Dear Dr. Liberal,
I’ve recently read about the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement and it looks pretty good. Should I join?
Signed,
No Kidding (Get it?)
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Dear No Kidding,
The good Dr’s knowledge of all things liberal is vast. I met Noam Chomsky and Kurt Vonnegut in a bar in Cambridge back in 1992 and I pwnd those bitches. And yet, I am man enough to admit that I had to google up some knowledge on the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement. (http://www.vhemt.org/ )
I just skim stuff, but I get that the gist is that that these VHEMT folks think that things would be better for everyone if we all decided to stop having kids and gradually died out as a species. Certainly, the inspection line at the DMV would be a lot shorter. This is rooted in the observation that we are on track for an UN-voluntary extinction or, short of that, some really big mass dying events that will be wholly unpleasant and fuck up the planet like mad.
If you read the web site, you cant deny that they make a good case. Not only that they make their case in a very matter of fact and unconfrontational manner which is refreshing for one of these tree hugging enterprises. For example, read their FAQ page about abortion:
Q: Does VHEMT favor abortion?
Only when someone is pregnant.
Seriously though, pregnancy should be prevented whenever possible. Unwanted pregnancy is the cause of almost all abortions, and VHEMT certainly doesn’t favor unwanted pregnancy.
The Movement doesn’t even favor wanted pregnancies. Unfortunately, accidental conceptions still happen, so an available and safe safety net is essential for the well-being of girls and women. Criminalizing abortions has never prevented them from being performed, it just makes them unsafe: illegal abortions cause an estimated 68,000 to 74,000 deaths, with five million suffering from complications each year.
Abortion is inconceivable without conception, so contraception prevents abortions.
The issue of a woman’s right to a legal and safe abortion is somewhat beyond the scope of VHEMT. However, the first word is “Voluntary” and coerced births are not. A wide range of opinions on this subject exists within The Movement.
I’m down with all that. So, yeah…I guess. Sure. Go ahead. Don’t have any children and if it too late for that, indoctrinate your offspring so that your utterly average genetic code passes into history. And oh yeah. If you get discouraged by the fact that it is going to be pretty darn tough to convince the world that voluntary human extinction is a good idea – just remember that most people laughed when a guy from Nazareth told people that he was God, but also the Man, but also the Son of God here on a mission to bait the Romans into killing him so everyone who can say, “Yeah, I’ll buy that” can get off this stinking rock and live in an ice cream castle in the sky forever.
Sincerely,
Dr. Liberal.
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Corrections: (crickets chirping)
Pour me a cup of your thoughts. Until then, the Doctor is out.