World's numbers may peek by 2100
August 1, 2001 3:39 PM Subscribe
posted by Mark at 3:48 PM on August 1, 2001
Fuck, no!
Dong Resin is sick of people clogging up the express lane at the food store.
The genetically inferior who can not determine what is and is not 15 items or less? I hope they die off first.
Slowly.
posted by dong_resin at 3:48 PM on August 1, 2001
posted by th3ph17 at 3:59 PM on August 1, 2001
posted by littleyellowdifferent at 4:27 PM on August 1, 2001
Gee, thanks for the insight, Professor Compassion. God forbid we make any knee-jerk, namby-pamby decisions with any thought given to the effects on "other people" or "future generations". Conveniently enough, no children are being born anymore, anywhere, so there won't be any people left by the time the world is overpopulated. What a relief that will be!
posted by hincandenza at 4:37 PM on August 1, 2001
posted by gd779 at 4:44 PM on August 1, 2001
The thing is, getting a country industrialized with an educated middle class is more effective than birth control and controlling population. Agricultural, rural, illiterate regions still must face the fact that children are an economic benefit, at least perceived, to the families. The growth in countries like India and China has slowed, but it remains above replacement levels.
In the rest of the world, though, especially the industrialized North (US, Europe), birth rates are below replacement levels -- meaning that without immigration, most of these countries will experience net depopulation. The US won't suffer much, because we have such high rates of immigration. Countries like Italy and Germany, however, are or will be facing problems keeping their industries running with enough young workers, especially to support their aging populations. (Whether or not it's a monolithic program like Social Security, the problem remains: more people living long beyond their working years. Micro or macro economically, it's a drain.) As a result places like Europe are going to have to consider relaxing policies and encouraging immigration, or expanding guest worker programs.
This does not diminish the pain that countries like Mexico will feel managing a still-exploding, still-very-young population boom. In countries like this, half the population might be under 25. It's going to be a haves & have-nots world.
posted by dhartung at 4:56 PM on August 1, 2001
posted by christina at 5:13 PM on August 1, 2001
I don't know about you, but I don't plan to be. With a century of biotech to help out, I am fairly confident I will reach my 128th birthday and see 2100.
posted by ljromanoff at 6:22 PM on August 1, 2001
Word up, dhartung! Smackdown on Malthus, bay-bee!! :) Of course, if industrializing the 3rd world is what will control their population best, we need to start worrying about energy, water, and food resource distribution for the 8.4billion folks.
Jeepers, ljr's only 28/29? Somehow, I pictured him as this cantakerous 50-something codger living in a mountain shack, shouting at hikers and campers "Bah, you kids git away from mah gold mine, y'hear!". Huh, you think you know someone....
posted by hincandenza at 9:09 PM on August 1, 2001
i don't know about you, but as soon as i can, i'm grafting my head to the top of a giant killer robot.
then i can continue to eat the weak and crippled.
WHO'S WITH ME?!?!
posted by jcterminal at 11:59 PM on August 1, 2001
posted by dong_resin at 12:43 AM on August 2, 2001
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:55 AM on August 2, 2001
Join the VHEMT now!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:06 AM on August 2, 2001
And you probably think I'm a Republican, too. Sometimes assumptions are a bitch.
If I ever do own a gold mine you can be damn sure I will be keeping everyone away from it, though.
posted by ljromanoff at 12:36 PM on August 2, 2001
Heh- that one was for you, dagny... :)
posted by hincandenza at 2:55 PM on August 2, 2001
Getting closer. But still wrong. Although I did enjoy "We the Living."
posted by ljromanoff at 3:07 PM on August 2, 2001
posted by hincandenza at 7:24 PM on August 2, 2001
What exactly is a fascist anarchist? Is that like being wet dry? And it's the fascist attitudes of many on this board that I spend most of my time arguing against.
posted by ljromanoff at 9:04 PM on August 2, 2001
Naah!
Instead let's abrogate treaties that have a chance of making this world a safer, cleaner place and go out with a whimper and a bang!
"Live hard, die young, leave a good looking corpse."
posted by nofundy at 7:27 AM on August 3, 2001
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posted by jcterminal at 3:43 PM on August 1, 2001