Slightly in Shock

[B_M_W]

I was talking to a 16 year old friend from home over MSN about that site that Eric just posted about over in that one thread; the one about the human extinctionists. I, personally, found it rather convincing to the reasons not to have children. I showed it to him, and he immediatly called it bullcrap, which really isn't that big of a deal; thats what I thought it was at first. So I rundow and listed reasons not to have children, and he started listing reasons why he wanted to have children. I used the logical conclusions to show alternative ways to the reasons he gave and he started to get upset, saying that I can go and not add another mouth to feed to the worlds population, but hes going to. Which struck me as odd, because he is ususally "vehement"ly opposed to hypocracy, and this struck me as a major statement of "them, not us". So I told him that, showed my concern, and I said I would drop it. The messenger went idle for a while and I went off to work on something else.

About ten minutes later, he messeges me that his mom is getting on the computer. So I say fine, goodbye, and I was about to close the window, when his mom starts messaging me. Now, in the past, when she does this, it tends to be just a few nice words and then I leave. But this time she immediatly and angrily posts that I am "feeding crap" to her son and I should stop or else, or something like that. Now, I know that her son is no dummy; hes quite an intelligent young lad. If I start talking crap, he is smart enough to call me out on it.

His mom is...lets say...a typical Xtian fundie. Her son was as well, untill he started learning more about theology and alternative religions. I guess the stimulus for that could be called my fault, but if he found it to be crap, he could have told me that. Instead, he found it to be profound, and has moved from a very Xtian view to something that seems more far eastern. I have acted as a kind of mentor for him at times, answering questions when I know the answers and pointing him to literature when I don't. More often than not, I pointed him towards the books.Wonderful disscussions insued. He was trying to keep this all secret from his parents, however, recently they've started to catch wind of it. They found the books on buddhism I lent him, as well as the ones he bought himself. And apparently, it is my fault for "corrupting" their "young boy", who, to tell you the truth, has done more adult like things at his age than I did, and is an intimate, sexual relationship with a young woman that he loves and is planning to marry. Of course, the parents don't know about any of this, especially the sexual part.

So, Im sitting at my computer, trying to have a sane conversation with this woman, and just barely keeping my cool. In the process I started shaking and sweating. I don't like confrontations like these, especially when I know the other side in real life. Over and over she accussed me of feeding her baby boy crap and corrupting him, and generally that I should stay far away from him. I stood my ground and explained that he is very much capable of discerning bs from fact, and that I only acted as an initial stimulus to his ongoing inquiry. Of course she countered that I was full of crap (I think she must have used that word about 30 times in the space of 5 minutes) and that he would most likely grow out of the "crap" I have "given" him in short time.

I know for a fact that he is never going back to Xtianity, hes actually grown into a pretty hefty opposition against it. So I tell her that I don't think thats likely. And she tells me that there may be freedom of speech, but she doesn't have to listen, agree with, or put up with my crap. (again, that word) I said, you don't have to listen to it, or agree with it, but you do have to put up with it (In a sense, thats the only duty that freedom of speech entails) I added that I wasn't initially talking with her, I was talking with her son, which was probably me being a smart ass, but that was the only thing I said that was slightly rude the whole time, and I had to do something that would keep me from getting too shaken up. She said that she has a right to monitor what her son does, in fact, it is her duty and obligation to do so. And then she said something else and signed out.

So I wasn't the first one to blink, as much as I would have liked to. Now that the shock has subsided, I feel strangly calm, as if I have won some small victory. And then pride starts to set in and I shut out that thought. I just hope I can wait a few days before another incounter like that.


~Yurito Sakari~

The Newly Mellowed-out Wannabe Buddhist Monk

[Ben]

I think you should advise her son to commit suicide.  Really it's the only sane thing to do.

[B_M_W]

Naah, hes getting out soon. His parents might even KICK him out. Either way, no self-stabination is needed.

















Hopefully   *sigh*

~BMW

[Horab Fibslager]

corrupting the youth eh?

bad wannabe buddhist monk, bad!

oen argument for havign children, in the west at least, is that whiel sure it;s true that eh average worldwide birth rat eis retarded, western birth rate is also retarded -ly low. population growth in th eu.s. an dcanada coem sprimarily from immigration, and i woudln't eb surprised to fidn the same was true in much of western europe.

