this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2024
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Collapse

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This is the place for discussing the potential collapse of modern civilization and the environment.


Collapse, in this context, refers to the significant loss of an established level or complexity towards a much simpler state. It can occur differently within many areas, orderly or chaotically, and be willing or unwilling. It does not necessarily imply human extinction or a singular, global event. Although, the longer the duration, the more it resembles a ‘decline’ instead of collapse.


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But why on earth? Rejoice, rather.

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[–] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 64 points 1 month ago (1 children)

the only people who care about raising the birth rates are the billionaire parasites who are concerned about fewer wage slaves they can steal value and productivity from

[–] lemmyng@lemmy.ca 40 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Don't forget the racists and religious nutjobs who both think it's their duty to "outbreed" the rest.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

It's the same picture.

[–] M500@lemmy.ml 54 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You want kids? Raise wages significantly at this point. Put out some strong social safety nets.

My wife and I are mid-thirties trying to save for a house and retirement. A kid is not even close to an option for us.

[–] Mikina@programming.dev 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, what's probably going to happen is more taxes for people without children. It has already been considered by some parties here in czech, and it infuriates me. I'm also mostly sure that's what will happen, turning people without children to second class citizens they can leech more money from, with an excuse that they are not building our society enough. And you will get some lower-income, anti-work people spamming children even more, to abuse the benefits and support you get for them even more.

[–] M500@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I read that trumps vice president candidate suggested that before too.

Does the tax go away after a certain age?

Like when peoples kids grow up do you start paying the tax again? What if you’re too old to have kids? Do you still need to pay the tax?

It’s a dumb idea, but it’s probably going to happen.

[–] teamevil@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

Trump's VP supports it as a work around to punish those in "alternative" lifestyles that traditionally don't have children to remove their voice in society.

Also those of us without kids already pay more in taxes

[–] CommanderCloon@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Also what if your kid dies?

[–] M500@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago

After posting, I wondered about people who are naturally infertile.

[–] JoMomma@lemm.ee 47 points 1 month ago

Falling birt rates might be the only thing that saves humanity

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 34 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] eleitl@lemm.ee 18 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Indeed. Less people means lower overshoot, less future excess deaths.

[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

And jobs will be taken over by robots anyway at some point in the future. So, why have so many future humans who will be jobless then?

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Because some of us like that there is a humanity and want it to continue. Some of us still have hope for the future instead of letting an array of problems depress us. Some of us know we can do better. Some of us are alive.

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't think you need overpopulation to do that. You can probably live a better life without so many people suffering and competing for scarce resources or fighting over jobs and land. I value quality over quantity.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Scaling humanity gives more opportunity to move forward in more areas, more intellect, more skills, more specialization. If there were no living constraints, the more people, the better.

The constraints on our living space, available resources, healthy environment is the only real limit.

We need to find a balance with a critical Mass of humanity to continue to grow and improve, yet live within available resources while maintaining a healthy diverse environment.

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Scale never stopped progress before. We're reaching very real limits and a possibility of environmental collapse soon. We're way, way past finding critical mass by billions of people.

[–] riodoro1@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

8 billion of you are alive. Don’t worry. Humanity is not going anywhere.

Oh, you mean your flavor of humanity?

[–] BlastboomStrice@mander.xyz 19 points 1 month ago

Yeah, let then drop

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 19 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Sounds like a fascist talking point to me.

[–] eleitl@lemm.ee 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Pyramid scheme proponents are panicking since confronted with end of growth.

[–] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Considering climate change, any new people we create will literally burn to death before they're able to live a full life so what's the point?

[–] eleitl@lemm.ee 15 points 1 month ago (1 children)

They will likely expire by mass starvation before they succumb to hyperthermia, but you're right, of course.

[–] morphballganon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Mass starvation won't kill everyone at the same time. These demographics will die while those survive, then repeat.

[–] vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 1 month ago

Oh no. Anyway…

[–] gnuplusmatt@reddthat.com 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I love my kids, but fuck they're expensive... maybe that has something to do with it

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

And difficult. Also may have something to do with it. And employers seem to think any time. For them is wasted.

My kids are the best thing I ever did, but I won’t pretend it was cheap and easy. I also won’t fault anyone who hesitates based on the huge effort of time and money.

If governments want to fix this crisis, they need to make it much easier and cheaper to have kids. Like the article mentions, small measures won’t be enough. However the article glosses over the time factor - there’s a huge societal inertia to overcome and the population changes won’t be apparent to most until it’s too late