General Discussion

GliderGuider

(21,088 posts)

49. All the periods you mention saw a decline in birth rates.

Tue Aug 6, 2013, 11:34 AM

Aug 2013

It's not that the people who are still having children are damaged - it's that they are at the less perceptive/informed end of the human bell curve. The perceptive, well-informed ones on the other end who have the option of doing so are drastically reducing their birth rates.

I'd love to see the world population go into a steep decline, and it looks like I'll probably get my wish in the next 20-30 years. For the sake of having a sustainable biosphere we really should be getting the global population down to around 10 million or so (yes, that's million with an "m&quot as quickly as possible, preferably within this century. That won't happen of course, but then neither will a sustainable biosphere.

Here's an article that assesses a number of sobering sustainability speculations: http://www.paulchefurka.ca/Sustainability.html

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Are Babies for Idiots? Maternal Urge Decreases in Women with Higher IQ [View all] AngryAmish Aug 2013 OP

Our youngest has a very high IQ and... liberal N proud Aug 2013 #1

Mine is 22, and she says if she has kids, it will be through adoption. AngryOldDem Aug 2013 #2

That is to say, SMART young people are aware� Jackpine Radical Aug 2013 #35

Duly noted! n/t AngryOldDem Aug 2013 #36

I believe this to be true! hamsterjill Aug 2013 #158

My fear is Idiocracy was a documentary AngryAmish Aug 2013 #3

not was, IS. hobbit709 Aug 2013 #10

Yeah, but who's fault was that? The2ndWheel Aug 2013 #19

+10 RC Aug 2013 #33

I have struggled with that question my whole life. nt Sivafae Aug 2013 #87

I'll see that and raise you DonCoquixote Aug 2013 #114

Yet religion isn't genetic get the red out Aug 2013 #139

Religious fundies have such crappy, boring, lives unless they have several children. Quantess Aug 2013 #196

This message was self-deleted by its author Electric Monk Aug 2013 #133

Indeed. Here is the section which so accurately documented the trend cited in the OP KurtNYC Aug 2013 #37

My fear is that Idiocracy reflects the ongoing influence of the eugenics hedgehog Aug 2013 #54

and that was one reason why it was released in about five theaters nationwide AngryAmish Aug 2013 #115

Correct. JackRiddler Aug 2013 #134

Luckily it was just a horrible movie instead. Dash87 Aug 2013 #170

no it doesn't. It's purely anecdotal. That doesn't add evidence. cali Aug 2013 #22

My husband and I are academics w/no kids. I am NOT suggesting that I have a high IQ anneboleyn Aug 2013 #106

Just proves that the menfolk don't like breeding with them smart wimmins. Orrex Aug 2013 #4

In general men don't mind marrying down the IQ ladder, women do AngryAmish Aug 2013 #12

That just shows that men and women are shallow in different ways Orrex Aug 2013 #14

yeah, how about it? AngryAmish Aug 2013 #17

Great post....that's been my observation & experience as well. nt raccoon Aug 2013 #68

I prefer smart women. Much prefer. RC Aug 2013 #34

Idiots? Seriously? cherokeeprogressive Aug 2013 #5

misleading title (not your fault, of course) magical thyme Aug 2013 #6

Speaking of specimens... pipi_k Aug 2013 #24

ah, but was it a "clean catch" poop? magical thyme Aug 2013 #26

I'm pretty sure pipi_k Aug 2013 #48

What you are describing is someone who didn't have the same vocabulary as you - hedgehog Aug 2013 #55

Not mentally challenged pipi_k Aug 2013 #100

Where did she thing the penis was going during sexual intercourse? Chemisse Aug 2013 #177

That wouldn't say much for all of our mothers The2ndWheel Aug 2013 #7

Mother's Day is mawkish, sentimental, pro-breeding propaganda. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #18

