The Actual Cause Elon Musk Desires You to Have Extra Infants

Although Ehrlich opposed poverty, he by no means pushed for a redistribution of wealth. To him, folks had been greatest described in numbers, like butterflies and different bugs. His treatments for overpopulation had been draconian: steep taxes on diapers, mass sterilization, and the addition of sterility brokers to meals exported to overseas populations. In 1969, Stewart Model, one in all Ehrlich’s Stanford protégés, advised an interviewer at an overpopulation protest, “We’d wish to see folks have fewer kids—and higher ones.”

Higher ones.

In 1971, Garrett Hardin, who had a PhD from Stanford in microbiology, went additional. In a New York Instances opinion piece, Hardin argued flatly for stripping girls of “the fitting to breed.” The Southern Poverty Legislation Heart now calls Hardin’s writings “frank of their racism and quasi-fascist ethnonationalism.”

MUSK GRABBED the inhabitants panic mic round 2020. He sounded contrarian, even papal. Although he had elsewhere expressed indifference to caring for infants—and has been disowned by one in all his 10 kids—he was quoted in The New York Instances as saying “infants are supercool.” Moreover, by siring an enormous brood, he advised the Journal viewers, “I’m attempting to set an excellent instance.”

Musk additionally introduced, on the Lex Fridman Podcast, that “intercourse with out procreation … is kind of a foolish motion.” Some Catholic traditionalists pounced, claiming Musk had gone full Humanae Vitae. In the meantime, the trendy NoFap set, who chorus from masturbation in an effort to channel their mojo into nobler issues, additionally claimed Musk as a brother.

Others on the fitting are equally panicking about beginning charges. J. D. Vance, the Ohio-based enterprise capitalist, mewled to Tucker Carlson final yr that “childless cat women” run the USA. To advertise pregnancies in such women, Vance—his logic shaky—proposed an “outright ban” on pornography. “If we wish a wholesome ruling class on this nation … we must always help extra individuals who even have children,” he stated.

Inhabitants issues rattle Carlson too. For years he’s been preoccupied with unnamed ghouls who’re disappearing white folks to interchange them with “new folks, extra obedient voters from the Third World.” The culprits are white girls of his personal social class for not being fruitful sufficient. In July, Carlson advised the journalist Ben Smith that he’s “not mad at Black folks” as a result of he reserves that vitriol for a “38-year-old feminine white lawyer with a barren private life.” “I hate you!” he shouted merrily.

Vance and Carlson are deep within the far-right tank, however Musk might by no means benefit from the full conservative embrace. His thought of cool infants, in any case, extends past white infants. In an handle to Republican fats cats in August, Musk faulted the social gathering for its stand in opposition to immigrants and urged the GOP to point out extra compassion.

This wasn’t as candy because it appeared. Immigrants, to Musk, are only a larger labor pool; he welcomes anybody who will do manufacturing grunt work for lengthy hours and low pay. If beginning charges shot up, however the brand new folks, as an alternative of working for him, subsisted on authorities applications, Musk—the infamous tax-avoider—would possibly change his tune.

Each inhabitants ideology finally skews sinister. Opponents of underpopulation, identical to opponents of overpopulation, challenge decrees of their thunderous approach merely to hide a monstrous program of eugenics. Ehrlich wished fewer poor folks; Vance and Carlson need extra white ruling-class folks; Musk needs extra professional bono laborers. None of them need precise warm-blooded folks, the oddballs we be taught from, collaborate with, even love. I can’t emphasize this sufficient. Caring about butterflies or bots doesn’t imply caring about people. Mark my phrases.

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This text seems within the November 2022 challenge. Subscribe now.