Culling the herd

[Toxick]

What's the difference between Seattle and Salt Lake City? There are many differences, of course, but here's one you might not know. In Seattle, there are nearly 45% more dogs than children. In Salt Lake City, there are nearly 19% more kids than dogs.

This curious fact might at first seem trivial, but it reflects a much broader and little-noticed demographic trend that has deep implications for the future of global culture and politics. It's not that people in a progressive city such as Seattle are so much fonder of dogs than are people in a conservative city such as Salt Lake City. It's that progressives are so much less likely to have children.

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Maybe Darwin was Right: Natural Selection always has a way of weeding out the undesirable elements of a species.

 

[vraiblonde]

Also "progressives" are more likely to abort their children - there was some study done that said liberal women have more abortions than conservative women (Like, duh! Couldn't have figured that one out for ourselves!)

This is one of the reasons I'm pro-abortion. If the nutties want to kill off their descendents, by all means have at it.

 

[bresamil]

Also "progressives" are more likely to abort their children - there was some study done that said liberal women have more abortions than conservative women (Like, duh! Couldn't have figured that one out for ourselves!)

This is one of the reasons I'm pro-abortion. If the nutties want to kill off their descendents, by all means have at it.

I think they should just be sterilized.

 

[vraiblonde]

I think they should just be sterilized.

That's the beauty of it - we don't have to do a thing. Just sit back and let them cleanse themselves.

 

[Tonio]

A couple of thoughts:

1. The author noted that some kids reject their parents' political stances. I think that amount is much higher than the author suspects. Maybe the best way to turn your kids into Ann Coulters is to act like Michael Moores.

2. I believe there are too many people in the world. I never read Paul Erlich's "Population Bomb," but I can forsee a world population of 10 billion or so degenerating into a "Lord of the Flies" type of primitivism. The high costs of "be fruitful and multiply" is one reason I don't read holy books literally.

I think China's totalitarian one-child policy will have unintended consequences. I have two daughters, and I think it's sick and disgusting that so many Chinese parents prefer sons so much that they give their baby daughters up for adoption. Sociologists have noticed a "little emperor" syndrome of young Chinese boys growing up lavished with uncritical attention, since the parents know they can't legally have any more kids. So when they become adults, they will not only be spoiled, they will be horny since there will be so few women their age. I can imagine that generation of Chinese men waging war on India to get war brides.

 

[Tonio]

Just sit back and let them cleanse themselves.

There are some conservatives who would disagree with you, claiming that the liberals are going against God's plan for mankind.

 

[vraiblonde]

There are some conservatives who would disagree with you, claiming that the liberals are going against God's plan for mankind.

If you believe in predestination, that's fine. But many Christians believe in free will, so they would naturally think that liberals should be free to exterminate themselves.

 

[Tonio]

If you believe in predestination, that's fine. But many Christians believe in free will, so they would naturally think that liberals should be free to exterminate themselves.

It wouldn't have occurred to me to see "be fruitful and multiply" as related to predestination.

Now I have this Rush song in my head:

There are those who think that life is nothing left to chance
A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance.

A planet of playthings,
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive.
"The stars aren't aligned
Or the gods are malign"
Blame is better to give than receive.

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose free will.

There are those who think that they were dealt a losing hand,
The cards were stacked against them
They weren't born in lotus land.

All preordained
A prisoner in chains
A victim of venomous fate.

Kicked in the face,
You can pray for a place
In heaven's unearthly estate.

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose free will.

Each of us
A cell of awareness
Imperfect and incomplete.
Genetic blends
With uncertain ends
On a fortune hunt that's far too fleet.

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose free will. <!--msnavigation-->

 

[SAHRAB]

There are some conservatives who would disagree with you, claiming that the liberals are going against God's plan for mankind.

Many of the Religious Right are Conservative, but in no way are all Conservatives Religious

 

[Toxick]

1. The author noted that some kids reject their parents' political stances. I think that amount is much higher than the author suspects.

I doubt it's that much higher if at all. I only know of a few people whose political alignment has strayed very far afield from their parents' - and oftentimes its due to a single cause.

F'rinstance, I know a guy who's parents are relatively conservative. But when he discovered he was gay, then his politics pretty much took a left turn and he never looked back.

I believe there are too many people in the world.

I used to think this.

Until I travelled around and seen exactly how much EMPTY UNUSED SPACE there is out there.

It's just that people are all clustered together, though, and that gives the appearance of over-crowding. I 'member when I used to go to Catamarans in Solomons, and the place was so freaking crowded that it would take you 20 minutes to get from the front door to the bar. But once you made it back onto the street you could move about freely again - and the farther away you got from there, the more freely you could move.

Now picture that on the scale of New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, or Tokyo.


There's PLENTY of room out there. People just choose not to use it. But it's there if we need it.

I never read Paul Erlich's "Population Bomb," but I can forsee a world population of 10 billion or so degenerating into a "Lord of the Flies" type of primitivism.

I never read it either, but I believe the earth can accomodate way more than that.

So when they become adults, they will not only be spoiled, they will be horny since there will be so few women their age. I can imagine that generation of Chinese men waging war on India to get war brides.

I have long believed that China's one-child policy will be their downfall.

I believe I saw something on the news a while back that the men outnumber the women by an incredible ratio. If that keeps up, it will only be a generation or two before the entire system collapses under its own weight.

 

[Tonio]

Many of the Religious Right are Conservative, but in no way are all Conservatives Religious

Very true. Christian fundamentalism has nothing to do with skyrocketing population growth in China and India and Africa. It would be interesting to see what Buddhism, Hinduism and animism say about procreation. In any case, I don't believe that each of us has a responsibility to perpetuate the species, particularly when there seem to be so many bad parents out there.