Damned if you do or don't The2ndWheel Aug 2013 #25

oh what nonsense. cali Aug 2013 #28

+ a really big number onenote Aug 2013 #39

All the periods you mention saw a decline in birth rates. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #49

more garbage without a scintilla of evidence to back up your silly claims cali Aug 2013 #63

I tend to have a fairly accepting attitude towards most human behavior. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #66

we must help them feel that having kids is a bad idea. loyalsister Aug 2013 #74

Based on the fact that the whole human species is probably 100x into overshoot. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #75

ack. you are wrong. cali Aug 2013 #77

I actually don't think that any amount of human preaching will get people to change their behavior. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #86

I don't disagree with that. cali Aug 2013 #101

My wording was deliberately inflammatory. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #103

you deliberately post flame bait, make a claim cali Aug 2013 #108

Fair enough. I won't do it again. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #112

thanks. I think you bring up valid points and it's a discussion worthy topic cali Aug 2013 #117

I'll think about it. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #123

Somebody fucked you up real good, didn't they. WilliamPitt Aug 2013 #57

Why, because I have attitudes you don't agree with? GliderGuider Aug 2013 #61

No, but apparently I'm "completely bound up in my own psychic wounds and egoic needs." WilliamPitt Aug 2013 #64

That's quite an intense statement. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #67

Yup. WilliamPitt Aug 2013 #70

That's too bad. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #76

"our culture markets demographic beliefs and turns them into holy writ" get the red out Aug 2013 #135

We evolved to accept stupid beliefs in the interests of social harmony. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #137

Sometimes I wish I could accept them get the red out Aug 2013 #138

Some bells can't be un-rung GliderGuider Aug 2013 #140

The Chinese ferociously marketed "one child max" mainer Aug 2013 #147

The government, not their culture get the red out Aug 2013 #149

So we must wipe out "the culture"? mainer Aug 2013 #150

That is my take on how a culture markets things get the red out Aug 2013 #155

And where do the corporations come from? GliderGuider Aug 2013 #166

I agree get the red out Aug 2013 #167

All life is fundamentally selfish. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #168

You can not separate our society from the politics of corporatism. WCLinolVir Aug 2013 #178

Yes, people are fundamentally coerced. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #179

Nice theory but once again all encompassing. Over broad. WCLinolVir Aug 2013 #194

If you say so. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #195

People can't live in groups without a culture emerging. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #161

Your thoughts may be one thing Marrah_G Aug 2013 #151

Yes, I got that. nt GliderGuider Aug 2013 #153

Completely unrelated nadinbrzezinski Aug 2013 #91

Thats' a very good point. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #93

My sis has yet to post one picture of her now 10 and 8 year olds nadinbrzezinski Aug 2013 #98

Well if you are pipi_k Aug 2013 #107

Well, we have been told this by SD police agencies nadinbrzezinski Aug 2013 #109

Livia Soprano, is that you? nt Tommy_Carcetti Aug 2013 #165

They use a pic of Cameron Diaz as an example. pintobean Aug 2013 #8

In addition... Orrex Aug 2013 #9

Actually, yes, she is. nt justiceischeap Aug 2013 #16

How fucking ridiculous. Speaking of idiots. cali Aug 2013 #11

I would also add societal pressure into the mix of variables In some societal segments womens' roles KittyWampus Aug 2013 #29

You are right - there are so many other variables. Chemisse Aug 2013 #183

Perhaps smarter, better-educated people can see the future more clearly? GliderGuider Aug 2013 #13

"smarter, better-educated people" pintobean Aug 2013 #23

There are a growing number of people who don't think the problems are solvable any more. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #46

Funny that isn't it Puzzledtraveller Aug 2013 #73

Regarding our offspring solving future problems, do you know "Sevareid's Law?" GliderGuider Aug 2013 #78

Yet, here we are pintobean Aug 2013 #89

What problem do you see me as trying to solve? GliderGuider Aug 2013 #90

My need for an education in bullshit. (nt) pintobean Aug 2013 #94

I can't teach you anything you don't want to learn. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #97

