bk racer’s Recent Comments

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  great idea.

  some cities' public transit systems have online searches for routes, but it ain't enough... and it would be especially great for biking if the online mappers did this!! On Will Google Maps or Mapquest be the first to help folks travel green? posted 2 years, 6 months ago 16 Responses

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  are we scared about water scarcity yet?

  funny how a post on not alienating people brings out comments from these very, very alienated people...

  i second Gar's point about the environmental burden of the west. still, i wonder about water scarcity-- of course i know westerners and elites and mega farms use way more water etc but local water scarcity is a huge problem nearly everywhere around the world or will be soon. and so it seems like this may be a pressing reason to care about population stabilization both at home and abroad. but i'm no expert-- other thoughts?

  i also like the thoughtful post about how there may be, or may need to be, other ways for other societies to discover methods of population stabilization. who knows how or whether this will come about, but no harm in hoping. in the mean time, our best bet seems to be to support women's autonomy (and to stop ravaging the global economy, natch).  On Quit talking about it already posted 2 years, 7 months ago 92 Responses

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  word.

  and now, i think i hear my cells buzzing...On Somehow, I don't feel that bad for you posted 2 years, 7 months ago 39 Responses

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  our technological society is a global threat

  i can personally attest that modern women in developed countries are at least as interested in "the ancient standby" as those of yore. most likely more so, because we don't have to get as pregnant for it. and that's the whole point. but i think what you may be getting at is that people need things to look forward to other than working a crap job and having babies, although i don't think it's a question of distraction and entertainment.

  let's get out of the  western setting for just a sec-- many, many women have no choice, economically or culturally, but to become someone's wife at a young age and start making babies. forget access to birth control. also, a lot of people depend on their kids' work (yes, kids work in poor countries! who knew!) to put food on the table just to live.

  i wouldn't call empowerment of women just huge--i would call it the prerequisite of population control.

  also don't forget that technological society, aka the western world, is consuming the lion's share of the world's energy and resources! On Somehow, I don't feel that bad for you posted 2 years, 7 months ago 39 Responses

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  television curing overpopulation?

  hi GreenEngineer, i think you're right on why people don't like talking about overpopulation. most people have or want to have kids and still feel ok about it. it's a natural impulse, and it's a huge cultural thing as well. those who choose to go kidless are generally considered weird, at best.

  i'm a little curious about this urbanization and television assertion-- although television no doubt does get people to consume lots more junk and waste a lot of time, i'm not convinced it gets them to reproduce less. but i'd like to hear more on where that idea comes from.

  the general wisdom last i heard (though i'm no expert) is that it's education foremost, and also socio-economic improvement, particularly of the womenfolk, that help people willingly choose to reproduce less. so that indicates a couple places the government can address overpopulation without being coercive... while some people do seem fundamentally opposed to the government doing anything good for poor people, at least poor people usually aren't opposed to becoming more educated and better off economically. what unfortunately many people are still opposed to, or at least ignorant as to the importance of, is the education and self-sufficiency of women.

  oh yeah, and the gov't can also just teach people about birth control and family planning! oh but wait, that's too easy and makes too much sense, so of course the right is opposed to it. darn!
  On Somehow, I don't feel that bad for you posted 2 years, 7 months ago 39 Responses