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Excessive population growth runs straight into the third rail of today's culture war: privilege. Africa and Islamic cultures are projected to be the Lions shar

Excessive population growth runs straight into the third rail of today's culture war: privilege. Africa and Islamic cultures are projected to be the Lions share of pop growth the next 30 years. Western culture pretty much guarantees curbing population growth is a non starter.

andybak 8y ago
Not entirely clear what you're saying. Could you elaborate?
- calbear81 8y ago
  I think this person means it's very controversial to try to suggest population control especially when the majority of the growth will come from a population that is potentially discriminated against. Another common pushback point is that we like to point at developing countries as polluting the planet but forget that developed countries had no problem polluting for a long time until they got to their current state. Telling some countries that they should curb their industrial aspirations in the name of global benefit seems a bit selfish.
- adventured 8y ago
  First I'll note that I'm not agreeing with what they're saying. They're saying that in today's Western culture, it's impossible to make an argument for controlling global population expansion because of where that expansion is occuring. Places such as sub-sahara Africa, the Middle East, India. Muslim countries, black countries, for example. That for Western culture today, the view that the wealthy first world is privileged (and should act a certain way accordingly), makes it impossible to confront excessive population growth in less privileged parts of the world, because of guilt, political correctness, or similar.
dang 8y ago
We've banned this account for racial/national/religious/whatever flamewar. HN is for thoughtful conversation, not angry noise, which is what those produce. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

andybak 8y ago

Not entirely clear what you're saying. Could you elaborate?

calbear81 8y ago
I think this person means it's very controversial to try to suggest population control especially when the majority of the growth will come from a population that is potentially discriminated against. Another common pushback point is that we like to point at developing countries as polluting the planet but forget that developed countries had no problem polluting for a long time until they got to their current state. Telling some countries that they should curb their industrial aspirations in the name of global benefit seems a bit selfish.
adventured 8y ago
First I'll note that I'm not agreeing with what they're saying. They're saying that in today's Western culture, it's impossible to make an argument for controlling global population expansion because of where that expansion is occuring. Places such as sub-sahara Africa, the Middle East, India. Muslim countries, black countries, for example. That for Western culture today, the view that the wealthy first world is privileged (and should act a certain way accordingly), makes it impossible to confront excessive population growth in less privileged parts of the world, because of guilt, political correctness, or similar.

dang 8y ago

We've banned this account for racial/national/religious/whatever flamewar. HN is for thoughtful conversation, not angry noise, which is what those produce. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html