Not at all. Daemonaquila Aug 2013 #188

I'm sure glad I'm not smart enough to see the world as you do. Throd Aug 2013 #30

Once you get used to it, it's actually quite a wonderful place. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #53

This kind of "monster"? onenote Aug 2013 #42

IMO, any couple entering their reproductive phase now who has more than two children GliderGuider Aug 2013 #50

Be careful. I mentioned that I was going to put a "two is enough" bumper sticker on my car, and... Dawgs Aug 2013 #92

I know. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #95

enjoy your superiority complex. I'm done with this idiotic thread. liberal_at_heart Aug 2013 #162

That places Darwinian pressure on humans to become less intelligent. N/T GreenStormCloud Aug 2013 #15

That pressure has actually been there for a long time now. Jackpine Radical Aug 2013 #38

That is true. N/T GreenStormCloud Aug 2013 #40

It may go back much further than that. GliderGuider Aug 2013 #58

Well, not really. IIRC, intelligence as measured by IQ tests is only weakly inheritable. Nay Aug 2013 #141

Not a surprise. Myrina Aug 2013 #20

You alone here, got it! I thought it seemed simple and obvious enough. bettyellen Aug 2013 #31

+1 JustAnotherGen Aug 2013 #32

Seems an obvious confound, but....... freeplessinseattle Aug 2013 #120

How did he measure "smartness"? mainer Aug 2013 #172

Ask your mother. panader0 Aug 2013 #21

! hedgehog Aug 2013 #56

Perhaps women w/higher IQ's reason through options when unwanted pregnancy occurs AND KittyWampus Aug 2013 #27

Probably because they have more to lose, and the ability to evaluate that loss Xithras Aug 2013 #41

IQ is overrated. nt rrneck Aug 2013 #43

Makes sense to me. bunnies Aug 2013 #44

LOL. Daemonaquila Aug 2013 #189

I wish Bunnahabhain Aug 2013 #45

Not surprising to me, kiva Aug 2013 #47

Well that explains me, lol. Still childless, and have not regretted it. kestrel91316 Aug 2013 #51

I think there may be pipi_k Aug 2013 #52

Kanasawa also posted on his blog that black women are less attractive Gormy Cuss Aug 2013 #59

Since reliable birth control came along, MANY childbearing-age women SoCalDem Aug 2013 #60

All the ramifications of this are a huge can of worms from the standpoint of natural selection Zorra Aug 2013 #62

oh bullshit. correlation not causation. HiPointDem Aug 2013 #65

Calling Sir Francis Galton on the Factophone: Manifestor_of_Light Aug 2013 #69

You have discovered the bane of every baseball agents' existence AngryAmish Aug 2013 #193

Oy vey Puzzledtraveller Aug 2013 #71

It always amuses me when people critique an activity that is literally built into our DNA Dreamer Tatum Aug 2013 #72

First, I'm a monster for being an omnivore and now my mom's an idiot for getting pregnant. eom millennialmax Aug 2013 #82

^^this^^ Puzzledtraveller Aug 2013 #83

Well, people certainly try to shame others into it get the red out Aug 2013 #148

Wait a minute shenmue Aug 2013 #79

Or pensions. nt Dreamer Tatum Aug 2013 #80

Holy shit, imagine how many kids I'd have had if my IQ was 100 laundry_queen Aug 2013 #81

Yet 57% women with university degrees have children mainer Aug 2013 #84

Having a degree does not make you smart. There's a big difference. Dawgs Aug 2013 #96

Well, exactly! But that's the metric the study used mainer Aug 2013 #99

Regardless, having a child these days is not smart. It's a thoughtless, and sometimes selfish, act. Dawgs Aug 2013 #119

Having a child is not necessarily "thoughtless" mainer Aug 2013 #125

How old are your children, because I'm probably not talking about you? Dawgs Aug 2013 #129

