I see that in my absence, a major fight has erupted in the Blogosphere over momblogging and children in public spaces. At least Aadisht is mocking people and having fun. What the hell is Falstaff’s [1, 2, 3]  excuse? Is it that he has never been in a hopeless minority in his life?

See, the thing is,  though I am a sexist misogynist, I love children.  The long distance flight I enjoyed the most was when I sat next to a new mother who was returning with her baby to the US. Carrying the baby in my arms  provided a nice break from the novel and the laptop. Not only am I not distracted by a child’s cries, I have difficulty in appreciating the point of view of anyone who is.  Because I am openminded and all that, you can make me intellectually aware of the possibility of people not liking babies, but you can’t make me understand it.

So if you assume that just because parents are in a minority in most settings, non-parents will share your preference to be free of children, it is quite conceivable – I’d say highly probable – that you are making a bad mistake. It is much more likely that the preferences of most people range from “like children” to “don’t mind them”.  When you are in a small minority, any kind of bargaining, Coasian or not will result in a bad bargain for you.