I think you need to analyze the things carefully before making critical judgement.

I always do.

I mostly agree with this: there are a few people who should never be parents because they cannot or will not control violent and cruel tendencies but most people muddle through somehow.

My dad was a professional person but I always believed we were not terribly well off as he didn't splash his money around. Plus, there were seven of us to support on one wage. He did give a lot of donations to charity though; something we didn't know the extent of until after his death.

We went to a church school from grades 1 to 7 but the tuition wasn't very high. All of us but one went to state high school and we've done okay in life under the circumstances.

The main thing that has ever held me back in life is lack of self confidence and much of this is probably the result of lack of social skills and inability to network and put myself forward. This would no doubt have been an issue no matter how poor or otherwise my parents were.

I read not so long ago that the world population is expected to reach 8 billion, stabilise, and then start declining. There is enough to cover need but not greed. Much of the world's starvation is due to political issues, which unfortunately are very intractable. AIDS is still cutting huge swathes into the childbearing age group in countries in Asia and Africa.

No, the world revolves around the U.S. Congress (with some note of truth in it)

I was watching a show this week about a Mormon guy in the US and his three wives and 18 children (!!!)

Nowhere was it mentioned what they all did career-wise to feed all of those mouths, even though more than one of the them, the father included, would be classified as very overweight, if not morbidly obese.  So somehow they are all being more than adequately fed.

My husband said that the man was a "glutton for punishment" with so many wives and children.  All I could think of was "why so many?"  I know there's contraception in the US.  Why on earth would you want to put so much pressure on the world?  Wouldn't perhaps, say, one or two children per woman be enough?  Why an average of six EACH?  What are they trying to prove?  That they're fertile?

Also, the three women were all related: two sisters and a cousin.  As least they're keeping it in the family.  Speaking personally, no way would I ever share my man, not with a sister, not anybody.

Alison

This post was last modified: 10-22-2011 02:11 AM by Alison.

The concept of Mormonism is confusing...

Well obviously having a high IQ makes you better looking, more popular, more charismatic, luckier, more determined, filled with more common sense, give you better values, and your children will be healthier. In a nutshell,better.

Of course this is completely idiotic and no one with an ounce of intellect would pretend otherwise, would they Louise18....don't make us sneer at you for getting the answer wrong.

WTF? Do you REALLY believe this or is this an interesting attempt at sarcasm?

Can't feed em? Don't breed em.

But I get free booze money from the government if I make babies! Why shouldn't I have a 12-kid family?!

Wealth just seems to cause problems. It generates envy and/or conspicuous consumption.  It is the wealthy who are creating social disorder by their actions.  Sadly, the rest of society has adopted that same value system as the 1%.

It used to be that there was more class among the wealthy.  Kennedy and FDR were examples of privileged people who realized that they had responsibilities.  Today, the culture of the 1% is absolutely disgusting.  

Now it even appears that their shills want eugenics back, as I am seeing this meme in the culture more and more.

Are there people actually suggesting that the poor shouldn't have kids? On what basis would someone be so foolish as to use the roulette wheel of who becomes wealthy to judge who should have kids?

I personally think that people who can't afford kids shouldn't have them. Point blank.
While you don't need an elite education to be successful, why bring a child into this world to suffer when you can't make ends meet, or you can't afford to care for them. Do you want children that grow up bitter and nasty because of their upbringing.

I think it does children an emotional favor when you don't breed them whilst living in such deplorable conditions.

Without the poor, the priveleged classes could not thrive.  Somebody has to fill all the divisions of labor necessary for civilization.  Robots and animals can't fulfill all and every menial task required.  Somebody has to produce in order to fulfill the needs of the priveleged and common peoples alike (particularly food and clothing production).  If 99% of the human population (the poor, middle class and those at the lower end of the wealthy spectrum) suddenly disappeared, the priveleged 1% would implode.  Who would produce their food?  Who would cook their food?  Society is dependent on agricultural professionals and their underlings (farmers and their help) in order to have a sufficient and efficient food supply.  A stock broker or banker would likely be clueless on how to generate a sustainable and consistent food supply for his family.  If the 99% disappeared, then the remaining 1% would be divided.  You'd have the "new poor".  Certain attributes among the original remaining 1% would separate those who would remain priveleged (have priority over the very scarce remaining resources or "first dibs" in a "lifeboat") versus those who would now have to do without or earn their keep from the holders of the resources.  Example:  Within that 1% group, probably any Aspies within that group would now have to do without for it is easy for an NT to push an Aspie out of the way if both have to compete for the same resources and the NT has more relative social support compared to the Aspie.

That's a good humanitarian reason, but I cannot see unless there is some disgusting clique of money-grubbers who stack the deck in their favour why that should happen in a high-income country. And I know the USA might have a Gini comparable to China, but even there people should easily be able to accomodate a child in most cases.

This post was last modified: 02-07-2012 11:46 PM by Gedrene.