Elderly Russians hold a flashmob on Moscow subways to protest the demographic crisis.

[dipsydoodle]

Three thousand elderly Russians joined a flashmob on Moscow subways in an effort to encourage childbearing and the recovery of the country’s dwindling population. They occupied all available seats on trains running along the city's circle line and would cede them only to expectant mothers and the disabled. The participants all wore cloaks with slogans promoting childbearing.

http://en.rian.ru/video/20110519/164110501.html includes video which I can't get to play. .

See also in associated news : Russia Gets Poor Marks for Wellbeing of its Elderly. http://www.democraticunderground.com/101674652

[joshcryer]

1. The "demographic crisis" is the justification for the "anti-gay propaganda" law.

There is no crisis. Russia's birth rate is now higher than the US and has been on the rise for some time now, even before the "anti-gay propaganda" law.



This would be the equivalent of posting about a teabagger rally in the US, imo.

A 1.5 birth rate, at least for the next century, would be a very good thing for the planetary environment and resources in general. Putin has only embraced the demographic issue because it works as a very good way to keep United Russia in power.

[dipsydoodle]

2. The article you've posted doesn't agree with your own conclusion.

The Forbes article highlights the changes being a function of economic factors.

[joshcryer]

3. Forbes, an economic site, doesn't support my environmental message?

Well color me shocked.

I merely cited them to prove that Russia's demographics are actually better than the United States. Yet the US isn't worried about the decline in the birth rate (or even, shockingly, the severe decline in white demographics).

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. And, aprt from the 'crude' birth rate, which is affected by size of generation

as the article says (when it says the crude birth rate will likely dip again as the small 90s generation becomes the main child-bearing group), the total fertility rate is also going up - 1.61 in 2012 (more than Canada, and many European countries like Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Germany).

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html?countryname=Russia&countrycode=rs&regionCode=cas&rank=178#rs

http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=rs&v=31

(The lowest TFR in the world (apart from, I suspect, the Vatican)? Singapore. just 0.79. Wow.

[joshcryer]

5. Yep. Hell, Russis is damaging my pro-tech-development view.

I think technology is good because it, in theory, in developed countries, coincides with a reduced birth rate. Yet here we have Russia saying "fuck it!" and expanding. So I have to make the exception in my arguments for technology...

Would it be that we had a 0.50 birth rate (this is not an indictment on technology or human civilization, ideally it would be 1.0, but 0.50 would be good until the rates became sustainable on a planetary level).

It can't be denied, that the pro-procreation-right-wing Russian segment has successfully near-doubled the birth rate / fertility rate. With the oppression of gays, they may yet bring it to 2.0.