Hell on two legs - the Tiny Generation

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | 4/12/05 | Hugh Mackay

[qam1]

Written about Australia but it mirrors the United States

Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effect Gen-Reagan/Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers) are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.

[redgolum]

Coming the the US soon. Most of Europe is already there.

I read somewhere that the average child in Europe right now is growing up without any extended family. No cousins, no uncles or aunts, and soon no parents.

[Modernman]

Coming the the US soon. Most of Europe is already there.

As is Japan and Korea. And China, India and parts of the Muslim world aren't far behind.

A demographic crash is on the horizon.

[MEGoody]

more highly educated self-centered females tend to have fewer children

There, fixed that.

[k2blader]

Folks should not have kids if they don't want them.

[Mr. Jeeves]

The impact of that on personal taxation levels can be easily imagined: today's top marginal rates will seem like a cruel joke to this generation. In compensation, though, unemployment will be a thing of the past. When it comes to jobs, they'll be able to pick and choose, just like their grandparents did in the 1950s.

Au contraire, I submit that unemployment will be very high. The tax structure needed to support the retirees will be punitive, and will drive a lot of Australian business operations offshore.

[GOP_1900AD]

I got a thing from Smith Barney yesterday. It made me ill. All it talked about was the boomers this and the boomers that ... what the boomers do and don't do is, according to whichever analyst wrote it, THE key to the mastery of future investments. Look I realize that the boomers have a lot of pull in numbers, but (broad brushstroke on) they are also the largest per capita carriers of debt, undertakers of divorce, and, in general, the most financially lame generation ever to exist. (/broad brush stroke). To underestimate the economic impacts of smaller, but per capita, more fiscally healthy, generations, is, IMHO, a major screw up.

[Neocon Shavuz]

Actually, it is logical to expect slowing of Earth population at some point of civilization's development. It might turn to be painful for our children and grandchildren to get over that point in history, but on the global scale the current exponential grows of population is even scarier.

[Campion]

Actually, it is logical to expect slowing of Earth population

Slowing has been going on for some time. What we're looking at now is shrinkage. If people aren't going to vote for the continuation of their civilization by making babies, their civilization will not continue. A new one will take its place.

If you want to write a letter to your great-great-great-grandchildren, you should probably plan in writing it in Spanish. They will probably live in a Latin American country, even though they never set foot south of the Rio Grande.

[wideawake]

No! No! No! Overpopulation is the problem!

Stop staring at my leisure suit.

There are too many children in the world! This Paul Ehrlich cat knows what's going down! Let me lay this on you . . .

Hey . . . can you stop rifling through my 8-tracks and listen for a second?

[GSlob]

"Child-free restaurants will become increasingly popular as non-parents continue to complain about the presence of other people's children spoiling their fun"
Very true. Some years ago my friends (a family with a child) invited me to a restaurant - there were other patrons with a baby operating at 150+db level. When the waiter finally came for orders, I requested the noisy tot, "well done". It took quite a time for the joke to sink, and the look on the waiter's face was priceless.

[NeoCaveman]

A society that does not reproduce itself is a society with low self esteem.

The entire West seems to have low cultural self esteem.

[Modernman]

"Child-free restaurants will become increasingly popular as non-parents continue to complain about the presence of other people's children spoiling their fun"

I have nothing against well-behaved children in even the fanciest restuarants. However, many parents seem unable or unwilling to control their kids.

[Crazieman]

I'm willing to help some aussie women with, uh, child bearing issues.

[Neocon Shavuz]

I would like to look beyond my cultural or linguistic preferences. Most of today's World willingly or not lives by the heritage of Ancient societies of Greece, Rome, Judea, etc. who's original languages we don't use anymore. The values, knowledge and freedom only meter. If my grandkids will speak Spanish - fine with me as soon as they don't leave in socialist or even worse, communist, society.
My concern is not to let another Dark Ages happen. That would be truly a set back for civilization.

[little jeremiah]

ping to self....

[ßuddaßudd]

That almost makes sense doesn't it?

[the OlLine Rebel]

"'more highly educated self-centered females tend to have fewer children'
There, fixed that."


Oh, come now. Making babies makes you selfless? Welfare queens, any1?

[MD_Willington_1976]

Not in my area...average is about 4 children per household...