The Nation.



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, forthcoming from Beacon Press in 2009. more...

Popular Topics
Most Searched

Issues »

Most Emailed

Issues »

Blogs

» Campaign 08

Obama Tears Down the Wall | Meeting the tallest of rhetorical orders, the candidate echoes the great communicator... and sounds, yes, like a president.
John Nichols

» Capitolism

TheNewKlan.Org | Bill O'Reilly says MoveOn is the new Klan.
Christopher Hayes

» The Beat

John Conyers and an Opening for the Constitution | Friday's hearing on presidential accountability an end but rather the beginning of a process of renewal.
John Nichols

» Passing Through

Doing More With Less | Youth turnout expectations are higher than ever. So why is funding for young voter mobilization drying up?
Michael Connery

» The Dreyfuss Report

Maliki the Thug | He says he wants the US out, but a former Iraqi prime minister has other ideas about Maliki.
Robert Dreyfuss

» The Notion

Fox News Attacked by Rapper, Blackroots & Colbert (Updated) | Fox's worst nightmare: Liberal bloggers and Black hip hop.
Ari Melber

» ActNow!

Send Karl Rove to Jail | The former Bush advisor regards the law with contempt, so it's time the law and Congress hold him in contempt as well.
Peter Rothberg

» Editor's Cut

Rethinking Afghanistan | There is no easy answer but we need to think beyond the reflexive response of troop escalation in order to find sane and humane alternatives.
Katrina vanden Heuvel

» And Another Thing

McCain Opposes Contraception -- Pass It On | He's for Viagra and against the pill. Why won't the media cover this important story?
Katha Pollitt