Posted by mike on July 07, 2001 at 17:33:04:
In Reply to: Re: Kelphead, how extensively have you travelled the planet? posted by kelphead on July 06, 2001 at 22:01:18:
you know about the neighborhoods i'm talking about? Have you walked the streets of Quito? Machachi? Latacunga? Balikpapan? Singapore? Manado? Berau? Or do you have "friends" from there too?
I have "friends" from various places too. And funny thing is, a lot of them are children of the elite ruling classes, that know or care no more about the squalor of their compatriots than the average suburbanite in Palos Verdes. (one of my friend from Rio De Janiero never set foot outside his private school or gated enclave. He is a flaming leftist who gets his information from Greenpeace and the Sierra Club, but has never gotten off the Ensenada toll road to see how the rest of the Baja Califanios live, nor has he driven through south central to see the results of the welfare state here in the good old US of A) They look at me like i've been pole-axed when i ask them what they think of a particular policy or politician that pertains to their native land. Those that actually do know what's going on in their native lands are absolutely thrilled to be here in nation that honors private property rights, the freedom to excel in life, and the right to free speech, self-defense and gun ownership.
As for female infanticide, government enforced birth control and other horribilia, well lets play a little mind game. Mind games are how one tests one's philosphies and belief systems BEFORE the guano hits the fan. Suppose there are ten of us on a little island. The island can support 10 of us and ten only. Someone wants to have a baby because their biological clock is ticking. In order to have that baby, and meet its nutritional requirements, the mother would need the caloric intake of two people. that means that A) one of us would have to die off, or B) that the ten existing people would have to make do with less, therby endangering their own health (remember, it has not been fancy-schmancy western medical science that has cured all the world's ills so much as simple things like hygeine and nutrition) or C) the other 9 would see to it that no additional babies would appear until the carrying capacity of the local island increased or the population dropped to 9, whereby the island could once again, support one more.
If the planetary ecosystem showed signs of collapse, and our way of life was threatened, then hell yes, i wouldn't argue one bit if the US Govt decided to follow China's lead. Shit, i have to put up with rent control, gun control, property taxes that go to wasteful local governments....might as well put up with one more little infringement on freedom, especially if i want to live like something other than a subsistence farmer (oh yah, and when in laguna beach, i gotta wear a snorkel...guess DIR is against the law there).
Female infanticide? well there are a lot of evils in this world that i am powerless to correct. That is a function of patrilineal culture as much as it is the fault of the Chinese govt. Would you rather the Taliban or Jerry Falwell dictate the choices instead with their proclamations of "be fruitful and multiply"?
Ok, next point: the majority of other countries are not contributing to the popln problem? i take it you were not a math or science major. Lets see, the big bad impearialist US is gonna be 10th, well, guess we better close the border and not let in any more Mexicans, Vietnamese, Pakistanis etc etc etc. The reason that the US popln is growing is that we have fairly liberal immigration policies. Dividing the country by demographics (ethnicity) and then looking at the birth rates of each ethnic group /w/in the US shows that the population of Caucasians and other long-time US residents would be declining due to declining birth rates (post-industrial demographic stage..ala Japan, Germany, Sweden). We are taking immigrants from some of those places i mentioned. Also. i mentioned Indonesia, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico. Why don't you research and travel to those places before you issue your statement based on of all things, a newsweek article.
As far as disease becoming a factor in limiting the human population soon, well NEWSFLASH!!! IT ALREADY HAS, FOR 20 YEARS!!! AIDS in Africa is where it's happening. as we speak!