Nerve Endings Firing Away

Recently, I was browsing through the Census website to gather some data and my eyes veered to the right-hand corner where I saw the US Population Clock. I was instantly reminded of a similar clock that I used to see at one of Mumbai’s junctions (I forget which) as it used to ominously countdown toward the billion mark. Well, we passed that comfortably and are still going strong. In fact, India is slated to grow by 42% and also pass the 1.5 billion mark by 2050 followed closely by its me-too neighbor, Pakistan by 89% to post an expected total of 304 million [source].

So on the same lines, the United States is approaching its own landmark of three hundred million. The United States is expected to grow by 40% in 2050 to cross 400 million. Although, it pales in comparison to China and India, it is significant in terms of the demographic shift in terms of race and ethnicity. Population growth although seen theoretically as a human capital gain is also seen as a major consumer of precious resources. India, until liberalization transformed its huge middle class to eager consumers, always blamed its problems on the ever-growing population. While I believe that disproportionate growth in population is harmful, it can be effectively channelized through education and empowerment.

Regarding the population growth in the United States, it consists of a whole different set of problems. Driven mostly by immigration, this growth is troublesome because the average ecological footprint of an American is 22 acres whereas it might be far lower in countries the immigrants come from; e.g. 6.42 acres per person in Mexico. The American lifestyle affords far more luxuries like low density housing and high energy costs than the natural environment can sustain.

However, the more troubling aspect for most Americans regarding the population growth is the shift in the demographic profile. The nation is gaining more Hispanics than it is comfortable with hence the upsurge in the interest in illegal immigration. Hispanic Americans are expected to comprise a quarter of the population by 2050; Asians will comprise 8% and Blacks will remain constant at 13-14% bringing down the share of non-Hispanic whites to almost 50% from 69% [source]. Conservative white Americans must shudder at that thought. It reminds me of Russell Peter’s words that someday, we all will be beige and run as much as you want, sooner or later we’ll hump you. Heck, Spanish might even be a second offical language and all the recent talk of singing the Star-sprangled Banner in English will be a joke (frankly that is a non-issue; Indians sing their national anthem in Bengali and we don’t argue about that). The other problem fueling the growth is the increased greying of the population. Medicare and Social Security would be under tremendous strain in the future and most probably cause an economic crisis.

What I am really interested is the change in American culture. Would its basic principles of freedom and liberty remain the same? How would you define American values 50 years from now? Values or not, population will continue to grow; more in some regions than in other. Malthus predicted a human crisis due to food shortages if the population continued to grow at that rate but technology solved that problem for us. But did it do so permanently; I don’t know. I am sure mankind will find a way as it has over the ages to beat the odds and survive. After all, the only thing that can destroy mankind is man himself.