Honey, I Want More Kids...

[LittleEva]

I actually did see a program about this family when they built their new house and just checked out the website of the group that produced the story. Amazingly, this family is debt free (they all helped build the house they live in to save money), they are all home schooled (I cannot imagine homeschooling my two, much less this brood) and every child learns to play the violin and the piano. I do remember they are very strict with the kids...all the girls wear dresses...no pants allowed. But I agree that they couldn't all be receiving much parental attention, I suppose the older kids are responsible for raising the younger.

[Grumble]

Violin, piano...and banjo??

[grant]

I think they're being judged rather harshly here, they're not scrounging, they're not clogging up schools and you can bet that if any of these kids had criminal records, it would've been mentioned. Good for them, they've not picked the easy life. The fact the children are being educated at home probably means each child has more time with their parents than most kids. What is it that's irresponsible Albert ?

[Lonan3]

I think they're being judged rather harshly here, they're not scrounging, they're not clogging up schools and you can bet that if any of these kids had criminal records, it would've been mentioned. Good for them, they've not picked the easy life. The fact the children are being educated at home probably means each child has more time with their parents than most kids. What is it that's irresponsible Albert ?

Human population increased by a factor of 1.84 (just less than doubled) in the 60-year period from 1900 to 1960.

It doubled (roughly) in the 40-year period from 1960 to 2000.

In absolute numbers, the picture is more revealing. In the 60-year period from 1900 to 1960, human population increased by 1,389 million.

In the 40-year period from 1960 to 2000, it increased by 3,041 million.

For the period 1960 to 2000 (increase of just over 3 billion), this is an average increase of 75 million per year - or about 205,000 per day, 8,500 per hour, 140 per minute.

Most would suggest that a decrease in the birth rate would be beneficial to everyone - having 17, 18, 19 children is both utterly selfish and 'irresponsible.'

[Albert Tatlock]

I think they're being judged rather harshly here, they're not scrounging, they're not clogging up schools and you can bet that if any of these kids had criminal records, it would've been mentioned. Good for them, they've not picked the easy life. The fact the children are being educated at home probably means each child has more time with their parents than most kids. What is it that's irresponsible Albert ?

Human population increased by a factor of 1.84 (just less than doubled) in the 60-year period from 1900 to 1960.

It doubled (roughly) in the 40-year period from 1960 to 2000.

In absolute numbers, the picture is more revealing. In the 60-year period from 1900 to 1960, human population increased by 1,389 million.

In the 40-year period from 1960 to 2000, it increased by 3,041 million.

For the period 1960 to 2000 (increase of just over 3 billion), this is an average increase of 75 million per year - or about 205,000 per day, 8,500 per hour, 140 per minute.

Most would suggest that a decrease in the birth rate would be beneficial to everyone - having 17, 18, 19 children is both utterly selfish and 'irresponsible.'

Couldn't have put it better myself. The only real solution to climate change is less people - at this rate of expansion we'll all be eating Soylent Green in 100 years.

 

Agent Smith got it right:

"I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species. I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area, and you multiply, and multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet, you are a plague, and we are the cure."

[grant]

I'm not argueing that everyone should be able to have 19 children, (even I'm not quite that thick). This family that the thread is about are not irresponsible. They seem to pay their way, spend lots of time with their children, and have so many because they want them.

 

There are thousands of families/single parents/partners, etc who have 1, 2 or more kids who are irresponsible. Bringing children into this world without the means or compassion to raise them properly. Those people are irresponsible and we all know people like this exist.

[thebees]

Like Lonan and Albert says, over populisation by the human race is the single biggest threat to the environment - why did they need to have so many children? I feel fairly guilty for having 2 children but I have tried to bring them up well and not have them being huge consumers. The nat Geo article about the fish hi-lights the devastation the huge human population is having on the worlds seas fish stocks, we cannot continue to consume at the current rate forever.

[Mr. Sausages]

Don't worry, nature will sort us out. Earthquakes, volcanos and meteors are there for a reason.

[Albert Tatlock]

Don't worry, nature will sort us out. Earthquakes, volcanos and meteors are there for a reason.

...plus the Earth might spin off its axis; plagues; the war to end all wars; the big freeze; alien invasion; and robots inheriting the Earth (singularity).

 

Humans might not be here in a couple of hundred years - especially after the singularity.

[VinnieK]

From the article on (sotto voce) The Singularity.

 

"Others, such as the Foresight Institute, advocate efforts to create molecular nanotechnology, claiming nanotechnology can be made safe for pre-Singularity use or can expedite the arrival of a beneficial Singularity."

 

So we could equally expect a robotic messiah as we could a high-tech apocalypse? If there's one way to improve good old fashioned millenarianism it's by dressing it up in a shiny space suit and calling it futurology.