I was watching a report on racism at the UK football/ soccer matches and they also said that homophobia was on the rise again. I started wondering about the way people seem to be becoming less tolerant with people that they perceive as different; and wondering if it might have something to do with overpopulation.
The thought is related to the fact the most species will, ‘thin themselves out’ when the population exceeds the environment available. Could it be that this increased intolerance isn’t just your average ignorance/ being scared by the unknown but a beginning of, ‘tribes’ in readiness for protection of resources? (Some people must be becoming more aware that this is a possible future, now that we are focusing on our environment, and the repercussions of not caring for it in a more mainstream way.)
I’d welcome any comments and discussion on this.
2
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
6 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I think it has always been there but has been suppressed in recent years. the rise of populism/tribalism has given the bigots encouragement. When they hear our politicians spouting racist and divisive nonsense they feel free to do the same themselves.
Living in Scotland it is apparent that sectarian bigotry is alive and well.
Moravian
Level 8
Aug 16, 2019
0
I agree, but am loathe to hit the like key, as it would misrepresent my agreement!
I would say it is a combination of unconscious (or conscious) biases, othering, and plain old bigotry... I am not sure there is any evidence or data to support that your average everyday human is trying to use hate to thin out the herd to horde or conserve resources... For those that are interested, this is what I mean by othering: transforming a difference into otherness so as to create an in-group and an out-group
In-group: a group to which a person/speaker belongs to
out-group: a group to which a person/speaker does not belong to
demifeministgal
Level 8
Aug 10, 2019
0
I’ve started calling it seperatism, but yes have observed what you’re talking about. I’m still not convinced that unconsciously people aren’t challenged by the population density though; exasperating the issue. Given that noise alone causes us to be stressed, (studies of people living in aircraft flight paths shows they exhibit permanently higher stress levels).
@girlwithsmiles I honestly don't know if most people are that deep and think that wide... I wonder if most just care about their immediate families and communities and do not look at the world at a global scale. I mean we've had this tribalism long before we were an overpopulated planet... perhaps it is an evolutionary trait we developed? And it is manifesting itself in ugly bigotted ways these days.
@demifeministgal I just feel that we were getting more educated and understanding but it’s taking a sudden backward leap now that society has caught up with the environmental issues, (finally! the hippies were trying to spread the word how long ago?). Homophobia apparently went up 10% in the uk in the last year, but we were making such inroads into this kind of discrimination in the nineties and noughties.
I don’t think people necessarily need to understand why their behaviour is regressing for it to be so: navel gazing isn’t something everyone is interested in 
Post-Brexit Britain, like post-Trump America, is rapidly tribalizing into Leave and Remain camps. It's less the result of overpopulation than it is to do with the bottoming out of standards of living for most of the working population there, the result of forty years of neoliberalist dogma (privatizing public institutions, placing profit above all other concerns, dismantling the safety net for the least advantaged, whittling away at the National Health Service, and widening the ever-increasing disparity between the uber-wealthy and the rest of the country).
moNOtheist
Level 7
Aug 9, 2019
2
Yes, that’s definitely worsening the us and them gap. The derogatory way the the middle and upper classes see the poor- unless they accidentally end up there themselves, is concerning.
I lived in a village for a while where all crimes, it seemed, were attributed to an already marginalised group; the ‘gypsies’, but while working in care some of the young people were keen to identify with same group; probably due to the strong sense of identity in the traveller community, (ostracised or not!).
Cannibal Morph
In some species, overcrowding causes rapid enlargement of the head and teeth so they can thin out their own population.
skado
Level 9
Aug 9, 2019
3
Wow that’s cool. Now if I see any babies with, (even) bigger heads and big teeth what purpose it serves. Nurseries should be warned! Lols.
I'm becoming less tolerant of racists , fascists, far right Christians and Republicans in general.
Buddha
Level 8
Aug 9, 2019
1
I’m trying to be more tolerant and braver to address issues.
It is a powerful thought. Macro depopulation by means of war between nations is a strong likelihood, but so is your micro depopulation by means of tribes and gang warfare within nations, as those "with" seek to conserve it and those "without" seek to aquire it.
Petter
Level 9
Aug 9, 2019
0
Mmm that’s what I thought too, so a combined consciousness regarding the importance of our environment for continued well being of the species becomes a mixed blessing. Hopefully those working for good of all will come up with some good solutions; but sensible solutions to population growth still seems to be the elephant in the room.
I for one am glad more people are aware of the issues, as it increases our synergy for solutions, but selfishness is probably the biggest issue the human race has to face in some ways. Also my footprint is apparently just over 2 planets a year still apparently 
But non plastic products and good meat alternatives help
@girlwithsmiles I welcome alternatives to "bad" meat, but why alternatives to "good" meat? 
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.