I haven't been on a listserv for several years and I forgot how things are. Since you can't see the other people, it can be easy to misinterpret and get offended by what other people say. And there are always people ready to be offended or ready to be critical. So I remember now I have to make an effort not to be offended or critical.
I wouldn't want to be considered elitist. I don't think I am elitist. I think I respect the hard work that scientists or ecologists or anyone who contributes to society does and I think that tradition of hard work and service is valuable to pass on. As opposed to those parasites on society who don't try to contribute but just take everything they can. Whether there is a evoltionary result from ecologists or scientists not reproducing is really mostly speculation, I suppose, at least it's not important enough to me to research exhaustively. I just thought it was an interesting thought and deserved voicing. And for all I know most scientists learn hard work because they were raised in less than affluent circumstances. So I revise my position to simply: If you have kids, it's important to teach them ecological and societal responsbility. I don't know if this standard for new people, but by way of introduction, I finished my M.S. approx 1 yr ago and now work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I'm interested statistical methods, program MARK, as applied to real problems and I have a strong herpetological bent. I don't have any kids, that I know of (joke). Tyler Grant ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tyler Grant" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, November 03, 2006 10:14 PM Subject: Re: Environmental consequences of having a child > There is one point that was nearly reached but not quite explicity stated > by > Ms. Vidra. A professor in one of my biology undergrad classes stated that > there was some evidence that evolutionary selection was currently > occurring > in the human species because, as a general rule, those familes of a poorer > socio-economic class and less education had more children (this seems like > a > strong claim but I don't know what papers or studies he was getting his > information from). I don't think scientists and ecologists should feel > bad > about having children, because, 1, they are more likely to understand and > act in an ecologically sensitive manner and influence others around them > to > act so, and 2, they are likely to be more intelligent, on average. I > don't > think it would be good for the positive traits "expressed" among > ecologists > and scientists to be selected out. > > Tyler Grant, > product of a MBA and near-college grad > >
