Debate grows with Philippine population

[Dakine 26]

Sad as the Philippines has more beautiful beaches, waterfalls and scenic places than Hawaii.

If it weren't for the NPA, Abu and other militant groups blowing up and kidnapping puti. The filipinos might be able to livedecently from tourism even tho overpopulated do to Catholisms no BC BS!!

WOW! 2000+ islands at low tide!!!

[mawilson 2,133]

Sad as the Philippines has more beautiful beaches, waterfalls and scenic places than Hawaii.

If it weren't for the NPA, Abu and other militant groups blowing up and kidnapping puti. The filipinos might be able to livedecently from tourism even tho overpopulated do to Catholisms no BC BS!!

WOW! 2000+ islands at low tide!!!

Blowing up and kidnapping what? ####### is puti?

[Amby 490]

isn't there a scene in jerry maguire about kidnapping the puti? or is that shoplifting?

[AnaAndDaniel 0]

I say the Filipinos are simply a jolly folk.

Daniel

p.s. others would say frolicky.

Edited May 8, 2008 by AnaAndDaniel

[Dr. Obvious 49]

(from World Hunger: 12 Myths - by Frances Moore Lappé, Joseph Collins and Peter Rosset, with Luis Esparza)

As recently as two or three generations ago, mortality rates in the United States were as high as they are now in most third world countries. Opportunities for our grandmothers to work outside the home were limited. And ours was largely an agrarian society in which every family member was needed to work on the farm. Coauthor Frances Lappé's own grandmother, for example, gave birth to nine children, raised them alone on a small farm, and saw only six survive to adulthood. Her story would not be unusual in a still fast-growing third world country today.

Faced with scarcity, poor families needed many children to help with work on the farm, and because of high infant-mortality rates, they needed many more pregnancies and births to achieve the necessary family size.

That makes sense if the people I saw profiled were actually living out on a farm, but they weren't. This family of ten was living in a disgusting slum outside of Manila. There was no plant life to be seen and all the food was bought at the store. The only person making money was the father and it barely paid for the day's rice. So, does it still make sense to have 10 kids in that case?

[BJZags 17]

That makes sense if the people I saw profiled were actually living out on a farm, but they weren't. This family of ten was living in a disgusting slum outside of Manila. There was no plant life to be seen and all the food was bought at the store. The only person making money was the father and it barely paid for the day's rice. So, does it still make sense to have 10 kids in that case?

Now we are back to the root of the problem, that being: "sex is the recreation of the poor." In your stated case, the parents are hoping that one of the 10 will grow-up to marry an American who can support them in their golden years. Isn't that essentially what that "young popular" politician was saying when he said something to the effect that the rich people of the world can hire our many filipino nurses?

[Heracles 417]

That makes sense if the people I saw profiled were actually living out on a farm, but they weren't. This family of ten was living in a disgusting slum outside of Manila. There was no plant life to be seen and all the food was bought at the store. The only person making money was the father and it barely paid for the day's rice. So, does it still make sense to have 10 kids in that case?

I don't know of many people even in any OECD nations who can afford more than 3 kids.

It is a simple case of supply and demand. Too many people and not enough resources. People can blame it on the rich and government but that is truly not the case.

What is needed in these countries is education. That having multiple kids is not the solution to their problems.

[Heracles 417]

That makes sense if the people I saw profiled were actually living out on a farm, but they weren't. This family of ten was living in a disgusting slum outside of Manila. There was no plant life to be seen and all the food was bought at the store. The only person making money was the father and it barely paid for the day's rice. So, does it still make sense to have 10 kids in that case?

Now we are back to the root of the problem, that being: "sex is the recreation of the poor." In your stated case, the parents are hoping that one of the 10 will grow-up to marry an American who can support them in their golden years. Isn't that essentially what that "young popular" politician was saying when he said something to the effect that the rich people of the world can hire our many filipino nurses?

Now that is an interesting point. I think it is hard for people here to comprehend that. To comprehend that people's motives abroad are not the same as those of Americans.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

(from World Hunger: 12 Myths - by Frances Moore Lappé, Joseph Collins and Peter Rosset, with Luis Esparza)

As recently as two or three generations ago, mortality rates in the United States were as high as they are now in most third world countries. Opportunities for our grandmothers to work outside the home were limited. And ours was largely an agrarian society in which every family member was needed to work on the farm. Coauthor Frances Lappé's own grandmother, for example, gave birth to nine children, raised them alone on a small farm, and saw only six survive to adulthood. Her story would not be unusual in a still fast-growing third world country today.

