People love people and are reticent to criticize others' questionable religious and reproductive preferences. However, I think we should criticize any people who produced more than 2 offspring. When the parents say: "Don't you dare criticize my children!" I respond: "I'm not, I am criticizing you! You for being a part of the problem, rather than part of a solution. It was your choice to add more people to the world." We should also eliminate any tax benefit for people who have more than 2 children and give a tax benefit for people who choose not to have children at all. And we shouldn't allow people to immigrate to the U.S. with more than 2 kids unless they have a medical or political emergency. Regardless, any who are allowed more than 2 kids to immigrate should be charged a financial price for each child over two (without identifying a particular child). I realize that this may be seem unreasonable to some but it makes sense to me.
We have to stop walking on eggs and pretending this problem doesn't exist. Malthus was 100% correct, especially if you look beyond the expectation of famine and human suffering. When one considers the loss of ecosystem services that sustain life on Earth, and all the other species, it's so clear that our numbers are costly to life on Earth, including humans. Humanity is using up everything. We are like a pac man out of control, but also leaving wastelands everywhere, and extinction rates are catastrophically above background. I find some solace in the many young friends I know who don't have children or have only one, max two, including women around the globe. It's not just a western well-educated phenomenon. Thanks for your thoughtful essay!
Straight on point and very logical! I love this article. I ask myself this very question all-the-time!
Much appreciated, Alexa. Feel free to share it!
People love people and are reticent to criticize others' questionable religious and reproductive preferences. However, I think we should criticize any people who produced more than 2 offspring. When the parents say: "Don't you dare criticize my children!" I respond: "I'm not, I am criticizing you! You for being a part of the problem, rather than part of a solution. It was your choice to add more people to the world." We should also eliminate any tax benefit for people who have more than 2 children and give a tax benefit for people who choose not to have children at all. And we shouldn't allow people to immigrate to the U.S. with more than 2 kids unless they have a medical or political emergency. Regardless, any who are allowed more than 2 kids to immigrate should be charged a financial price for each child over two (without identifying a particular child). I realize that this may be seem unreasonable to some but it makes sense to me.
We have to stop walking on eggs and pretending this problem doesn't exist. Malthus was 100% correct, especially if you look beyond the expectation of famine and human suffering. When one considers the loss of ecosystem services that sustain life on Earth, and all the other species, it's so clear that our numbers are costly to life on Earth, including humans. Humanity is using up everything. We are like a pac man out of control, but also leaving wastelands everywhere, and extinction rates are catastrophically above background. I find some solace in the many young friends I know who don't have children or have only one, max two, including women around the globe. It's not just a western well-educated phenomenon. Thanks for your thoughtful essay!