Any other Brits find this image offensive?

[Dan]

Karlos wrote:

cecilia wrote:

if people truely understood this we would insist that all heads of governments who have issues with anyone else get into a ring and fight it out themselves. sort of like TV Wrestling. (which i never watch, btw).

that way, they wouldn't have to kill anyone else and might actually provide entertainment for those who like that sort of thing.  :-P

Or perhaps we can insist that our leaders actually have a nicely above average IQ and let them battle it out in chess or something :-)

Wouldn´t work for Stalin because he would send all the pawns to Sibria!!!! :lol:

[Cymric]

cecilia wrote:
all of that simply translates to stupidity that prevents people from logically discussing peaceful solutions to problems.

EGO.

Not quite. The ultimate problem on this planet is overpopulation, not ego. Ego is what you need to make sure that at least your culture gets its share (and if it all possible, more than necessary) resources it needs to survive. ALL of this world's problems can be solved quite peacefully by forbidding 99,99% of all humans to breed until they die. Just sterilise them with a healthy dose of gamma radiation from all that leftover nuclear waste. Painless and quite effective. Afterwards, instate strict birth control policies, using genetic engineering if necessary. That is the ultimate logical and peaceful solution, but thanks to outdated social ('Christ ordains us') and economic ('Growth is Good') viewpoints, this ever becoming a reality stands as much chance as a snowball has in hell. The result, a world free of war, poverty, inequality, pollution and quite a good bit of religion, is obviously not a good enough motivation; the freedom to screw and breed like rabbits is too powerful and addictive to give up. DNA controls us well.

If you don't control the influx of human DNA into this world, all policies aimed at cutting down on use of resources (including minerals, oil, land, water, food, energy and what not) are in the end ineffective. I've seen very simple calculations which tell me that in order to maintain the same level of pollution as in 1990, our resource efficiency has to increase on average by a factor of 50. Imagine that. Your energy bill divided by 50. Your water bill divided by 50. Your food produced using 50 times less energy. Travel requiring 50 times less energy. Completely ludicrous and utterly impossible, of course. Even a factor 10 is very, very difficult.

Right now it is the Third World countries and the environment itself who are paying the terrible price for our continued well-being---which I am heartily addicted to and won't give up without a fight---but once they become healthy nations, the world is really in deep sh*t. India and China are slowly coming up to speed now, and that means that in another 20, 30 years, the world has to provide for 2 billion people living a lifestyle which promotes excessive use of resources.

Yay us.

Thank god for momentary relief in the form of AIDS, H5N1 (the bird flu virus), excessive environmental pollution in densely populated areas, obesity and related cardiovascular diseases, various wars, and natural disasters. And ego. It just might prolong the big bang until after I die---of natural causes, I hope.

[Darrin]

If it's any consolation, last time I was in China I saw a McDonalds and two KFC's in just our little town.  Looks like your prediction of obseity and cardiovascular diseases is heading their way.

You right about over-population.  Most the hardships I see in Africa could be solved with the widespread use of condoms and the shoot of the Catholic missionaries that keep telling people not to use them or they'll burn in hell.  At least China tried to control the population.  We were partners on a project with Government owned comapny and the workers told me that if they had more than 2 children then they would be fired from their jobs as punishment.  I heard that from several sources so I assume it's true, however the Chineese are good at "shuffling" family members around so it looks like they only have two.

[Darrin]

cecilia wrote:
we would insist that all heads of governments who have issues with anyone else get into a ring and fight it out themselves. sort of like TV Wrestling. (which i never watch, btw).

Nah, make them play multi-player Civilization 3 instead.  If they play it on the largest map then they'll all get bored and go home before there's a winner.

[Plus4]

You are in charge of your own emotions friend.  Nothing can offend you without your permission - your reaction to anything is the responsibility of no-one else.

[Dan]

@Cymric
There is a much more humane solution. Just look at northern europe or Japan. When a certain living standard is reached the majority of people don´t want to have many( if any) kids.

But allowing "religion" to influence schools to teach "abstince" and allowing nutcases having a say in how aid-programs should be run, that should be dealt with! HARD!

[Cyberus]

I certainly do not find that image offensive.

Overpopulation certainly is a problem, but a related problem is consumerism. I'm not going to get into a massive capitalist/socialist debate, but I will say this:

Thing of all the waste produced as a result of people buying packaged food from supermarkets, think of the fuel costs (and environmental costs) of transporting food around the world (my parents used to have something called 'seasonal produce', if it ain't in season, you cant't have it - not, go to Tesco and buy some that have been grown in Kenya), think of all the pointless electrical appliances left on 24/7, think of all the  crap that drops through your door every day (junk mail) and all the paper and ink required for that, think of all the areas greedily cleared to make way for massive farms - oh, but they didn't realise that without trees the soil will all wash away.

THIS is the problem, all the pointless crap that people 'need' because they have been convinced they need it, and all the associated environmental and financial costs....

Oh, and taking up Cymric's point, notice how its only total neanderthals who seem to procreate endlessly?

Cyberus wrote:

Oh, and taking up Cymric's point, notice how its only total neanderthals who seem to procreate endlessly?

That's no way to speak about the Irish! ;-)

[Wilse]

Doesn't offend me.

I think I remember roughly when Darrin changed it to that.

[The_Editor]

Small Planet

And we are all defacating in the same pond !!

[Turambar]

and thats why i never learned to swim.....

[odin]

And what when a big swell swoops you of your stone?

[The_Editor]

:lol:

Oh sheeeeeet !!