[B_M_W]

Western birthrate is still above zero growth, at least in the americas. Plus the Ecological footprint is about 30 times bigger than, say, india.

My girlfriend thinks that the human race is more or less a plague upon the earth and that we should all eat our children or something.

~BMW

[Almighty Radish]

Has your girlfriend been reading Jonathon swift. Goddamn if shes frying up some baby legs count me in for dinner.

A Modest Proposal By Jonathon Swift

[CannedLizard]

Christians, no matter how friendly they may be, are always at risk of being like a swiss army knife: you may think the little blade is bad, but there's room in the handle for a big blade and you don't want to see that one.

But many of them are lovely people, don't get me wrong.

[gnimbley]

2005 preview: 'Global crude death rate' to rise

08 January 2005

THIS year will mark a pivotal moment in human history. The UN predicts that what is known as the "global crude death rate" will start rising for the first time since the dawn of civilisation some 10,000 years ago.

On the face of it that looks like bad news. Crude death rate measures the number of people per 1000 who die in a year. The figure has been falling steadily, from about 40 in pre-agricultural societies to around 8.7 today. But this year it will start rising again. So what awful global catastrophe is about to reverse 100 centuries of progress?

Fortunately, there is no imminent disaster. The upturn has nothing to do with war, famine or pestilence, but merely reflects the fact that the world's human population is ageing on a global scale, thanks to improved healthcare.

Crude death rate can be tricky to interpret. In many developing countries it is relatively high - Mozambique's is about 28, for example. But as countries modernise and life expectancy rockets, crude death rate drops rapidly. Then, as millions of people whose lives were saved as infants reach old age and start dying in droves, the crude death rate rises again. This transition has already occurred in many developed countries and is now set to happen on a global scale.

There is another reason to see the change in a positive light: it marks the beginning of the end of population growth. The crude death rate will eventually overtake the crude birth rate, marking the high-water mark of world population. The UN expects this to happen in 2075, with both rates standing at 11.4 and the world population at 9.22 billion. Crude death rate will then carry on rising and peak at 12.3 in 2115. Some people alive today could witness that transition, too.

From issue 2481 of New Scientist magazine, 08 January 2005, page 26

They're dropping like flies, I tell you. Like flies!

[Irreverend Hugh, KSC]

Now all we need is some big plague to help it along.

[Eldora, Oracle of Alchemy]

Now all we need is some big plague to help it along.

You mean other than AIDS?

[Horab Fibslager]

avian flu? or the expected flu padnemic?

or sars?


brace yourselves for this one, non-smoekrs die everyday, shockign ain't it? -bill "i love smoking" hicks

[Irreverend Hugh, KSC]

Now all we need is some big plague to help it along.

You mean other than AIDS?

Something more virulent then that.

Most plagues have a fall off rate eventually. If viruses and/or bacteria were "too successful" they'd kill themselves off too. Usually a plague levels off and the original virus or whatever begins to mellow out. An extinction event would be near impossible with most plagues we know about today.

[Cephrin]

Hey, good job.

It sounded like you took the high ground with the fundie mom, and you stood up for yourself and your friend. If I were you, I'd keep a reasonably low profile with these people for awhile, to let the mommy cool down. Angry Christians can be awfully violent and malicious, leading to very dangerous situations for the unprepared.

You didn't do anything wrong, and hopefully, you'll help your friend in never turning out like his mother. Just don't make bigger waves than you have to, and end up getting both you and your friend into unneccesarily complicated situations.

[Horab Fibslager]

whiel quotign soem aprt for the word association thread, i saw a very relevant quote from bill hicks. chirstian's huh? so forgive me.

[Great Teacher Largo]

Now all we need is some big plague to help it along.

You mean other than AIDS?

We, as a species, have been horribly lucky.  Like with Ebola Reston.  That thing could have so easily killed all of us in an eyeblink.  And AIDS is really, really bad.  I'm of the firm belief we will never, ever have a cure for AIDS.  And if AIDS suddenly became airborne, we're all gone.  Bai-bai, humanity.  Nice knowing you.  Don't forget to writ-  Oh, wait, you're all dead.

If there was ever some point of data to show that God, at the very least, does not love us and want us to be happy, it would be creating such things as STDs that turn what should be a happy, enjoyable growing-closer of people into something that is dangerous and threat-laden.

Either STDs or Organised Religion.