The Inner Monologue

Thinking Out Loud

“Population Collapse” is Just Boomer Doomer Fanfiction

Oh no! The birth rate is declining! The elderly will outnumber the young! Society will crumble under the weight of retirement homes and unwashed dentures!

Except—lol.

Turns out, the much-hyped “demographic time bomb” is less Mad Max and more “Okay, we’ll adjust.” Because guess what? Humans are weirdly good at not dying horribly when given half a chance.

1. Robots Don’t Need Diapers (35%)

The doomsayers forgot one tiny detail: automation exists. We don’t need 10 kids per family to keep the economy running when one AI can do the work of 50 interns (without complaining about “fair wages”). The future isn’t Children of Men—it’s Wall-E, but with better WiFi.

2. 70 is the New 40 (20%)

Boomers think retirement means slowly fossilizing in a Florida condo, but Gen X and millennials? We’ll be working until we drop—by choice. Modern medicine means 75-year-olds are out here running marathons, launching startups, and scrolling TikTok. The “dependency ratio” panic assumes old people just sit around draining resources, but surprise—they’re still doing stuff.

3. Governments Occasionally Do Smart Things (15%)

Shocking, I know. But some countries have figured out immigration, pension reforms, and healthcare efficiency. Not all, of course (cough U.S. cough), but enough to prove that societal collapse isn’t the only possible outcome.

4. The Great Wealth Transfer is Coming (10%)

Gen Z may never afford a house, but their inheritance will be massive. Trillions are about to shift from the “I bought this home for $30k” crowd to the “I can’t afford avocado toast” generation. Will it fix everything? No. Will it help? Absolutely.

5. Multigenerational Homes Are Back (10%)

Remember when living with your parents was “pathetic”? Joke’s on you—now they’re moving in with us. Shared housing means fewer nursing homes, free babysitting, and someone who actually knows how to cook.

6. Infinite Growth is a Pyramid Scheme (10%)

The real crisis isn’t fewer babies—it’s the delusion that we need endless population growth to sustain a functional economy. Maybe, just maybe, a slightly smaller, more sustainable population is… fine?

TL;DR: Chill. We’ll Be Fine.

The “population collapse” panic is just another boomer horror story, like “socialism is coming for your 401k” or “video games cause violence.” The future isn’t a dystopia—it’s just different.

So put down the doomsday scroll. The world isn’t ending. It’s just evolving.

And if you’re still panicking? Congrats—you’ve officially become the old man yelling at a cloud. 👋

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