Kids don’t give your life meaning, but to other people they give your life meaning
Summary
A rider argues that kids don't give your life meaning, but they sure make you look good to other people. Kareem, who has a kid, pushes back hard at first but then flips to total agreement. The conversation spirals through hostage movie clichés ("I have kids!"), how millennials treat parenting like a hobby compared to their parents' generation, and the idea that follower counts might replace "beloved father" on tombstones. Things get dark when the rider recalls his dad getting pulled over for drunk driving and using his kids as an excuse. They were in the car. The whole episode is a riff on performative parenthood, how previous generations were obsessed with their children in ways that feel alien now, and what actually gives life meaning when rock climbing and matcha lattes are equally valid options.
Full Transcript
So, what's your take? Kids don't give your life meaning, but to other people they give your life meaning.
100% disagree. I have—no, yeah, 100%. I have a kid. What?
Okay, okay, because— 100% agree. Have you ever seen a movie with like a hostage situation and the kidnapper has a gun pointed at the hostage's head and they're like, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your brains out." The hostage always says the same thing. They're always like, "I have kids."
That's true. Because that's the only good reason, right? Like, what would I say if I were the hostage in that scenario, right? Just, I've never seen The Sopranos, like—
[laughter] I'd be dead. You said Subway takes a—I mean, if I didn't have a kid, I would say, "Well, who's going to do the show? Post Malone's going to tell me why mustard's better than mayo."
[laughter] You could be like a Nazi and then they're just like, "Oh, he had kids and a wife. Oh, you also have a wife. That's the best. You get a wife and a kid. You—"
[laughter] "—could be evil. You could do whatever you want." They're like, "He had a wife and kids."
He's a good guy. But I think this generation is is not buying into it, you know? Because at shows I ask people. I ask people in the crowd. I'm like, "Do your kids give your life meaning?" And they hesitate, you know? They're like, "Uh, yeah, it's more of a hobby."
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, it's true. They're like, "My real passion is rock climbing."
Yeah. My mom's generation—she was obsessed with me, you know what I mean? She's like, she's Latina. She's like, "Oh my god, like every breath I take it's just so that I could be your mother." And it's like, I think you should pick up rock climbing.
So these days kids don't give your life meaning. These days we're into matcha lattes and stand-up comedy and short-form unscripted vertical video. Yeah, I think it's about followers. Follower counts.
Where do you sit at these days? I don't—I don't look at it.
Oh, come on. Jeez. I'm I'm Buddhist. I'm not about the numbers. I'm very present. I think now on tombstones they're going to put your follower account instead of, you know, father, son.
What else can give your life meaning other than kids? I look—that's it? I know that's what my dad would say. My dad would say, "My kids," right? Because my dad's never been held at gunpoint, but my dad has been uh pulled over for drunk driving.
Okay, cool. And that's what he told the officer. He was like, "I have kids, officer. I have kids." And I know that's what he told the officer because we were in the car.
Oh. Yeah. That's not cool at all.
[laughter]