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AIBU?

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Original poster

After watching the first episode of Earth to think humans should wipe themselves out.

193 replies

pompomdaisy · 10/08/2023 20:20

After watching the programme about the great extinction 250 million years ago it's made me think this planet will be far better without us and the sooner we become extinct the better.

OP posts:
minipie · 10/08/2023 21:45

I do think a lot of people would fully subscribe to a reduction of global population and or other mandatory notions which would hugely degrade the quality of life for many many many groups of people

Come on, just because people agree that the world would be better off without humans or with many fewer humans, does not mean we would sign up for any form of mandatory population reduction!

PoseyFlump · 10/08/2023 21:46

Shirty48 · 10/08/2023 20:33

It’s only on mn that I ever see people longing for the end of the human race.

I've had many a real life conversation along these lines, especially during early covid times. Not everyone is burying their head in the sand about the state of the planet.

Missingmyusername · 10/08/2023 21:49

pompomdaisy · 10/08/2023 21:34

I personally care more about the planet than I do the human race. I love my kids but ultimately as a species we are pretty crap.

I think we are destructive and exploitative and animals and plants would thrive without us. Yes power stations would erupt then after a million years there would be little trace. it's worth watching the programme as you will see that earth has recovered from far worse.

🧐👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻I agree.

Mamette · 10/08/2023 21:55

I care about the planet as a home for humans and animals.

If humans become extinct and the planet flourishes then great, but let’s face it, who cares because we’ll all be dead.

Every other planet is unsullied by human activity and but knowing that doesn’t fill me with joy somehow. I just feel neutral about those planets because they are not my home.

Existing without ruining the planet would be the aim imo. And no I do not know how to achieve this.

stargirl1701 · 10/08/2023 21:56

I disagree, OP. But....surely you would return humanity to Africa where we evolved.

Shirty48 · 10/08/2023 22:04

PoseyFlump · 10/08/2023 21:46

I've had many a real life conversation along these lines, especially during early covid times. Not everyone is burying their head in the sand about the state of the planet.

Show quote history

I’m actually fascinated by climate change and read and talk a lot about it. I’d just like the human race to take action to stop it and stick around to be able to appreciate the planet.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 10/08/2023 22:09

PoseyFlump · 10/08/2023 21:46

I've had many a real life conversation along these lines, especially during early covid times. Not everyone is burying their head in the sand about the state of the planet.

Show quote history

When I was studying, I let slip that I didn't see the continuation of the human species as the absolute ideal. Despite it being an Environmental qualification, it didn't go down well with the other students; the lecturer spoke to me afterwards and very seriously suggested I was more careful about expressing my opinions, as I didn't want to end up on a watchlist which could completely destroy any career aspirations.

Over the following years, the activities of the police showed that this could have been a wise decision and this was further confirmed with the start of anti radicalisation/extremism training provided by a government organisation, where the entire content was focused around reporting Muslims and environmental campaigners.

L3ThirtySeven · 10/08/2023 22:11

pompomdaisy · 10/08/2023 20:20

After watching the programme about the great extinction 250 million years ago it's made me think this planet will be far better without us and the sooner we become extinct the better.

Do your bit and don’t have children then.

HeddaGarbled · 10/08/2023 22:13

I personally care more about the planet than I do the human race. I love my kids

You don’t care about the planet more than you care about your children nor your lifestyle, and nor does anyone else. It’s just empty words.

tiredofthenoise · 10/08/2023 22:13

YABU. What will be will be, but wishing for the human population to decrease to this degree is... Well, evil, imo. The only way this will happen is through either extreme widespread violence, disease, famine, or some cataclysmic disaster. Sorry, but no, I can't wish this on my fellow man, and I speak as someone who has no children of my own to worry about.

L3ThirtySeven · 10/08/2023 22:20

I really do not understand the mentality. It’s like thinking that Jurassic Park was paradise on Earth (it was way warmer then too btw). I don’t know how people who think humans should “go extinct” imagine nature to be? How do they define “better” for the planet?

Pandaflop · 10/08/2023 22:22

Of course the planet would be better off without, we cause far more destruction than any other creature. Even the dominant animals who would rise to the top of the chain as it were wouldn't inflict the misery we have on the natural world. I think it's possible to acknowledge that truth and also hold your hands up and say selfishly I hope we aren't going anywhere just yet! Our recorded and known history is only a small dot on the history of earth anyway, things change and evolve and I highly suspect that before the sun implodes as all stars do and takes the planet out there'll be a period without us.

WandaWonder · 10/08/2023 22:23

onefinemess · 10/08/2023 20:24

Yeah, I agree. Or at least there needs to be a significant reduction in the human population. Say 1 billion maximum. Whole continents need to be abandoned.

How great would it be if humans no longer lived in the Americas, or Africa, Australia and most of the Asian continent abandoned and returned to nature.

Humans could exist in small pockets of the most fertile remaining areas.

People need to stop having children.

Why is Europe exempt?

