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Hey, Answerman! - Gender Rolls

Meygaera wrote:

As westerners I think we need to be a role-model here and do two things. Have more MEN who give up their careers to take care of the children, and adopt girls from Asian countries whose families have abandoned them.

Why should we do that? The world is already overpopulated, in many areas *very* overpopulated, and you want to encourage that?

Japan isn't going away. So it's population is decreasing. So what? You bring up "nature" and then ignore the fact that when our populations exceed local resources, it is natural for those populations to shrink. But no, all you seem to see is "we need more people!" As if the world should work at keeping up with the extreme population densities found in China and India.

You want us to be role models? Then the model they should be following is to reduce birth rates. Many First World nations have already done this, and it is only through immigrants from less developed countries that still pump out big families that their populations are increasing: it's the more primitive cultures that still encourage big families, not the advanced ones.

All this hand-wringing over Japan's population is solely due to the social and especially economic issues that it brings up: namely, government programs which depend on massive amounts of tax money to be paid in. Ponzi schemes require an ever-increasing base to keep working, and without that sort of growth they start to fall apart. The old are depending on the young to support them, and not as family obligations, but as societal/governmental obligations, which are largely impersonal by nature. Pretty much all the 1st World nations are in the same boat, but Japan has the added problem of not being able to bring in a bunch of 2nd and 3rd Worlders willing to work their lives away to keep the system going.

Japan may have to go through a certain amount of rebalancing in the future. But in the end it might be a good thing for them if they can create a more stable society that isn't selling out future generations. It'll be interesting to see how it ends up: whether their pride as a people is stronger than the greed of the powerful. If they start importing a bunch of cheap labor, you'll know then which side won, and Japan's culture will start to lose its distinctness.

As for the rest of Asia, China in particular is a disaster waiting to happen. Trying to relieve the population pressure by importing their excess children isn't going to help. The sheer scale will make such gestures meaningless. China is rushing to outstrip all resources it can easily obtain, and once it does that, it'll have to use force (not necessarily military force) to obtain more. That's why it's modernizing its military and positioning itself globally the way it is right now: in preparation.

So, you might think you're doing a Wonderful Thing, but you're really not. If you strongly feel the need to adopt, then look closer to home. I'm sure there are plenty of kids around you that could use a loving home. There's no need to go all the way to China to find kids like that.

Melanchthon wrote:

Here, the Economist had a nice write up on the subject, with bonus quotes from everyone's favorite Tokyo mayor.

As westerners I think we need to be a role-model here and do two things. Have more MEN who give up their careers to take care of the children,

Neon Genesis Evangelion is always the textbook example, and there's a very good reason why it still holds up. All of the crap the characters deal with - the depression, the anxiety, the abandonment - came from a very real place within Hideaki Anno's tortured mind.

I would rather have child that not's addicted to some kind of illegal substance or has been beaten/sexually abused and thrown into the child welfare/care system that is oh so good about placing kids in decent homes if you are rich enough.

Cecilthedarkknight_234 wrote:

I would rather have child that not's addicted to some kind of illegal substance or has been beaten/sexually abused and thrown into the child welfare/care system that is oh so good about placing kids in decent homes if you are rich enough.

Wait, what? Are you saying that all kids up for adoption in the US are addicted to drugs or have been beaten/sexually abused? Hmm... Somehow, *I* wasn't addicted to drugs or beaten/sexually abused when I was adopted at birth. Over-generalize, much? Really, why not just call all adoptees drug addicts or victims of abuse while you're at it.

Why should we do that? The world is already overpopulated, in many areas *very* overpopulated, and you want to encourage that?

Japan isn't going away. So it's population is decreasing. So what?

If you strongly feel the need to adopt, then look closer to home. I'm sure there are plenty of kids around you that could use a loving home.

On subject to single myself out for making myself looking like an a** I actually do have Asperger's Spectrum Syndrome and tend to think before typing or speaking at times.

dewlwieldthedarpachief wrote:

kakitamike wrote: While I didn't hate the show, I don't get why it was championed by so many people. It was a story that's been told before and felt phoned in starting with episode 10. I like that he lumped it in with lost property, strike witches and bund. Not because I agree, but I figured it would make for good comment reading material. Also, it's not exactly open minded to dump hate on this guy because he doesn't like a show you liked. Right, I'm not open minded and I dump hate because I have a response that is critical. And Madoka has so been done already. Next.

But it really has been done before.

Well Vaisaga, that's partly why Japan has such a high suicide rate. Maybe some countries go too far in assigning labels to those who aren't mentally ill, but Japan's refusal to look after the mental health of its citizens is very sad. There's very little official support in place to help the mentally ill out, and people aren't expected to make a fuss anyway, so it's not like they can seek help from friends and family. The upshot of all this is that you get people who bottle things in until they explode, either lashing out against others or, more commonly, just taking their own lives.

It depends on the area of where you live, I don't live in decent area and believe me it's much easier for a person to have kid than adopt one. Yes I was using sterotypes as well however that's the type of area and what I am used to seeing being from Louisville, I meant no offense. In all honesty I think any child any where needs a good home despite where they are from, but we are going way way off subject here.

On subject to single myself out for making myself looking like an a** I actually do have Asperger's Spectrum Syndrome and tend to think before typing or speaking at times.

Tuor_of_Gondolin wrote:

Why should we do that? The world is already overpopulated, in many areas *very* overpopulated, and you want to encourage that?

I'm confused here, adopting children increases world population how? They are already born...

Japan isn't going away. So it's population is decreasing. So what?

This is a real pessimistic conclusion to the article Melanchthon and I read. The issue wasn't a declining population, but of the change of social norms regarding family life, specifically the role of the woman.

Nowhere did we say that this issue is a bad or good thing. The article just stated the facts. It also stated the reason for the facts. The reasons included the fact that women have a much larger burden in family life than men do. I concluded that in the West, more men should take up the reigns of child rearing, since nowadays it is very common for a woman to hold a high paying job; enough to support a family. I also suggested adopting girls from Asian countries, because we all know they are killed off early or aborted if they aren't wanted. If the West takes in their women, it's only a matter of time until they realize that women are important.

If you strongly feel the need to adopt, then look closer to home. I'm sure there are plenty of kids around you that could use a loving home.

I agree with you here. I may have appeared over zealous when I mentioned adopting children from foreign countries. I meant to use that as a segue from the selective abortion. Adopting children is a good thing, no matter where you adopt from.

Actually, Japan's falling birth rate has the same cause of every other country with a falling birthrate: female education. You give your girls an education and a career, and the birth rate falls right off a cliff. In Japan, it is exacerbated however, by the fact that there is no opportunity to balance a career with a family.

dtm42 wrote:

Well Vaisaga, that's partly why Japan has such a high suicide rate. Maybe some countries go too far in assigning labels to those who aren't mentally ill, but Japan's refusal to look after the mental health of its citizens is very sad. There's very little official support in place to help the mentally ill out, and people aren't expected to make a fuss anyway, so it's not like they can seek help from friends and family. The upshot of all this is that you get people who bottle things in until they explode, either lashing out against others or, more commonly, just taking their own lives.

Well, that also has a lot to do with Japan not viewing suicide as something shameful.

But yeah, in one way it's nice Japan doesn't define people by their disorders like we tend to do. On the other, as you said, some people don't get the help they need.

Quote:

I look at a show like Madoka Magica (which ANN was raving about) and see a viciously manipulative story where young girls run around in outfits that would make strippers blush

Someone has never been to a strip club