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Original poster

Natures way of culling the population

229 replies

ExD1938 · 15/04/2020 15:48

Am I being unreasonable to be shocked by a neighbour's remark that this pandemic is natures was of reducing the overpopulation of the planet?
I was gobsmacked at first, then I began to wonder ................?. .

OP posts:
pinkyredrose · 15/04/2020 15:49

Wonder what?

Samcro · 15/04/2020 15:50

and you had to repeat the vileness on here.

Bluntness100 · 15/04/2020 15:50

The death toll isn’t that big, seriously. Most countries will barely notice a spike.

I think you’re both being over dramatic.

Unshriven · 15/04/2020 15:50

What was shocking about their comment?

TeddyBeans · 15/04/2020 15:50

What a horrible way to look at a global disaster. Do you think the tsunami was a 'natural culling' as well? Or earthquakes etc?

Disgusting line of thinking.

boylovesmeerkats · 15/04/2020 15:51

Well, in some ways it is but only because of how we as humans so badly treat the planet. As people and animals get closer because of population growth, loss of habit and climate change its more common for these diseases to occur and it's happening more frequently.

OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow · 15/04/2020 15:52

Well. It's quite common opinion. That the nature finds a way to keep populations at bay...

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 15/04/2020 15:53

It's an opinion, we're all entitled to them.

OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow · 15/04/2020 15:54

As people and animals get closer because of population growth, loss of habit and climate change its more common for these diseases to occur and it's happening more frequently.
See, this is actually argument against bug hotels. Too many, too different, to close. Someone entomologist called it a "disease bank" loosely translated.

Powerbunting · 15/04/2020 15:55

No. It isn't bad enough for that. that's just a variant of the magical thinking that leads to religious leaders claiming covid is God's punishment for pride parades.

It just is. There are certainly animal husbandry practices which make these things more likely, and the rapid spread around the world caused by our frequent population movements.

But no. This isn't nature's way to reduce the population

Herpesfreesince03 · 15/04/2020 15:56

It’s not like ‘nature’ did it on purpose. But it is the natural result of over population and the way we live

The80sweregreat · 15/04/2020 16:02

I've heard this. It's not nice , but it's a point of view and many people have one about this virus.

nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut · 15/04/2020 16:03

I think so. Horrible for us obviously but we do it to other species and when you think about it, its always happened. The planet gets overpopulated and people overcrowded, we have a pandemic. Look at pollution. The air is cleaner for the first time in years. It's the planets way of keeping the population and impact on the planet in check. We get close to a tipping point and nature will find a way of levelling the scales.

Look at animals. Cats. They cant always feed their whole litter so they kill the weakest to ensure the survival of the rest. It's not nice or fair but its nature.

PhilCornwall1 · 15/04/2020 16:08

@ExD1938 I said the exact same thing to my wife the other day. In a small way its survival of the fittest. Unfortunately my health condition puts me at the bottom of that chain, hey ho, thats the way it is.

IHaveAMagicBean · 15/04/2020 16:10

You were “shocked”? We’re you op?

HappyLemonSadLemon · 15/04/2020 16:13

It's not shocking, it's just a fact. Survival of the fittest as PhilCornwall1 correctly said above. You shock easily.

Why might it be considered a "disgusting way of thinking?"

TheCountessatHotelCortez · 15/04/2020 16:16

As @Bluntness100 said it isn’t of those proportions, there are 7 million people or thereabouts in the UK, even if they had worse case scenario deaths it still would put a dent off the numbers

TheCountessatHotelCortez · 15/04/2020 16:16

Not saying it’s not dreadful all the same

Astoatora54 · 15/04/2020 16:16

*Do you think the tsunami was a 'natural culling' as well? Or earthquakes etc?

Disgusting line of thinking.*

I don't see why it's disgusting. As others have pointed out, this disaster didn't just happen, it was facilitated by the way we have treated the planet: how we have destroyed habitats and how much we travel over wide distances in particular. It's not like a tsunami or an earthquake. Scientists have been saying for years that a pandemic was on its way. Don't you think we should listen to them?

MellowBird85 · 15/04/2020 16:17

I had this conversation with my DH. Funny how it started in China, one of the most populated places in the world...

I do believe that nature has a way of striving for homeostasis - this is one of them.

Reginabambina · 15/04/2020 16:17

That’s not how viruses (of nature for that matter) work.

HappyLemonSadLemon · 15/04/2020 16:17

Add another 60 million onto that Countess, unless you're just talking about the population of London.

noworklifebalance · 15/04/2020 16:17

Not sure why it's shocking, vile or disgusting.
It's nature & science.
Doesn't mean I like it or want it to happen.

WhyCantIThinkOfAGoodOne · 15/04/2020 16:18

I do think it's a shock which is inevitable in an overly stressed system. If we continue with population growth and over consumption events like this or climatic events will certainly happen more often.

Reginabambina · 15/04/2020 16:20

@Astoatora54 ffs Scientists warned of pandemics occurring because they generally do. Predicting a pandemic is like predicting the sun rise. It’s guaranteed to happen eventually.