Now, on those same market pages, I see people offering 'free to a good home' for the same types of puppies/kittens - or begging for someone to take their cherished pets off their hands, because they can no longer afford them.

mikee said...

Well, when Harris is in office and the Norks successfully roll across the DMZ, followed by the Chinese, the dogs can be eaten in extremis without qualms, while the neighbors might look askance at boiling up little Suzy.

Sally327 said...

I don't think we Americans are in any position to judge some other country for too much pet love.

Ann Althouse said...

I can't imagine ever being so weird about not having grandchildren that I'd want to think of a son's dog as my grandson! Get a grip, old people. There are many reasons for your offspring to chose not to have children or to be unable to have children. You should try to honor that, not express yourself by calling a dog your grandchild. If my son started it and called his dog his "son" or "daughter," I wouldn't lean into the terminology. I'd just laugh (or try to have a serious conversation about feelings around not having children).

Louise B said...

I know longer believe it when people say they don't have children due to cost but do have pets. Have you seen the expenses to properly care for a cat or a dog? Vet bills, special food and treats, and don't forget doggy day care!

Aggie said...

Well...... I dunno about that, we've got 2 dogs, 2 cats and it's about $1000 a month, all in. They're spoiled rotten. That includes boarding for our occasional travel, but we don't do the 'doggie day care' thing. I'm seeing what my kids are laying out for their kids and it's not even close, really. And their kids are healthy, no special needs or anything.

Iman said...

Better a family member than be featured on teh dinner menu!

I’m just sayin’…

Scott Patton said...

Outliving offspring is an especially sad thing.

Lazarus said...

Is it a law of history that 50 years after a war is won (or even half-won, like the Korean War) decadence sets in?

Kate said...

A rosary is not Buddhist.

Disparity of Cult said...

No culture is perfect, but Korean culture seems especially geared for weird.

Disparity of Cult said...

Buddhist prayer beads. Sloppy writing from NYT.

Ann Althouse said...

"A rosary is not Buddhist."

The OED attests to the meaning "A string of beads or knotted cord used similarly in other religious traditions" going back all the way to 1671:

"The Moors have their Tesserae Precariae, or their Beads, wherewith they number their Prayers. And the whole Corona or Rosary consists of ninety eight, which the Devoti, or Religiously affected, carry always about them."
L. Addison, West Barbary ix. 161Citation details for L. Addison, West Barbary

From 1777: "They also use their Rosaries, or Strings of Prayer Beads, which the Japanese..have in common with the Christians."
G. Sharp, Tract on Law of Nature 162 (note) Citation details for G. Sharp, Tract on Law of Nature

1868 "The Tibetans made use of the rosary and prayer-wheel... The rosary..ought to have 108 beads." Proceedings Geogr. Society 15 July 154–5Citation details for Proceedings Geogr. Society

1883 "Buddhism puts into his hand a rosary." J. Gilmour, Among Mongols xvii. 204Citation details for J. Gilmour, Among Mongols
1910

"The Turkish practice of carrying a string of beads or rosary (comboloio), which provides an occupation for the hands, is very common."
Encyclopædia Britannica vol. XII. 431/2Citation details for Encyclopædia Britannica

etc. etc.

IrishOtter49 said...

Them Orientals sure are inscrutable.

cubanbob said...

One would think that young people with hormonal urges just by accident would be doing better than this. I read that Japan also seems to have this problem. China as wll but at least the Chinese can rightfully blame the CCP.

Deep State Reformer said...

Well I hear talk that there are about 2 million Palestinians that are needing to be "rehomed" pretty soon. Just sayin'.

The Vault Dweller said...

I'm not very familiar with Buddhism, so I don't know the cultural and religious significance of the practices that were described in Korean culture, but if people ever started getting their dogs and cats baptized here I would be very alarmed.