I'm 60, and I have a wonderful career mainer Aug 2013 #130

Okay, so you're decision was 30 years ago. My initial comment was regarding present day. n/t Dawgs Aug 2013 #131

30 years ago, I knew Paul Ehrlich mainer Aug 2013 #145

Except the world is in much dire straits now. Dawgs Aug 2013 #181

Every generation thinks the world is in dire straits mainer Aug 2013 #185

We are humans. We have emotions. We are not robots. If you don't want to have children that's liberal_at_heart Aug 2013 #143

I think that may be what helped prompt the idea for the study, but freeplessinseattle Aug 2013 #121

Unless they actually measured IQ, which I doubt, they're using college as their metric mainer Aug 2013 #122

Maybe it all has to do with marital status? mainer Aug 2013 #85

arrogance and self righteousness seem to increase with IQ. liberal_at_heart Aug 2013 #88

And there is no arrogance or self-righteousness kiva Aug 2013 #102

I honestly find that less-smart types tend to be FAR more arrogant and self-righteous anneboleyn Aug 2013 #110

If you are saying MDs are not arrogant then you don't know many surgeons AngryAmish Aug 2013 #118

It's not an either/or thing though, thanks be REP Aug 2013 #111

I've seen plenty of arrogant, self righteous people right here on DU. liberal_at_heart Aug 2013 #127

I prefer that to homophobes, racists, anti-abortnoids, etc personally REP Aug 2013 #142

Neither is acceptable to me. liberal_at_heart Aug 2013 #146

I don't mind the unmarried, the childfree, or the areligious REP Aug 2013 #152

You don't think the article in the OP has an agenda? liberal_at_heart Aug 2013 #157

You mean push choices like saying kiva Aug 2013 #180

Or "you'll change your mind" or "you're just selfish!" or ad infitnitum REP Aug 2013 #182

The first one always makes me want to say, kiva Aug 2013 #184

It always makes me want to point out there's no history of Alzheimer's in my family. REP Aug 2013 #186

It's a discussion that needs to take place. kiva Aug 2013 #187

Definitions please get the red out Aug 2013 #160

As a mother.. all I can say is... sigh.. Peacetrain Aug 2013 #104

What kind of idiot publication posts an article with that headline? Hekate Aug 2013 #105

I'm 52, and I will be lucky Politicalboi Aug 2013 #113

Well, that explains why I still have no urge at age 41 lol freeplessinseattle Aug 2013 #116

These are women with the potential for big adventurous interesting lives. ananda Aug 2013 #124

I've had a big, adventurous, interesting life mainer Aug 2013 #128

Being a mom is a great adventure, and being a mom does not mean that is all you will liberal_at_heart Aug 2013 #132

As a career woman, I think that being a mom is the greatest adventure of all mainer Aug 2013 #175

I'm wondering... Oilwellian Aug 2013 #126

Whoever wrote this article is an idiot. It makes it sound as if there's nothing between raccoon Aug 2013 #136

Excellent point get the red out Aug 2013 #156

Maybe it could mean that women with a higher IQ only care about themselves where as women with GalaxyHunter Aug 2013 #144

Does having a career = selfish? get the red out Aug 2013 #154

I understand there are some who just don't simply want to have children. GalaxyHunter Aug 2013 #159

And that could be argued against get the red out Aug 2013 #163

I agree GalaxyHunter Aug 2013 #164

You guys realize your giving RWers proof of "liberal snobbery"? AZ Progressive Aug 2013 #169

I'm not even sure they're justified calling it "higher IQs" mainer Aug 2013 #171

Do you really think that will make any difference? It's like the President pissing away his first Egalitarian Thug Aug 2013 #190

I disagree. pintobean Aug 2013 #192

If you don't want children, don't have children mainer Aug 2013 #173

Informed choice is important felix_numinous Aug 2013 #174

At age eight I predicted I would not have children. WCLinolVir Aug 2013 #176

Dunno about babies but inflammatory titles sure are... Sotf Aug 2013 #191