Misery Seeks No Company

Anti-Natalists Spread a Profoundly Misanthropic Message

In January 2021, Eric Dietz Goldberg, a Portland, Oregon area photographer who goes by “Dietz,” incorporated a 501(c)3 nonprofit under the name “Stop Having Kids” (SHK). He created a website, started wearing masks that read, “Stop Having Kids,” and began organizing street outreaches to promote his message. A Portland area high-school teacher explained it this way: “They’re not saying that a particular group of people shouldn’t have kids, they’re saying that no one should have kids because kids themselves can’t choose to be born.”

SHK says it’s about “normalizing anti-natalism, childlessness, and caring for already existing life.” It defines anti-natalism as “a philosophical and ethical stance against human reproduction.” Anti-natalists consider human reproduction to be “an irreversible, unnecessary, indefensible, and enduring form of harm, regardless of circumstances, situations, or consciousness in living.”

SHK activists dress in black and hold signs bearing messages such as, “The world doesn’t need you to continue your bloodline, genetics, or family name” or “The world is too backwards to move forward with having kids.” They’ve sparked reactions ranging from “bold, a little ambitious or even crazy” to “thinly veiled eugenics.” SHK responds that it’s not about eugenics. Rather, “We are totally against human procreation all across the board.” “This isn’t about hating kids at all,” said Alex, an SHK volunteer organizer; “we encourage people to help kids who are already here.” The group hopes to expand across North America and beyond.

Reason for Surveillance:

Honestly, could there be a more nihilistic outlook on human life than this? Unlike overpopulation catastrophists, SHK activists appear to be driven by nothing other than misanthropic misery. Their view of humanity is the diametric opposite of the biblical tenet that man and woman are the pinnacle of Creation as bearers of God’s image (even in our current fallen state) and the biblical mandates to fill the earth and subdue it (Old Testament) and make disciples of all nations (New Testament). Nothing on the SHK website overtly addresses biblical faith, but, given social media hashtags such as #jesus, #thebible, #befruitfulandmultiply, and #dontcomply, SHK operatives obviously know that their message does, and they apparently want Christians to hear it. Whether that’s to pick a fight or to recruit Christian youth is anybody’s guess.

One of the reasons they give for their stance is “Eternal Dissatisfaction.” But who are they to project their own emotional state onto everyone else? It’s commendable to promote harm reduction and helping people who are already born, but while I think we should speak gingerly with any disaffected Stop Having Kids sympathizer, it should also be pointed out that their message is deeply harmful to people already born. It tells them their life is meaningless and that perhaps it would be better had they never been born.

Most Recent Campaign:

In early 2022, four new billboards went up around Portland and nearby Salem, Oregon, reportedly funded by an anonymous donor at an estimated cost of around $8,000. One, overlooking Interstate 5, read, “A LOT OF HUMANS WISH THEY WERE NEVER BORN.” Another said, “STOP HAVING KIDS,” where the “O” in STOP was the universal “No” symbol  over a silhouette of a baby.

If SHK activists and sympathizers don’t want to become parents, that is their prerogative. But if they want to alleviate suffering for the living, they could start by keeping their misanthropic messaging to themselves. Our Creator did not give up on fallen humanity, and neither should we.