Demographic Winter of Our Discontent

By Our Readers & Kathryn Joyce

This article appeared in the March 31, 2008 edition of The Nation.

March 12, 2008

Front Royal, Va.

Kathryn Joyce, in "Missing: The 'Right' Babies" [March 3], is upset that during a recent speech in Poland, I encouraged the Poles to be more open to life by saying, "I want to see more Poles!" and infers that I and others are in a "panic for more white babies." Of course, I would like to see more babies in dying Poland--or anywhere else. I am partial to babies, regardless of how much pigment they have in their skin. Speaking to 5,000 people in Manila, I declared, "I want to see more Filipinos!" And last year at a conference in Colombia, I called for more Colombians. Condemn me for being pro-people, if you will, but don't condemn me for being racist.

And if race is the subject, let me mention my ancestry, which includes Native American blood, and my wife's, who is Hispanic. My children range in appearance from little Geronimos to little Bridgets, but apparently Joyce couldn't see beyond the color of my blue eyes. Who's the racist here?

Subscriber Login

4 ISSUES FREE

Subscribe Now!

The only way to read this article and the full contents of each week's issue of The Nation online is by subscribing to the magazine. Subscribe now and read this article -- and every article published since for the past five years -- right now.

There's no obligation -- try The Nation for four weeks free.

.

About Kathryn Joyce

Kathryn Joyce is the author of Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement. more...
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Blogs

» The Beat

House Passes "Historic" Health Reform | Pelosi secures necessary votes, but only after accepting unsettling limits on abortion rights demanded by anti-choice Democrats.
John Nichols
26 Comments

» Editor's Cut

Around The Nation | Obama, one year on. Plus: Jeremy Scahill takes your questions, and a new video series from The Nation.
Katrina vanden Heuvel

» The Notion

Injustice in Illinois | Prosecutors in Illinois should be more concerned with an innocent man behind bars than journalism students' grades.
Ari Berman
28 Comments

» The Dreyfuss Report

Obama Fails in Middle East | Clinton delivers the ultimate diss to Abbas.
Robert Dreyfuss
128 Comments

» Act Now!

Equality Across America | This week, young LBGT activists are staging a National Week of Initiative.
Peter Rothberg
16 Comments

» Altercation

Slacker Thursday | Dying laptops, recapping the election, the Dow, and the Yankees with the World Series.
Eric Alterman