Why Europe chooses extinction

[Totalitarian]

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Demographics is destiny. Never in recorded history have prosperous and peaceful nations chosen to disappear from the face of the earth. Yet that is what the Europeans have chosen to do. Back in 1348 Europe suffered the Black Death, a combination of bubonic plague and likely a form of mad cow disease, observes American Enterprise Institute scholar Ben Wattenberg. "The plague reduced the estimated European population by about a third. In the next 50 years, Europe's population will relive - in slow motion - that plague demography, losing about a fifth of its population by 2050 and more as the decades roll on."

In 200 years, French and German will be spoken exclusively in hell. What has brought about this collective suicide, which mocks all we thought we knew about the instinct for self-preservation? The chattering classes have nothing to say about the most unique and significant change in our times. Yet the great political and economic shifts of modern times are demographic in origin.

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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/ED08Aa01.html

[Desert Fox]

I have to disagree on the main part of the article, I concur that the population evolvement of European countries mainly germany and italy are quit low. In most european countries the death mark surpasses the birth mark. But that is only normal in the time we are living, people think first about their careers and then about children. Not to forget the death mark is quit high due to that the people are getting older and older. But it is stupid to say Europe will perish over 200 years that is just plain moronic :P

[Saint-Just]

Yes, I think that population growth may eventually slow in Asia too. Europeans will certainly not disappear simply because our population growth is slowing. China, desptie a one child policy, still has an average of 1.9 offspring per female, although I am not sure of the male/female balance in China.

[Totalitarian]

Originally posted by Desert [email protected] 4 2003, 05:36 PM
I have to disagree on the main part of the article, I concur that the population evolvement of European countries mainly germany and italy are quit low. In most european countries the death mark surpasses the birth mark. But that is only normal in the time we are living, people think first about their careers and then about children. Not to forget the death mark is quit high due to that the people are getting older and older. But it is stupid to say Europe will perish over 200 years that is just plain moronic :P
The birthrate is slowing down in western countries, but not in the 'third world'.

Europe would actually be alright with a lower population, because it is already about as densely populated as China. I think the author was making the point that with all the immigration that capitalists are bringing into the country, the cultural landscape would look very different in 200 years.

I'm not sure what he means by "german and french will only be spoken in hell". Is he saying that french & german people are all going to go to hell?

[synthesis]

The author means that French and German are allegedly being displaced as languages, like the author would probably see English as opposed to Spanish in America.

Therefore, the only people speaking European languages in this guy's dystopian future will be dead. I'm not sure why he said 'hell'.

[Saint-Just]

I think they provide a range of different views, although they tend to be very pro-Asia. You get a lot of things about how the DPRK will destroy the Americans even from Asian capitalists. I think it was just a very pro-Asian voice saying all Europeans will go to hell.

[Desert Fox]

Originally posted by [email protected] 5 2003, 03:11 AM
I think the author was making the point that with all the immigration that capitalists are bringing into the country, the cultural landscape would look very different in 200 years.


First of all they don&#39;t bring it in, the immigration happens without the power of left or right in european countries. Sure the immigration is big in European countries and you can see clearly in the city landscape how it changed the European countries. But to be honest both left and right don&#39;t like it. Since the burdance of the extra taxes that has to be paid to support a part of the immigrants is a burden that leftish and rightish people don&#39;t like. Left dislikes it since that there is already so many social problems thanx to a economic recesssion and next to pay cash to aid workless people they have to spend money for people that just barge in to their country. They do care about them but care both their own position aswell. And right doesn&#39;t like since they make less profit thanx to them <_<

[Totalitarian]

Immigration appears to be something which is favoured by capitalists; because it increases the size of the labour pool. Many of these immigrants are desperate to earn a living, so they will be more likely to put up with conditions that the natives would find intolerable.

This allows capitalists to keep wages low.

[Desert Fox]

Originally posted by [email protected] 6 2003, 02:03 AM
Immigration appears to be something which is favoured by capitalists; because it increases the size of the labour pool. Many of these immigrants are desperate to earn a living, so they will be more likely to put up with conditions that the natives would find intolerable.

This allows capitalists to keep wages low.
Well in my country they are just pissed about those immigrants. Since they have to accept them to work in their company and their wages are checked up on by the goverment. And since some companies are very specialised they have to learn everything first to them and once they are at work for let us say 3 months they are moved out by the goverment and the bosses have to get new workers, and in Belgium is immigratian a ***** for both sides