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Alternatives to Over-population

Observations from the Edge
Robert T. Nanninga
North County Times
October 11, 1999

 

Last week, in a letter to the editor, Chris Piper of Oceanside told me to "stop whining and tell readers what to do about massive overcrowding." To be honest, as much as I would like to tell readers what to do, my role as columnist is to promote critical thinking. Besides, why tell people what to do when they already know what needs to be done.

Tomorrow, October 12, 1999, human population officially hits 6 billion. Talk about overcrowding. What we need to do is stop breeding like bunnies. As a culture we also need to stop finding fault with those members of our society who, for whatever reason, choose not to have children. Where is it written that everybody must procreate.

Another misconception is the belief that human life is sacred above all others. Pro-choice is pro-life, especially when humans are swarming over the planet like a nest of cockroaches. In my humble opinion, in this day and age, abortion is no more wrong than having more than two children. It is only reasonable that if fertility drugs are available for women, abortions should be as well. Playing god goes both ways.

Too much of a good thing is never a good thing, human beings included. This is not to say that human beings should be eradicated. My point is that we should come out of the dark ages, and stop behaving like we did when daily survival was always in question. Planning for the future now means allowing for the fact that human populations must be reduced in order to ward off environmental collapse.

Overcrowded is just another way of saying over-populated. Too many people is too many people, regardless of how they got here. If our species is going to survive we must move beyond the patriarchal paradigm that measures a man by the number of children he sires, and the worth of a women by the fruits of her fertility. Perhaps natural selection includes non-breeders into the equation to help keep populations in check.

Today is National Coming Out Day. Not only should gays and lesbians come out of the closet and take control of their lives, heterosexuals who chose not to make babies should also come out of the closet and stop apologizing for not wanting to bring children into the world. Wishing to live an alternative lifestyle that does not include children, should not be seen as amoral or freeloading. Other than reducing population, the other thing to help reduce overcrowding is limiting immigration, and not just the crossing national borders type. If we are going to protect the quality of life we have come to enjoy we must limit the number of people enjoying it. The perfect analogy is that of an elevator's weight limit. If it says it can hold only 3,000 pounds, the person who would tip the scale has no right to ride. This is not discrimination just prevention.

The most effective way to stop the exponential growth rate here in North County is to elect city councils that are not members of , or beholding to, the development and construction industries. We need elected officials who can say no those who profit from everyone else's misery. As much as we pretend otherwise, natural resources do not increase with the population. Inviting 10 people to dinner when you have only enough food for 8 means everybody gets less. Inviting twenty means every one goes away hungry.

 
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