Thea's Identity

Gerry Quinn · 12 Apr 2013, 14:13 · from 2013-April.txt.gz

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From: gerry at bindweed.com (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:13:02 +0100
Subject: (urth) Thea's Identity
In-Reply-To: <51680A66.9030304 at verizon.net>
References: <BLU175-W31E713EF533B22755ED221CFC10 at phx.gbl>
	<51680A66.9030304 at verizon.net>
Message-ID: <F897C9526B684ADD926B39ACDC935FDC@Rover>

From: David Stockhoff

> Yep, all that. I can't think exactly what those "hairless, crippled 
> animals" could be, but they're up to something biological/reproductive. 
> Presumably "true" human birth rates have been declining for millennia, 
> leading to all sorts of desperate social/technological responses so 
> ingrained that no one sees the need to mention them.

I don't think there is evidence for that.  Nessus is full of poor people, 
and IIRC somebody says something about how they could march four abreast 
over a bridge forever and never run out (the same proverb was current at the 
time regarding the population of China).

And that leaves aside the need for managed population decline in the face of 
the approaching ice.  Most likely there are too many people, rather than too 
few.

No doubt the aristocracy / exultants use all manner of advanced technology 
for various purposes, but a desperate attempt to stave off a population 
crash due to some (once again, completely unmentioned) failure of normal 
human reproduction doesn't seem any part of New Sun.

- Gerry Quinn

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