DanCar said:Maybe this will make you feel better:
In Japan, almost 450,000 more people died than were born in 2018
https://qz.com/1507590/japans-population-decline-reached-a-new-record-in-2018/?utm_source=reddit.com
Yes, individual countries like Japan have birth rates well below the replacement rate, and that will cause those countries demographic problems that will require immigration to fix (and Japan places a high value on the homogeneity of their society, so it would be a big change for them). China is another country facing a demographic hole, thanks to the 'one-child' policy that was continued much too long. In order to shrink the world's population without causing this sort of issue, a world birthrate around 1.8 - 1.9 seems to be about right, below the replacement rate of 2.1 (for developed countries; higher for those with higher infant mortality rates), but above the level where you're facing what in China (2016 birth rate 1.62) is called the 4-2-1 problem: one grandchild will be supporting the retirement of two parents and up to four grandparents. The alternative is that better health care and lifestyles allow more people who want to work to do so as long as they want, or (as is being developed in Japan), robot companions will take over much of elderly health care and assistance.cwerdna said:^^^
Because of the not having children discussion that found its way into http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=542098#p542098. :lol:
(I glossed over most of that but there were definitely some amusing responses like http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=543611#p543611...)
That said, I have read in numerous places that Japan's shrinking population does and will cause a bunch of problems. Examples at https://www.businessinsider.com/japans-population-is-shrinking-demographic-time-bomb-2018-6.
SageBrush said:Japan to restart commercial whale hunts
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46682976
I find this so offensive I am going to stop buying Japanese goods until it is stopped.
x-posted from TMC
I view hunting whales much the same as I would view hunting humans.Dala said:Oh so are you a vegan too! Awesome! High five brother!
SageBrush said:I view hunting whales much the same as I would view hunting humans.Dala said:Oh so are you a vegan too! Awesome! High five brother!
Cows -- not so much. But to answer your question, I am vegan.
LTLFTcomposite said:Funny it seems like just a couple weeks ago I was hearing how wonderful Japan was.
RonDawg said:LTLFTcomposite said:Funny it seems like just a couple weeks ago I was hearing how wonderful Japan was.
It is a wonderful country. Spent two weeks there, going as far south as Hiroshima. Met up with cwerdna at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Japan is not without its issues, and neither are we here in the US.
Indeed. RonDawg's statement I think sums it up best.downeykp said:RonDawg said:LTLFTcomposite said:Funny it seems like just a couple weeks ago I was hearing how wonderful Japan was.
It is a wonderful country. Spent two weeks there, going as far south as Hiroshima. Met up with cwerdna at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Japan is not without its issues, and neither are we here in the US.
Couldn't agree with you more. It is a lovely, clean country. Very little crime. Huge amounts of history, (some good, some bad). People are very polite. Do nothing to make themselves stand out. It reminds me of the US during the 50s with a hell of a lot more technology.
jonathanfields4ever said:A bunch of neckbeards in the most polluting and resource destroying first world nations criticizing another country for killing a handful of whales while using electronics essentially made by slaves with resources bought from groups committing brutal atrocities in Africa. Cool thread, guys.
I’ll just say this: you’re probably doing more harm than good. The whaling industry in Japan is not a money-maker. It is propped up by the government, and they have to come up with weird schemes to get rid of the meat like putting it in school lunches. Right wing politicians get public support for this corporate welfare by claiming whale meat is an important part of Japan’s culinary history (it’s not) and that foreigners are trying to take it away. When you make threads like this and say racist stuff like “that’s the problem with the Asian race,” you’re giving ammunition to those who whale.
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