George Carlin touched on this notion once, but it was a brief joke. However, he's not one of my favorite comedians for nothing. I agree totally with the sentiment.

Children aren't our future; they're our present. We're not fucking dead - they live and grow on this Earth same as the rest of us still are. Age makes no difference; the unfettered innocence of a child will inevitably change at puberty. Then it'll morph into a system of values, beliefs, and character traits no different from the ones we harbor as adults. To presume a child's mind is somehow different from ours in terms of learning, experiencing, and changing every day, is obtuse.

In 10 or so years our children won't be children. They'll be exactly like the still-living adults that raised and influenced them, and probably won't be any closer to establishing some magical utopian Earth than we were back then. Considering what most adults have made of our planet, lifestyles, and grand examples in social reciprocity, we probably have a better chance of that now than we will when these little shits become adults.


        This is not your city in 10 years. Or 20. Or 50.


To hold out hope for a promising future, I'd say look a lot further down the line. Great-grandchildren and future descendants are generations we probably won't be around to see, hear, or relate to. You won't be there for them to change your diapers or funnel your tax dollars into Social Security - something I'm sure is what's really on most assholes' minds when they quack the "Children are our Future" slogan. It stems from selfishness and a deep-seeded sense of entitlement, battling with guilt and regret.