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South Korea is running out of people.

Its birth rate is the lowest in the world, sitting at just 0.72. That is 73 percent below the replacement rate. By 2070, South Korea’s population is expected to fall from 51.6 million to just 34 million. That is a loss of over 17 million people in less than 50 years.

But the raw numbers don’t tell the full story.

Because what is collapsing isn't just population, it's society.

In this video, we explain why Korea is facing the most extreme demographic decline of any developed country. We break down the cultural, economic, and policy failures that have made it nearly impossible for young Koreans to build stable lives or raise families.

South Korea’s toxic work culture, built on Confucian values and decades of military-influenced industrial policy, created a system where long hours and loyalty to employers are valued more than individual well-being. Wages are below the OECD average. Education pressure is relentless. And Korea’s biggest companies, the chaebols, employ only a fraction of the population but dominate the economy.

Housing is also a major issue. In Seoul, most young people face the Jeonse system, where renters put down deposits worth half the value of the home. Even with newer rental options, deposits remain high and monthly rent eats up income. Those lucky enough to save money still have to pay hundreds or thousands per month in after-school academies called hagwons, just to keep their kids competitive.

Culturally, things are not much better. Korea is seeing a rise in no-kids zones across the country. Women face extreme expectations around beauty, caregiving, and obedience. In dual-income households, they still do most of the chores. And in a society where 72 percent of people think a man who stays home with children is less of a man, it is no surprise that many women are opting out entirely.

Some are going on birth strike. Others are joining the 4B movement, which rejects marriage, childbearing, dating, and even heterosexual relationships.

The government has tried to reverse the trend through incentives, parental leave, and subsidies, but it is not enough. Once fertility drops this low, recovery is nearly impossible. With half the population expected to be over 65 by 2070, Korea’s future is looking grim.

What happens to a country that forgets how to build a future?

Democrats spent $20 million trying to figure out men. We decided to just talk to some. Some of what they said might make you uncomfortable. But if politicians want to actually reach working class men, they need to have more messy conversations like this one.

More Perfect Union’s mission is to build power for working people. Here’s what that means:

We report on the real struggles and challenges of the working class from a working-class perspective, and we attempt to connect those problems to potential solutions.

We report on the abuses and wrongdoing of corporate power, and we seek to hold accountable the ultra-rich who have too much power over America’s political and economic systems.

Has a pretty sick solo

#love #energetic #synthesizer #synthpop #synthwave #pop

MADRID (AP) — Spain has canceled a deal for anti-tank missile systems that were to be manufactured in Madrid by a subsidiary of an Israeli company, in a bid to move away from Israeli military technology, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

What's going on with this name?

In a recent post @jerry posted the specs of this server and it's mind-bogglingly huge. Not even my gaming PC compares to it. Is it just mbin being mbin or are other fediverse servers also this big?

You can learn more about FUTO at https://futo.org/ This video was recorded on March 15, 2025 at FUTO's Don't Be Evil Conference

A European Citizen's Initiative is a formal process for the European Commission to debate/discuss a proposition by citizens that has managed to collect 1 million signatures from European citizens within a year. I think the tides are turning and it might be good to ride the wave that the orange man on the other side of the world has started.

We could start an initiative to ask the EU governmental bodies to use software that is guaranteed to be European. Probably it would be better to ask them to use opensource only and no proprietary software. A citizen's call for digital sovereignty could be understandable and even get business backing because there are even people on LinkedIn calling for the same.

What do you think?

More than one million Europeans have called on the EU to ban "conversion"' practices targeting LGBTQ people, the results of a petition showed Friday. Story by August Hakansson.

Keep up the momentum and sign for Stop Killing Games. Did you know that you can watch the European commission stream? Put some eyeballs on these initiatives when they're in session. Make the politicians aware that the people are watching!

Just under 3000-4000 people are required per country in Lithuania, Latvia, Malta and Luxembourg. Come on now... that's a small town and in some places even just a village. Are there really that few gamers in those countries?

Thanks to everybody who responded to my last thread asking how the system works. I went in thinking Australia had Winner Takes All (WTA) or First Past The Post (FPTP) for parliamentary elections of the House of Representatives, but found out it does in fact have preferential voting.

As a European living in a democracy with lower houses / parliaments / houses of representatives that have proportional representation (multiple parties in parliament forcing requiring coalitions) allowing only a single tick per list on the ballot, it's a little strange to see the choice in Australia seemingly come down to two political parties. There are multiple groups here fighting for preferential voting and you guys have it yet look like the UK or the US when considering voting outcomes.

Why doesn't preferential voting not lead to plurality in Australia and more choice? Have there been efforts to change the system in such a way that plurality can be achieved?

Thank you for your insights! This is quite interesting to me.

Y'all have first past the post / winner takes all, don't you? There was a vote recently and "labor" won from what I'm reading?

Labor, coalition, independents, etc. what kinds of parties are these? I thought Albanese was a "cunt" yet his party seems to have won again? What's going on?