So, I’m instinctively creeped out by any attempt to reduce the number of humans, and my initial reaction to this idea was basically “yikes”. Having taken time to reflect and read the report, I’ve come around a little, in that improving access to contraception seems hard to oppose even if you’re broadly in favour of more humans rather than less (though note that it’s often opposed by some religious groups).
That said, I still think there’s greater potential for extreme negative reactions to this idea than you appreciate. In particular, white wealthy people targeting low-income countries with the explicit aim of reducing their population has a chance of tripping people’s “eugenics sirens” and drawing comparisons with the long and racist history of compulsory sterilizations. I’m not saying I would agree with those comparisons – it seems very clear that your motivations are different, and the ethnicity of your target group is coincidental / irrelevant – but I don’t think that everyone would believe in your good faith as much as I do; some compulsory or semi-coercive sterilization was done covertly and in the guise of helping the recipients, so some may feel obliged to be especially wary of anything superficially similar.
You briefly addressed reputational risk in this passage:
The intervention is middling in terms of reputational and field building effects, because there is no significant risk of turning people off animal advocacy or vegetarianism if the organization wouldn’t be promoted as a directly animal-focused charity.
Bluntly, this comes across as dishonest. Aren’t you worried that people might discover your true motivations aren’t the same as your apparent ones, and distrust animal advocates in future?
So, I’m instinctively creeped out by any attempt to reduce the number of humans, and my initial reaction to this idea was basically “yikes”. Having taken time to reflect and read the report, I’ve come around a little, in that improving access to contraception seems hard to oppose even if you’re broadly in favour of more humans rather than less (though note that it’s often opposed by some religious groups).
That said, I still think there’s greater potential for extreme negative reactions to this idea than you appreciate. In particular, white wealthy people targeting low-income countries with the explicit aim of reducing their population has a chance of tripping people’s “eugenics sirens” and drawing comparisons with the long and racist history of compulsory sterilizations. I’m not saying I would agree with those comparisons – it seems very clear that your motivations are different, and the ethnicity of your target group is coincidental / irrelevant – but I don’t think that everyone would believe in your good faith as much as I do; some compulsory or semi-coercive sterilization was done covertly and in the guise of helping the recipients, so some may feel obliged to be especially wary of anything superficially similar.
You briefly addressed reputational risk in this passage:
Bluntly, this comes across as dishonest. Aren’t you worried that people might discover your true motivations aren’t the same as your apparent ones, and distrust animal advocates in future?