From One Survivor to Another

dirtyjoestacoshack asked: What is your opinion on Social Darwinism, especially in a time where impending overpopulation will certainly kill us all?

I’m opposed to a “survival of the fittest” kind of philosophy, on the grounds that it actually is not necessary. In Andrea Smith’s Conquest, she has a section on population control and similar policies, and how they are inherently racist by disproportionately affecting people of color (particularly women), and at times bordering on eugenics policies which stop People of Color from reproducing. Vandana Shiva has written about this too.

When you look at who uses the majority of resources in the world, it’s people in the West— something like 1/20th of the total people in the world— who use many times more resources in proportion to everyone else (around 75%). Controlling population growth in countries with less development but higher birth rates is not going to put much of a dent in the resources we use. If we want to sustain ourselves, we have to examine the huge amounts of waste in modernized countries.

I will see if I can find a passage with statistics to quote later. Have to go to something in an hour so I don’t have time right now.

1. afterromulus likes this
2. lawd-knows likes this
3. mommy-cuteella likes this
4. fromonesurvivortoanother posted this