tlc.discovery.com
By now, you may have heard about James Lee, the environmental extremist who took hostages at the Discovery Channel's headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., yesterday and was later killed by police. It's a sad story that many are still trying to wrap their heads around.
According to news reports, Lee left behind a manifesto with demands that the Discovery networks (including the Discovery Channel and TLC), with its shows about big families like Kate Plus 8 and 19 Kids & Counting, should "stop encouraging the birth of any more parasitic human infants." He was reportedly a supporter of population control and sterilization.
Lee's actions were, of course, those of a mad man. But it's interesting to note that despite the popularity of these shows, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, the birth rate in America is actually on the decline. Last year, it dropped 2.6 percent from the year before, to 14.3 per 1,000 people.
Sure, Americans love to peek in on the lives of the Duggars and the Gosselins, but from the statistics, it doesn't seem we're using these huge broods as role models when it comes to our own family planning. Truly, we just find them entertaining -- and harmless -- to watch.
Do you think the Duggars are bad for the environment? Chime in below!
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