Faced with scarcity, poor families needed many children to help with work on the farm, and because of high infant-mortality rates, they needed many more pregnancies and births to achieve the necessary family size.

That makes sense if the people I saw profiled were actually living out on a farm, but they weren't. This family of ten was living in a disgusting slum outside of Manila. There was no plant life to be seen and all the food was bought at the store. The only person making money was the father and it barely paid for the day's rice. So, does it still make sense to have 10 kids in that case?

So you think a simple observation of a large Philippine family living in dire poverty equates to an understanding of the situation? Wow. If only the rest of the world's problems could be understood and thus solved in the same way.

[Heracles 417]

So you think a simple observation of a large Philippine family living in dire poverty equates to an understanding of the situation? Wow. If only the rest of the world's problems could be understood and thus solved in the same way.

So how does having 10 kids get you out of poverty? Can you average American afford to have 10 kids? Heck your average Australian cannot even afford to have 10 kids and we receive $5,000 cash per child.

You don't see a correlation, even in the west, between poverty and having lots of kids?

Edited May 8, 2008 by Boo-Yah!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

So you think a simple observation of a large Philippine family living in dire poverty equates to an understanding of the situation? Wow. If only the rest of the world's problems could be understood and thus solved in the same way.

So how does having 10 kids get you out of poverty? Can you average American afford to have 10 kids? Heck your average Australian cannot even afford to have 10 kids and we receive $5,000 cash per child.

You don't see a correlation, even in the west, between poverty and having lots of kids?

Different society - different dynamics. It's not really that difficult to understand that for many species in the animal kingdom, humans included, having large quantities of offspring is an asset, not a liability in many cases, although not all. Just look back 60 years ago in this country (as was pointed out in the article I posted above), it wasn't uncommon to see families with many children, particularly in lower class, poor families. Throughout history, poor families would tend to be large for the very reasons I've mentioned, which to some seems paradoxical. As a society shifts and it becomes more advantageous to have smaller families, over time it naturally occurs - as it has happened in this country.

Let me ask you this - how many offspring would a species need to have in order to continue to exist if the infant mortality rate is 4 out of 6 deaths by the age of 2? (this is purely hypothetical)

Edited May 8, 2008 by Jabberwocky

[dalegg 143]

So you think a simple observation of a large Philippine family living in dire poverty equates to an understanding of the situation? Wow. If only the rest of the world's problems could be understood and thus solved in the same way.

So how does having 10 kids get you out of poverty? Can you average American afford to have 10 kids? Heck your average Australian cannot even afford to have 10 kids and we receive $5,000 cash per child.

You don't see a correlation, even in the west, between poverty and having lots of kids?

Different society - different dynamics. It's not really that difficult to understand that for many species in the animal kingdom, humans included, having large quantities of offspring is an asset, not a liability in many cases, although not all. Just look back 60 years ago in this country (as was pointed out in the article I posted above), it wasn't uncommon to see families with many children, particularly in lower class, poor families. Throughout history, poor families would tend to be large for the very reasons I've mentioned, which to some seems paradoxical. As a society shifts and it is more advantageous to have smaller families, over time that naturally occurs - which has happened in this country.

Let me ask you this - how many offspring would a species need to have in order to continue to exist if the infant mortality rate is 4 out of 6 deaths by the age of 2? (this is purely hypothetical)

In your hypothetical, do the deaths stop at age 2, or do they continue at a slower rate when they pass 2?

[BJZags 17]

So you think a simple observation of a large Philippine family living in dire poverty equates to an understanding of the situation? Wow. If only the rest of the world's problems could be understood and thus solved in the same way.

You make it sound as if this example is an extreme isolated case, and not representative of at the very least, a somewhat common occurence. It's one thing to rail against general observations based on no knowledge, but you like me, have been to the Phil. and have likely seen many examples of this, both in metro-Manila and in the provinces.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

So you think a simple observation of a large Philippine family living in dire poverty equates to an understanding of the situation? Wow. If only the rest of the world's problems could be understood and thus solved in the same way.

You make it sound as if this example is an extreme isolated case, and not representative of at the very least, a somewhat common occurence. It's one thing to rail against general observations based on no knowledge, but you like me, have been to the Phil. and have likely seen many examples of this, both in metro-Manila and in the provinces.

There's a lot more to it than just poor people having sex and babies, but continue with the stereotyping of Third World poor people.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

In your hypothetical, do the deaths stop at age 2, or do they continue at a slower rate when they pass 2?

I don't know, should we tell animals to stop having so many offspring that end up dying from starvation?