From one of my favourite authors:
Due to its restricted habitats, reproduction is tightly regulated. In order to have children, the two prospective "co-parents" must take a course together and pass a number of physical, psychological and economic tests before being issued parents' licenses. Very few families are authorized to have more than two children. Three-fourths of all Betan children are gestated in artificial wombs, although co-parents who prefer to have their children through old-fashioned pregnancy are free to do so. Hermaphrodites form a significant minority of the Betan population.
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Colony]Beta Colony - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/url]
I didn't say it was their education holding them back. I said that they are not lazy people, ie they are good hard working people.
Didn't stop them from making the bad decision to breed like rabbits when they can't afford it.
Edit: Also, the people I'm talking about specifically aren't uneducated when it comes to sex. They are... religious and feel that they know better than... logic.
Last edited by LailaK; 18-05-10 at 01:05 PM.
The first thing that comes to my mind would be controlled reproduction. However, I find it very difficult to remove from people something as basic as the right to reproduce.
So i will have to risk being overrun by stupids and hope that Darwinism (survival of the fittest) works.
I think that the world's shift to individual rights over the good of the masses is a mistake. I can't speak to the specifics of other countries (because I don't live there), but in the US the welfare of the many used to be first and now society has shifted to cater to every small group and sub group at the expense of the nation as a whole (this includes ideas that put individal over the many too). Take for instance child disciple. Many parents are too weak and stupid and selfish to actually discipline their kids in this country. These kids grow up not respecting authority of any kind and are generally dysfunctional individuals on at least one level (if not many). Back in the day corporal punishment was meted out by teachers, relatives, and random strangers if the parent didn't see an offense or was too lazy to do it. It produced a better grade of people and no one was sued or jailed because they took the initative to "teach" someone else's child. It was done (and condoned) with the understanding that the child has to be taught one way or another. My guess is that someone disciplining someone else's kid nowadays would be charged with assault, endangering a minor, battery, child abuse, and whatever other charges could possible be added to punish the individual.
Having said all of that I would have no problem with taking a "right" such as reproducing freely from all humans because they have already proven as a whole that they abuse the priviledge. The entire world shouldn't have to pay for the irresponsibility of people who breed out of control. What happens when the deer population gets high enough that they start being run over in the streets left and right, or they start showing up in people's yards and possibly attacking? They cut back the population. I don't think that anyone should show up at trailer parks or inner city ghettos and start blasting people, but further reproduction by these individuals should be stopped.
...one can be sure of nothing until it has already happened...
I don't have a problem with taking the right to reproduce away from idiots but I would fillet someone if they laid a finger on my kid. I believe in spankings but there are too many sickos in the world nowadays for me to proscribe to the "takes a village" theory. No one will be disciplining my children outside of certain family members.
Relax... I'll need some information first. Just the basic facts - can you show me where it hurts?
Hopefully you do an adequate job. I'm not trying to say that you don't, but you kinda fall into one of the categories I mentioned. Would your stance be different if the people today mirrored those of the 1940s or 1950s? I'd still like to hear your answer, but I have a feeling that it will be "no". Too many people have a 'me, mine, my issue' mentality these days when their actions affect more than just them. Many people would say the exact same thing you said above LailaK and then watch as their child assaulted another, only to do nothing. Of course if anyone said or did anything to the offending child it becomes a matter of "you don't have a right to [blah blah blah] my child", rather than about what the child did. I would totally love for people to have to get licenses to reproduce and those licenses be revoked (and children taken) when parents fail miserably to raise their chlidren in a way that would produce respectful productive citizens.
Last edited by Incognito; 19-05-10 at 12:13 AM. Reason: Spelling error
...one can be sure of nothing until it has already happened...
@ Vashti: I was a NAUGHTY child. But I only got a spanking once in my life and it was for running out into the street in front of cars. I thought it was a fun game (I was 3). My mom thought it was time for a spanking. She didn't hit me too hard but it was shocking to me that she hit me at all. I never ran out into the street again.
My parent's didn't use spankings for everyday discipline, only for very severe infractions and in my case it probably saved my young, dumb, daredevil life.
@Incognito: I wouldn't trust other people with the welfare of my child. If you can't trust that someone has your child's best interest at heart they shouldn't be allowed to discipline them. There's not enough trust in me to allow a stranger to discipline my damn dog.
Last edited by LailaK; 19-05-10 at 12:14 AM.
incognito - Those children aren't behaving badly because they lack spankings. They behave that way because they lack interested parents.
Last edited by vashti; 19-05-10 at 12:13 AM.
Relax... I'll need some information first. Just the basic facts - can you show me where it hurts?
I wouldn't want anybody to ever touch my child...however, tell me about it and I will.
I'm not afraid to go to jail. My parents did it to me and it was quick and effective. Now it was reserved for only the most extreme things, I maybe only got it 6 times growing up and they never left marks.
You don't have to leave a mark to get your point across.
But then like with any punishment, talk to the child and explain to them why what the did was wrong. Don't just punish them and then leave them wondering what they did.
My mom when I was little would stand me up on a chair so that we were at eye level together and we would talk about what the problem was.
Most of my punishments involved doing extra chores or something which I think chores are also good for kids. Chores never killed anybody.
Last edited by dewilliams2; 19-05-10 at 12:14 AM.
Completely baffled by a backward indication
That an inspired word will come across your tongue
Hands moving upward to propel the situation
Have simply halted
And now the conversation's done
I am the EgGmAn
I was a harness kid as well. As I said I was naughty.
Everyone has their stance, and I respectfully disagree with you. There are some children who respond exceptionally well to nonphysical discipline, but for the vast majority physical is the way to go. When pain is associated with an action it discourages it. I'm in no way trying to give credit to those who abuse their children in the name of discipline though. A slap, a spanking, or pluck is usually sufficient. People who use sticks, extension cord, fists and other such objects should lose the right to raise their kids. As dewilliams said, marks are a definite sign that you are going beyond simple discipline. I'll also note that I personally do not strictly use physical discipline, especially since my daughter knows that she has been physically disciplined before. Typically I'll have her go to her room, take away something that she likes, or remind her that a spanking isn't too far off in order to get my point across. Having a disrespectful mouth seems to be the phase she's going through right now, so I'll warn her a few times, take something away and then she's either get slapped on the hand or plucked. Its been a while since I gave her an actual spanking, but last time it was for yelling at her mother. I explained why she was getting a spanking, how to avoid it in the future, and spanked her bare bottom with the belt (one or two strikes).
Last edited by Incognito; 19-05-10 at 12:26 AM.
...one can be sure of nothing until it has already happened...
We discipline children to TEACH them. I suppose there are a lot of people out there that can think of no better way to teach than to inflict violence. Unfortunately, that sort of "teaching" is only good up to a certain age, and then the kids rebel (understandably). Spanking only works for the most undeveloped minds. After that, it just breeds resentment.
Relax... I'll need some information first. Just the basic facts - can you show me where it hurts?