Justanotherlurker · 10/08/2023 22:37

DojaPhat · 10/08/2023 21:40

I do think this forum actually does a lot in way of representing the views of a lot of people. Especially so as it's largely anonymous so people can speak freely without fear of reproach, and most posters tend to have a good grasp of politics etc. So when you see views like these aired, whilst I doubt that most people would welcome the end of the Earth, I do think a lot of people would fully subscribe to a reduction of global population and or other mandatory notions which would hugely degrade the quality of life for many many many groups of people.

Show quote history

This is the forum that was very pro Corbyn, Trudeau and Macron and thought the UK was left behind because we elected Cameron which even back then was 'reminicent of 1930's germany' and was considered a far right government. , has been wrong in every election over the past decade and memory holed a lot of the previous support and side-lined a lot of the go to responses such as we should emulate nordic countries with regards to things like Medical care and immigration when it doesn't suite the narrative.

MN is just like every other forum, it has it's biases, every election cycle it is apprently been over run with Tories despite the multitude of 1000 posts threads of how the tories are shit.

Most people on here are the very typical nimby liberal, it hasn't just got that name from outsiders but people doing analysis on forums that include the same analysis that a lot on here would agree with, re 4chan/ fruit farms/ reddit / tattle etc.

It was pretty common to find many posts about wanting to pay more tax until Corbyn suggested targetting a different tax bracket, the liberal is all about performative 'thinking of the marginilsed groups' the most as soon as it hits there pockets.

MN is no different or special than any other forum, most political posts in the past are rehashes of Reddit/Twitter and the representing the views of a lot of people is very subjective where the general trend is still back in the early 10's of 'lived experience' is how I judge it otherwise it is goady/bashing.

Most UK women I know who are clued up on politics and really advocate womens values and issues come to MN to get an overview of what the bots on Twitter are saying.

It does have some strongholds and really stand out positions, but that isn't a common trend

L3ThirtySeven · 10/08/2023 22:40

Pandaflop · 10/08/2023 22:22

Of course the planet would be better off without, we cause far more destruction than any other creature. Even the dominant animals who would rise to the top of the chain as it were wouldn't inflict the misery we have on the natural world. I think it's possible to acknowledge that truth and also hold your hands up and say selfishly I hope we aren't going anywhere just yet! Our recorded and known history is only a small dot on the history of earth anyway, things change and evolve and I highly suspect that before the sun implodes as all stars do and takes the planet out there'll be a period without us.

No we don’t cause more destruction than anny other living creature. Microbes kill exponentially more than we do.

JudgeAnderson · 10/08/2023 22:41

@FridayNeverHesitate that won't matter longer term. The deserted area around Chernobyl is already a total wildlife haven.

OP I agree. When people freak out about the environment they are ultimately worrying about themselves or the future of humans. Remove us from the equation and the planet will be just fine, we're worse than cockroaches and considerably less useful.

GuardiansPlayList · 10/08/2023 22:46

The birth rate is already crashing world wide. It’s just that the death rate (fortunately) is reducing due to better health care so the overall population isn’t yet showing a decrease.
In time the reduced birth rate will reduce the total world population.

L3ThirtySeven · 10/08/2023 22:46

JudgeAnderson · 10/08/2023 22:41

@FridayNeverHesitate that won't matter longer term. The deserted area around Chernobyl is already a total wildlife haven.

OP I agree. When people freak out about the environment they are ultimately worrying about themselves or the future of humans. Remove us from the equation and the planet will be just fine, we're worse than cockroaches and considerably less useful.

I dunno.
Number of species that depend on cockroaches to survive: 0
Number of species that depend on humans to survive: 1.2 million

JudgeAnderson · 10/08/2023 22:50

I dunno.
Number of species that depend on cockroaches to survive: 0
Number of species that depend on humans to survive: 1.2 million

Which species are these 1.2 million, out of interest?
Cockroaches play an important role in the breakdown of organic matter.

Bubop · 10/08/2023 22:54

I care more about my children/husband/family/friends than the rest of the earth. I can see that, objectively, humans are bad for the planet… but I can’t wish us away.

I do think we should do more for the earth whilst we are on it though.

L3ThirtySeven · 10/08/2023 22:55

JudgeAnderson · 10/08/2023 22:50

I dunno.
Number of species that depend on cockroaches to survive: 0
Number of species that depend on humans to survive: 1.2 million

Which species are these 1.2 million, out of interest?
Cockroaches play an important role in the breakdown of organic matter.

All the species that share our ecosystem which we could destroy tonight if we felt like nuking Putin. Or destroy longer term by polluting our habitat, letting climate change run amok and so on. Their survival is inextricably linked to our survival. There’s a reason over 90% of species that ever were are extinct…we evolve as a package deal.

DojaPhat · 10/08/2023 23:05

@Justanotherlurker A very considered post, most of which I disagree with but thank you for your insight nonetheless. Having read and posted more than I care to admit on various parts of this forum for many years it's hugely representative of various demographics. Many women on here only found out 2/3 years ago, for example, that the police happen to have a few rotten apples among them. It makes for an interesting read when trying to understand psyches completely alien to your own.