hoplophobe
02-04-2011, 11:25 PM
Another "we are all going to die, and its our own fault" thread.
Taverner Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Fri Feb-04-11 02:24 PM
Original message
For those who don't see overpopulation as a problem...
Edited on Fri Feb-04-11 02:48 PM by Taverner
And believe that its nothing to worry about:
- As population continues to grow in the US, that will mean more will own cars, use fossil fuel products, etc
- That will mean we will need more land to grow food for those new people
- With China and India industrializing, overpopulation in those countries will lead to more fossil fuel use as well
- Cities will become more and more cramped, leading to more crime, more aggression, etc
- Our highways are already overtaxed, and we really can't make them any wider. We will have to start making double and even triple decker highways like Japan. And we see what those look like after an earthquake.
- Projections show the population leveling out around 8-10 billion, however these estimates leave a lot of things out of the equation (exponential growth in developing countries, exponential growth in the US among the hidden underclass, etc) I find their numbers to be a bit skewed.
- Our oceans are being depleted of resources, and dead zones are popping up everywhere. With demand rising (due to more people, of course) we are on a runaway train, leading to disaster food wise
And the solution to the problem?
gratuitous Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Fri Feb-04-11 02:50 PM
Response to Original message
13. There are solutions
1. We can solve this ourselves and voluntarily reduce our population. This is probably the cheapest, easiest and most accessible solution, which means that it's totally unworkable. Certain populations around the world are justifiably suspicious anytime another group, tribe, nation or people suggest we need fewer individuals running around on the planet. This has been the prelude to genocide and war and all sorts of misery in the past.
2. We can solve this problem ourselves through involuntary methods, namely, the aforementioned war and genocide. It's not a pretty option, and isn't likely to win too many supporters who aren't ruthless thugs, and why should we prune our population by leaving the worst elements alone?
3. We can let outside forces solve this. Nature can be remarkably efficient in reducing overpopulation, but it may not suit everyone. However, if we don't do anything, by default, we're going to let natural forces reduce our population. Natural forces will be starvation, disease, and other unpretty methods. It will be psychologically devastating for the survivors (and note that there's no guarantees on who that will be) to watch as nature takes its inevitable toll.
So what do we do? The clock is ticking and time is running out on us. Do we have the will to voluntarily reduce our population ourselves? Can we withstand the inevitable clamor from those frightened by the familiar specter of genocide? Can we overcome the bigotry that will surely manifest itself to dictate that these here survive, while those there are marked for extinction? Can we come up with an equitable solution?
The thread is full of stupid but it sort of bottoms out at:
leftstreet Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Fri Feb-04-11 04:12 PM
Response to Original message
42. If the Ruling Class stopped profiting off energy and food....
:rolleyes:
Taverner Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Fri Feb-04-11 02:24 PM
Original message
For those who don't see overpopulation as a problem...
Edited on Fri Feb-04-11 02:48 PM by Taverner
And believe that its nothing to worry about:
- As population continues to grow in the US, that will mean more will own cars, use fossil fuel products, etc
- That will mean we will need more land to grow food for those new people
- With China and India industrializing, overpopulation in those countries will lead to more fossil fuel use as well
- Cities will become more and more cramped, leading to more crime, more aggression, etc
- Our highways are already overtaxed, and we really can't make them any wider. We will have to start making double and even triple decker highways like Japan. And we see what those look like after an earthquake.
- Projections show the population leveling out around 8-10 billion, however these estimates leave a lot of things out of the equation (exponential growth in developing countries, exponential growth in the US among the hidden underclass, etc) I find their numbers to be a bit skewed.
- Our oceans are being depleted of resources, and dead zones are popping up everywhere. With demand rising (due to more people, of course) we are on a runaway train, leading to disaster food wise
And the solution to the problem?
gratuitous Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Fri Feb-04-11 02:50 PM
Response to Original message
13. There are solutions
1. We can solve this ourselves and voluntarily reduce our population. This is probably the cheapest, easiest and most accessible solution, which means that it's totally unworkable. Certain populations around the world are justifiably suspicious anytime another group, tribe, nation or people suggest we need fewer individuals running around on the planet. This has been the prelude to genocide and war and all sorts of misery in the past.
2. We can solve this problem ourselves through involuntary methods, namely, the aforementioned war and genocide. It's not a pretty option, and isn't likely to win too many supporters who aren't ruthless thugs, and why should we prune our population by leaving the worst elements alone?
3. We can let outside forces solve this. Nature can be remarkably efficient in reducing overpopulation, but it may not suit everyone. However, if we don't do anything, by default, we're going to let natural forces reduce our population. Natural forces will be starvation, disease, and other unpretty methods. It will be psychologically devastating for the survivors (and note that there's no guarantees on who that will be) to watch as nature takes its inevitable toll.
So what do we do? The clock is ticking and time is running out on us. Do we have the will to voluntarily reduce our population ourselves? Can we withstand the inevitable clamor from those frightened by the familiar specter of genocide? Can we overcome the bigotry that will surely manifest itself to dictate that these here survive, while those there are marked for extinction? Can we come up with an equitable solution?
The thread is full of stupid but it sort of bottoms out at:
leftstreet Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Fri Feb-04-11 04:12 PM
Response to Original message
42. If the Ruling Class stopped profiting off energy and food....
:rolleyes: