Why do the poor treat procreation as recreation?

As for what happens in America is an assumption on your part. As far as the rest of the world. Poor by whose standards? Those of the modern West? Your response would not seem to explain the poor in non agricultural based societies. Who mainly congregate in large slums.

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by -O-uknow on June 2nd, 2007

That's right, it's an assumption on my part. I would have elaborated with some long BS, but I don't really know why the poor in contemporary societies don't stongly advocate safe sex. I'd say those in the slums weren't trying to have large families, and I began my answer by saying that it concentrated on those who actually wanted large families (taken from the tone of the question). I concede that it is a mediocre answer.

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by Aristocles on June 2nd, 2007

I disagree. The poor in even developed nations still have more children on average than the affluent. So are you to have us believe it's simply because they've yet to be introduced to the condom..or birth control? That's absurd.

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by -O-uknow on June 2nd, 2007

It's not absurd. It's called COMMON SENSE. If someone is less educated, with less access to decent health care, they are obviously going to be less likely to understand the IMPORTANCE of birth control.

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by Anonymous on June 2nd, 2007

I disagree. I do not believe they have less access to birth control or do I believe they do not know the importance of it. Tis not necessary to know the chemistry of water to know when it is hot. You insult their knowledge and do not give them credit for their own decision making. Whether it be good or bad. COMMON SENSE is not so common.

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by -O-uknow on June 2nd, 2007

Look at it this way. Poor people are more likely to die from common illnesses such as the flu, etc, than are wealthy people. Why do you think this is? Because poor people don't have access to health care, and they usually aren't aware that this is a disease they can DIE from. It's not because they think it's FUN to die from the flu. It's because they simply don't know any better. And yes, I have no problem insulting their knowledge, because everyone knows that the wealthy are more educated than the poor (except for the poor, of course, because nobody ever taught them that).

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by Anonymous on June 2nd, 2007

I buy this defense for illnesses that at first seem minor but could lead to something more life threatening. However, you take it too far. Birth control has been publicized and made available in the U.S for at least the past half century. I believe it comes down to bad decision making not lack of knowledge.

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by -O-uknow on June 2nd, 2007

Bad decision making is usually attributed to lack of knowledge. Just because birth control has been widely available, doesn't mean that everyone has access to it or can AFFORD IT, or even realize how widely available it is or how important it is. That's like saying that everyone should know that you can't get AIDS from drinking after someone, just because that information has been widely available. Yet there are still MANY people who don't understand how HIV is transmitted, even though the information is available.

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by Anonymous on June 2nd, 2007

Of course bad decisions are attributed to lack of knowledge. Tis the human condition not to have all data necessary to make a proper choice. Nevertheless we make them the best we can with the information at hand. In this case "I" believe there has been enough of it dispensed to make a good one. At least in the developed nations. Poor people have access to cable television and the internet, but you would have us believe that in many areas condoms and the pill are unheard of or extremely difficult to get. We my friend will have to agree to disagree.

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by -O-uknow on June 2nd, 2007

Just because YOU believe there's been enough info dispensed for YOU to make a good choice, doesn't mean that ANYONE ELSE has access to the same info that you do. You can't judge someone else based on what's happened in YOUR life, because two people can be as different as night and day. Do you honestly THINK that poor people think it's GOOD IDEA to have more kids that they can't afford? You are seriously deluded.

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by Anonymous on June 2nd, 2007

In many cases poor people indeed believe tis a good idea to have more children than they can afford. You my friend are naive.

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by -O-uknow on June 2nd, 2007

LOL. Yeah, I'm sure that people who are already starving and barely making ends meet sit around thinking "Gee, things would be so much worse if we had a few extra mouths to feed. Hey honey, let's have another baby or two!"

I don't think you're understanding the point. People with very little education are going to be poor. That means that most poor people are uneducated. Do you really expect an uneducated person to know how to acquire birth control? Or to have the resources to try?

Uneducated = poor = NO MONEY. Which means that if they become pregnant "accidentally" they aren't going to be able to afford an abortion, which means they are going to have another baby. Not by CHOICE, but simply by circumstance.

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by Anonymous on June 2nd, 2007

I was listening to the television one Sunday. When I heard the missionary say that in many cases the poor in Africa have children in order to send them out to beg. The younger the better. His words not mine. We can easily extrapolate this to the poor here in the U.S who have children they can't afford in order to increase their benefits. All of which you have failed to mention or don't even register. This is your lack of knowledge. Which is why you are naive.

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by -O-uknow on June 2nd, 2007

Increase WHAT benefits? Any government assistance you might receive is undermined by the fact that you now have extra mouths to feed. Not to mention that you're limited in how much government assistance you CAN receive, no matter how many children you have. I used to be on food stamps, while pregnant with my second child, because I was out of work. My boyfriend makes about $20,000 per year, and I already had one child to support. When my second child was born, my benefits went DOWN dramatically. Anyone who thinks that having kids means more money from uncle sam, is definitely a good example of the poor being uneducated.

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by Anonymous on June 2nd, 2007

As you have experienced. Even the most informed can make unwise decisions or be victim of circumstance. That I agree.

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by -O-uknow on June 2nd, 2007

Aye..and more engaging ;)

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by -O-uknow on June 2nd, 2007

Unfortunately too many believe tis their life mission to ensure that we do not die out.

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by -O-uknow on June 2nd, 2007

Or almost anything in general ;)

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by -O-uknow on June 2nd, 2007