# Women = Birthgiving-machines? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 28, 2007, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858 "2007-01-28T19:27:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/1 "2007-01-28T19:27:17Z")
From [This Japanese Newspaper](http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070128p2a00m0na006000c.html), the Japanese Minister of Health recently uttered this wee bit politically incorrect remark. In my perverse way, I find the situation slightly humorous, but the sentiment if meant seriously provides ample room for outrage. Outrage I say! The saying does make you think though… if Women were machines and then gave birth to other women… would that not preclude an invasion of lethal cybernetic fembots. I have enough trouble with women without them being frenetic baby-raisin’ killing machines. Ok, I should stop before I hijack my own thread yet another time… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/2 "2007-01-28T19:32:52Z")
Well, since per the article, “Japan’s per rate is just 1.26 babies per woman over a lifetime”, then Japanese women aren’t particularly efficient machines, and perhaps Toyota or Nintendo should be consulted. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/3 "2007-01-28T19:52:55Z")
Presumably, men = toner cartridges. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/4 "2007-01-28T21:35:42Z")
Men = sperm delivery systems. As soon as we pefect the parthenogenisis program y’all are out of here. (Oh wait I’m not supposed to talk about that…) ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/5 "2007-01-28T22:14:47Z")
Preclude? You might want to check that one. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/6 "2007-01-28T22:20:02Z")
First women begin their campaign to take over the world, THEN I learn that I’ve been using the word “preclude” wrong for about twelve years of my young life. Not only that, it’s one of my favorite words. It ranks similar to embolden… ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/7 "2007-01-28T22:44:01Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] Men = sperm delivery systems. As soon as we pefect the parthenogenisis program y’all are out of here. (Oh wait I’m not supposed to talk about that…) [/QUOTE] Of course, once cloning is perfected, we’ll have no need for women who don’t look like Heidi Klum … I really can’t believe a nation with restaurants that have signs saying [“No Gaijin Allowed”](http://www.debito.org/roguesgallery.html) would have such an insensitive government official. I _am_ in shock! ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/8 "2007-01-29T07:41:36Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] Men = sperm delivery systems. As soon as we pefect the parthenogenisis program y’all are out of here. (Oh wait I’m not supposed to talk about that…) [/QUOTE] I know this is a joke thread now, but I like shilling for the **The Red Queen** , which attempts to answer the fundamental question of why animals have sex at all. After all, if a mutant woman started to give birth asexually like aphids then she would massively outcompete and outnumber the slow sexually reproducing humans within a couple generations, especially since she would give 100% of her genes as opposed to only 50%…right? Well, it’s a lil more complicated than that. But sex = good for populationss, so a a parthenogenisis program wouldn’t work so well unless there was excellent genetic engineering to go along with it. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/9 "2007-01-29T08:44:17Z")
I didn’t find the statement, when given [in context](http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070128a3.html), to be as offensive: > [@](#): > > “The number of women aged between 15 and 50 is fixed. Because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can ask for is for them to do their best per head, although it may not be so appropriate to call them machines.” ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/10 "2007-01-29T11:07:57Z")
Indeed, while I’m not too fond of Japanese men, I have to admit that seems rather weak to angry over. If you are a medical person and discussing fertility, talking in mechanical terms doesn’t seem particularly out of place. So far as mother nature is concerned, people _are_ just baby-making cogs. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/11 "2007-01-29T11:19:03Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] Men = sperm delivery systems. As soon as we pefect the parthenogenisis program y’all are out of here. (Oh wait I’m not supposed to talk about that…) [/QUOTE] Okay. But let’s hope you also have a plan to deal with spiders in the bathtub. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/12 "2007-01-29T13:28:51Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Okay. But let’s hope you also have a plan to deal with spiders in the bathtub. [/QUOTE] That’s just the [start](http://www.cafepress.com/fredsjunk) of it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/13 "2007-01-29T14:45:57Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] That’s just the [start](http://www.cafepress.com/fredsjunk) of it. 😛 [/QUOTE] Jesus, given the context, I thought that was going to be a link to tubgirl. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/14 "2007-01-29T14:50:11Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] Jesus, given the context, I thought that was going to be a link to tubgirl. [/QUOTE] No, thanks. I heard an explanation of that the other week and it comprehensively cured me of any lingering curiosity that might have led me to actually view the picture. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/15 "2007-01-29T15:03:19Z")
tubgirl? I heard about Japan’s declining population growth on NPR’s _Worldview_. It was a fascinating program (ok-I was painting the living room while I listened, but still). I think there is a definite clash between cultural mores and modern life working its way out in Japan. Why is the onus on the women? Where is the Ministry of Health’s comment on the male part of this equation? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/16 "2007-01-29T15:07:05Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] tubgirl? [/QUOTE] [Wikipedia link describing the picture](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_site) - safe in the sense that it does not contain the image itself, but the description still might disturb some people. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/17 "2007-01-29T20:50:27Z")
If there’s one thing that will absolutely not help Japan’s declining birth-rate, it’s Tubgirl. _shudders_ ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/18 "2007-01-29T21:45:12Z")
> [@](#): > > “The number of women aged between 15 and 50 is fixed. Because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can ask for is for them to **do their best per head** , although it may not be so appropriate to call them machines.” But if the do their best per head, they’d never get pregnant. Ba-dum TSH! ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/19 "2007-01-29T21:52:36Z")
Why is this in the Pit? What are you even pitting? ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858/20 "2007-01-29T22:07:46Z")
I dunno, but we’ve had too many posts not mentioning TUBGIRL. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-birthgiving-machines/389858.md?page=2)