Page 472 - Essencials of Sociology

A Planet with No Space for Enjoying Life? 445

FIGURE 14.4 How Much Food Does the World Produce per Person?

120
110
100
90
Per Capita Food Production 70
80

60
50
40
30
20
10

0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
Year
Note: 2004-2006 equals 100. Projections by the author.
Sources: By the author. Based on Simon 1981; Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010:Table 1335; Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, January 27, 2012.

Both the New Malthusians and the Anti-Malthusians have contributed significant
ideas, but theories will not eliminate famines. Starving children are going to continue
to peer out at us from our televisions and magazines, their tiny, shriveled bodies and
bloated stomachs nagging at our consciences, imploring us to do something. Regardless
of the underlying causes of this human misery, the solution is twofold: first, to transfer

Photos of starving children, such as this child in Somalia, haunt Americans and other members of the Most Industrialized Nations. Many of us wonder
why, when some are starving, we should live in the midst of such abundance, often overeating and even casually scraping excess food into the
garbage. As in this photo I took in San Antonio, Texas, we even have eating contests to see who can eat the most food in the least time.