Yay, Texas! We're No. 1!

soulsinging

surferdude wrote:

But what a way to go!!!

Agree. I think the thread went off when it was giving too much weight to how religious doctrine affects the rates. First it was unfounded and then using religious doctrine as the reason then pointed out what hypocrites religious people are. Not quite realizing they were cutting their arguement off at the knees at that point. It's hard to argue that people are hypocrites and they don't follow doctrine but birth rates are higher because of religion.

they're all yours man, hehe.

yeah, i dont think i was very clear with my original post mentioning catholicism. i didnt mean to spark a religious debate, but once it got rolling i can't resist a good jesus-bashin in any case, i think the culture of the various ethnicities definitely plays a role. like someone pointed out, if you look at the male and female role models in black areas, it's unsurprising that you're going to have an uphill battle. but i think a lot of that culture was shaped and defined by economic/class realities.

at the same time, i think part of it is due to an admirable openness of families. while the direct parents seem to be failing, they seem to have much closer extended families... close sisters, grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc. i also think the refusal to condemn is admirable. they don't seem willing to exile their sons or daughters over childbirth... which is good so long as not abused. whites seem far more judgmental... for instance, my brother's fiance has relatives who have said they will not be attending their wedding becos they got an apartment together (living in sin) cos it made no economic sense for them to live separate and her mother still refuses to visit them. that's kinda the opposite unhealthy end of the spectrum. whites also seem rather quick to shuttle grandparents off to homes (though economics might again play a huge role here) so they don't have to be inconvenienced by dependents, which would include young children their teens cannot care for.

deadnothingbetter

soulsinging wrote:

i dont doubt they're willing to help, but the official church line is no contraception. personally, i think it has far, far less to do with race than it has to do with income. the poor have less options, resources, and education. from everything i've heard, if you separate by that it is WAY more meaningful than racial distinctions. poor whites vs. rich whites being almost identical to poor blacks vs. rich blacks and whatnot. it just so happens poverty is far more prevalent among minorities, so it LOOKS like a racial issue.

like i said before, it has to do with the hispanic culture and our traditions. it's a normal thing for us to have 6 kids in one family... and it's nothing rare for a girl to marry or have children at a young age.. of course, not many hispanics live this way... i myself for once don't support it, but for the majority of hispanics it's pretty "normal". there is no racial agenda either... it just a part of a culture. it's got nothing to do with the poor either... i see that in many middle class families... 15 yo's having kids...

it might be different in other states, but that's the way it is here in texas. it's funny cause not too long ago i was actually considering how different hispanics here in texas are to those in other parts of the us.

deadnothingbetter

even flow? wrote:

So do they move in with their boyfriends or do they live at their parent's place? The last thing I would have wanted when I was fourteen would have been to be a father. I can't imagine a child wanting a child and the culture not being able to see how hard it is to pull it off.

actually, they live with their parents... and sometimes even the grandmother raises the grandchild... it happens very often where i live. i just don't see how it has anything to do with poor vs rich though... i don't think this has anything to do with any type of political agenda really... it's just a lifestyle.

RolandTD20Kdrummer

I was going to say the fattest state but it looks like Mississippi has it now.

deadnothingbetter

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

I was going to say the fattest state but it looks like Mississippi has it now.

i thought pennsylvania was the fattest state... that's what i saw once in a documentary... home of the phillycheesestake sandwiches

CorporateWhore

deadnothingbetter wrote:

i thought philadelphia was the fattest state... that's what i saw once in a documentary... home of the phillycheesestake sandwiches

God forbid Philly was a state.

deadnothingbetter

CorporateWhore wrote:

God forbid Philly was a state.

oops... i meant pennsylvania or maybe that's what the documentary said.... philladelphia was the fattest city in the nation...