HOME | DD

Description

    The Decline-is-Good Movement-

    At the heart of the Demography Debates lies a small, newly formed party which has yet to contest a single election but already dominates headlines and political punditry. Following the 2078 midterms, after which it was clear that the coalition government between the Progressive Constitutional Union and City on a Hill would continue, four hardliners from Union left to form a new political caucus, citing their deep ideological opposition to City’s support for population growth. More PCU members and even some politicians from other parties have publicly mulled joining, and more than a few polls show at least 20% support for the party nationally, making it possible that the Movement's chosen candidate could make it to the second round of the 2080 Presidential election.

       For much of the 21st century, 'economic degrowth,' the idea that a shrinking economy can actually be a good thing for individuals' (and the planet's) wellbeing, has gained traction internationally, albeit somewhat less so in the U.S. The Decline-is-Good Movement extends this economic theory into demography: to preserve civilization, radical change is necessary. Ever eager to communicate their ideas through memes, leaders of the new party have organized mass-sterilization drives (of the voluntary sort, although conspiracies abound from City-affiliated pundits) and their supporters sometimes refer to themselves online as 'Diggers.'

        Whereas Union argues for 'green growth,' (ideally supported by market incentivization), those in the Decline-is-Good Movement see this as an unachievable fantasy responsible for the world's continued march towards barren wasteland. While Union's attitude towards population decline in the U.S. has been one of laissez-faire acceptance (“So what if the population is declining? Why should the government be expected to do anything about that?”) the new party argues that decline is, well, morally good and directly conducive to human happiness. Tax codes should be rewritten to discourage child-rearing, America’s economic subsidies for food/energy/commercial knickknack production should be ended, many farms should be bought by the government and converted into nature preserves, immigration should be restricted to countries that implement similar degrowth policies or are also experiencing population declines (nations like Germany, Japan, and New Zealand, to name a few) and nations experiencing high population growth should be made to adopt their own degrowth platforms. Although most are, in theory, globalists, the Decline-is-Good Movement has repeatedly advocated for working with the Alliance Party, so as to contain what they consider to be the greater threat to America: President Bossman and City on a Hill.

          Undergirding all of this is a quasi-utopian vision of a world where, thanks to low-population levels, mankind lives free from economic scarcity. ‘Rural Ecology Theory,’ as popularized by a 2071 bestselling book of the same name, holds that, having used near-constant population and economic growth to achieve scientific development all the way up to A.I.-run research labs, civilization no longer needs growth in order to sustain technological innovation. Humanity can therefore return to stable hunter-gatherer-sized populations with plenty of wide-open spaces to run around in – while keeping the benefits of things like modern medicine.

          Of course, many supporters of the party are more concerned with the trajectory of their own lives than that of civilization’s. Supporters of the party argue that their own personal well-being is negatively affected by consumerism, anxiety about climate change and its effects, and a culture that demands excessive work. Partially as a result of the Party’s idealization of quiet rural life, the Decline-is-Good Movement's potential bases of support extend beyond just intellectuals of the urban ‘Post-Left’ and encompass many rural Americans as well. Some rural corners of America have heightened their opposition to City on a Hill’s plans to fill America with more metropolitan centers, deriding them as culture-less strip malls and antithetical to freedom. True freedom is best epitomized by the regrowing forests, the unintended weeds.

TLDR: In 2080, population growth has become so unpopular with some people that a mass political movement has formed to oppose it.

About the Demography Debates and other issues in 2080: www.deviantart.com/goliath-map…

Description

    The Decline-is-Good Movement-

    At the heart of the Demography Debates lies a small, newly formed party which has yet to contest a single election but already dominates headlines and political punditry. Following the 2078 midterms, after which it was clear that the coalition government between the Progressive Constitutional Union and City on a Hill would continue, four hardliners from Union left to form a new political caucus, citing their deep ideological opposition to City’s support for population growth. More PCU members and even some politicians from other parties have publicly mulled joining, and more than a few polls show at least 20% support for the party nationally, making it possible that the Movement's chosen candidate could make it to the second round of the 2080 Presidential election.

       For much of the 21st century, 'economic degrowth,' the idea that a shrinking economy can actually be a good thing for individuals' (and the planet's) wellbeing, has gained traction internationally, albeit somewhat less so in the U.S. The Decline-is-Good Movement extends this economic theory into demography: to preserve civilization, radical change is necessary. Ever eager to communicate their ideas through memes, leaders of the new party have organized mass-sterilization drives (of the voluntary sort, although conspiracies abound from City-affiliated pundits) and their supporters sometimes refer to themselves online as 'Diggers.'

        Whereas Union argues for 'green growth,' (ideally supported by market incentivization), those in the Decline-is-Good Movement see this as an unachievable fantasy responsible for the world's continued march towards barren wasteland. While Union's attitude towards population decline in the U.S. has been one of laissez-faire acceptance (“So what if the population is declining? Why should the government be expected to do anything about that?”) the new party argues that decline is, well, morally good and directly conducive to human happiness. Tax codes should be rewritten to discourage child-rearing, America’s economic subsidies for food/energy/commercial knickknack production should be ended, many farms should be bought by the government and converted into nature preserves, immigration should be restricted to countries that implement similar degrowth policies or are also experiencing population declines (nations like Germany, Japan, and New Zealand, to name a few) and nations experiencing high population growth should be made to adopt their own degrowth platforms. Although most are, in theory, globalists, the Decline-is-Good Movement has repeatedly advocated for working with the Alliance Party, so as to contain what they consider to be the greater threat to America: President Bossman and City on a Hill.

          Undergirding all of this is a quasi-utopian vision of a world where, thanks to low-population levels, mankind lives free from economic scarcity. ‘Rural Ecology Theory,’ as popularized by a 2071 bestselling book of the same name, holds that, having used near-constant population and economic growth to achieve scientific development all the way up to A.I.-run research labs, civilization no longer needs growth in order to sustain technological innovation. Humanity can therefore return to stable hunter-gatherer-sized populations with plenty of wide-open spaces to run around in – while keeping the benefits of things like modern medicine.

          Of course, many supporters of the party are more concerned with the trajectory of their own lives than that of civilization’s. Supporters of the party argue that their own personal well-being is negatively affected by consumerism, anxiety about climate change and its effects, and a culture that demands excessive work. Partially as a result of the Party’s idealization of quiet rural life, the Decline-is-Good Movement's potential bases of support extend beyond just intellectuals of the urban ‘Post-Left’ and encompass many rural Americans as well. Some rural corners of America have heightened their opposition to City on a Hill’s plans to fill America with more metropolitan centers, deriding them as culture-less strip malls and antithetical to freedom. True freedom is best epitomized by the regrowing forests, the unintended weeds.

TLDR: In 2080, population growth has become so unpopular with some people that a mass political movement has formed to oppose it.

About the Demography Debates and other issues in 2080: www.deviantart.com/goliath-map…