If it’s true that longtermism is much more controversial than focusing on x-risks as a cause area (which can be justified according to mainstream cost-benefit analysis, as you said), then maybe we should have stuck to promoting mass market books like The Precipice instead of WWOTF! The Precipice has a chapter explicitly arguing that multiple ethical perspectives support reducing x-risk.
If it’s true that longtermism is much more controversial than focusing on x-risks as a cause area (which can be justified according to mainstream cost-benefit analysis, as you said), then maybe we should have stuck to promoting mass market books like The Precipice instead of WWOTF! The Precipice has a chapter explicitly arguing that multiple ethical perspectives support reducing x-risk.