Overpopulation as an Excuse

[Jason]

How could a communist argue with a reactionary who says, "Latin America is in poverty due to overpopulation, a situation encouraged by the Catholic church." ? :confused:

[TheRedAnarchist23]

Overpopulation is encouraged by the catholic church, but poverty does not directly derive from overpopulation. Of course overpopulation makes it harder to get jobs, but I think that in anarchist society there wouldn't be many problems with overpopulation.

[Jason]

Overpopulation is encouraged by the catholic church, but poverty does not directly derive from overpopulation.


How so?

[l'Enfermé]

Europe has a population density of 72.5 people per square km. South America has a population density of 21.4 people per square km. North America: 22.9.

The reactionary can go fuck himself, OP.

[TheRedAnarchist23]

How so?

Hardcore catholics always have many children. Fertility is encouraged by the catholic church, that is why they are anti-homosexuality, because 2 men or 2 women cannot make babies together.

[Questionable]

Isn't that Malthusian economics?

[Comrade #138672]

Capitalism is the limiting factor, not the population size.

[Domela Nieuwenhuis]

If there are more humans, there should be more businesses to accomodate their needs.
More businesses should mean more jobs...right!?

Now where does this equation go wrong? Not at the beginning!

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

http://www.marxists.org/archive/bebel/1879/woman-socialism/ch30.htm

August Bebel absolutely destroyed the idea that overpopulation caused poverty, and actually cited parts of Latin America (Argentina, I think) in the above essay. It's very good.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

The same crises to which liberals and conservatives attribute overpopulation as the cause would still exist if the world population were massively reduced. The poverty in Latin America is the direct result of the economic policies of the United States carried out primarily through the International Monetary Fund, as well as its military operations carried out against those nations.

[Lowtech]

make him explain. i really don't believe the guy has an argument, just throws out some random out-of-ass factoid to make you stop and think a minute.

first thing that comes to my mind is that with more people, you have more people participating, therefore you have more value produced. he's ignoring a failure of capitalism (i.e. that it creates poverty) and blaming external factors.

when you have skill sets and infrastructure designed around a market economy all manner of insane things happen.

(the use of) money impoverishes us all.