Reply #61: It can be offensive. So's the whole whiny idea that couples without kids

[Gormy Cuss]

are the cause of a housing affordability gap. Breeder/bred may be vulgar ways to describe parenthood, but humans do breed just like any other animal. Consider the term 'well-bred.' That means refined or possessing good manners when it's applied to humans. It means good gene pool when it's applied to dogs.

When I first heard 'breeder' it was from my gay friends and I thought it was pretty offensive until I realized that it was not inaccurate and was being applied to a majority group, so for me it was not worth taking issue. Now I'm even willing to use it in situations like this where parents are trying to call out couples who aren't parents as bad people.

Frankly, the term 'childfree' is loaded too. For some people the label is simply more palatable than childless which is perceived as negative rather than simply descriptive. For others 'childfree' is perceived as meaning 'superior to those dumb people who've saddled themselves with kids.'

We live in a era of linguistic minefields where too often coarseness in language is the way to garner attention. Just my perspective, to give you a different point of view.