While I am generally skeptical of any tweet that smashes this many “-ists” into it, this one is absolutely correct. There’s a lot of history behind this too. /1 (Thread) https://twitter.com/uncreativenate/status/1303049607241519111

Soon after the Bretton Woods institutions were established (IMF & World Bank) they became *quite* concerned with overpopulation. To this day, these institutions still set resources aside for population control programs, but let's focus on a particularly horrifying one in India /2

In the 1970s, the IMF & World Bank would occasionally whisper into New Delhi's ear about it's concern regarding their population growth. Never mind that the Western World had experienced the largest population boom *ever* after WWII. India was the problem. /3

Sanjay Gandhi, the son of the current Prime Minister of India (Indira Gandhi) and grandson of the founding Prime Minister of India (Nehru) was... inspired by these concerns, and decided to tackle it on his own. Keep in mind, Sanjay was utterly incompetent. /4

Sanjay failed at nearly everything he attempted--from starting a car company to eradicating casteism. His mother, Indira Gandhi, suspended the constitution in 1975 and ruled as dictator, an era known as "the Emergency" in Indian history. /5

With the suspension of democracy, the IMF and World Bank enthusiastically encouraged the incompetent Sanjay Gandhi to start a mass sterilization program in an effort to combat the mythical problem of "overpopulation." It started out voluntary, and quickly became compulsory. /6

This sterilization program was 15x larger than anything the Nazis implemented.

From 1976-77, over 8 million innocent people were sterilized. The program largely involved giving men vasectomies, and targeted Muslims and the poor. /7

There are stories of the police surrounding villages and cutting of entrances, then dragging men to forced surgeries.

It was a gruesome campaign and epitomized the worst impulses of the Indian government--islamophobia and classism. Nearly 2,000 men died during bad surgeries. /8

Between 1972 and 1980, the World Bank gave nearly $66 million in loans to India for the express purpose of population control. This was the result.

Pain, torture, and death. /9

It is hard to put into words the horror of this program. In some areas, people got divorced to avoid sterilization. Food rations were withheld until men were sterilized. In parts of Madhya Pradesh, irrigation water was denied from entire villages until men were sterilized. /10

This is the outcome when powerful institutions prioritize population control.

The research showing that overpopulation is a driving cause of climate change is thin and weak, and the consequences of this mindset are devastating for ethnic minorities and the poor. /11

Let Indira Gandhi's India serve as a cautionary tale. No good comes out of sterilization programs (incentivized by Western loan sharks).

Leave this mindset in the 20th century where it belongs. /12

If you would like to learn more, The Sanjay Story by Vinod Mehta is excellent. Here's a great review by @davidfrum. https://www.thedailybeast.com/hold-onto-your-penis

Also, I don't want to end this thread with 13 tweets since that's bad luck, so here's a great article by @kapskom to round this all out. /14 (End) https://thecritic.co.uk/the-prime-minister-who-restored-japan/