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Thread: I Learned a New Word Today

  1. #1
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    I Learned a New Word Today

    “Birthstrikers” are people refusing to have children due to their pessimistic assessment of our environmental-cultural-economic future.

    While I can respect their convictions, I have to wonder if we are truly in a uniquely dangerous time in our history. There have always been plenty of reasons for concern if you choose to focus on them.

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    Quote Originally Posted by LDAHL View Post
    “Birthstrikers” are people refusing to have children due to their pessimistic assessment of our environmental-cultural-economic future.

    While I can respect their convictions, I have to wonder if we are truly in a uniquely dangerous time in our history.
    The statistics would depend on what you consider Unique. Nuclear war, MAN MADE pandemic's etc. more uniquely dangerous in the last 100 or so years, then any time before. Natural pandemics, meteor strikes, etc. not so much.

    They are trying to save the environment, by decreasing the surplus population.

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    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff View Post
    They are trying to save the environment, by decreasing the surplus population.
    "Surplus population" - what a fascinating phrase.

    What is the correct population level?

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    Quote Originally Posted by bae View Post
    "Surplus population" - what a fascinating phrase.

    What is the correct population level?
    Wouldn't that depend on which extremist group you ask?

    That phrase always makes me think of A Christmas Carol. Aren't there any work houses...

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    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    World population is shrinking due to several factors, not the least of which is women's increasing ability to control reproduction and their own bodies. In this country, we're not at replacement level and we rely on immigration to make up the difference. I'm increasingly convinced that population isn't the problem it's reputed to be.

    In a country where many of us are losing ground economically and health care is an expensive mess, it would make sense not to breed, it seems to me.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JaneV2.0 View Post
    World population is shrinking due to several factors,
    Care to back that up? Everything I have seen, says it is growing.

  7. #7
    Yppej
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    If we morph to a world that, with the rise of AI, doesn't need workers so guaranteed basic income is provided, having children won't be needed. Robots can do it all.

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    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_growth

    If you look at developed countries (US, Japan for example), population growth appears static or declining. I agree this could be because of fertility control and later marriage. However, this represents only a very small part of the world's population. Countries like Nigeria are facing huge population growth: https://www.cfr.org/blog/nigeria-fac...opulation-boom China has relaxed the one child restriction and India is still booming.

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    I just read:
    “Empty Planet: the shock of global population decline”

    It’s full of data supporting the decline of human population worldwide over the next century, with questionable ability for the human race to survive as a species over the next few hundred years.

    Very surprising to me - but the numbers are there.

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    Personally, as someone who had to listen to Paul Erlich’s alarmist piffle back in the day, I’m beginning to think the only benefit of long range population projections is to make astrology look respectable.

    I would also think that people so afraid of the future, either for themselves, their theoretical progeny or their vision of what the environment should be, probably shouldn’t be parents in any case. They can leave it to heedless fools like me to launch the next generation into the challenge of muddling through whatever may be waiting for them.

    I think it’s interesting that some people don’t want to invest in children at all while others are willing to sink hundreds of thousands into scams aimed at getting their whelps into the “right” schools.

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