Naomi Wolf was once considered a serious public intellectual. Today, she spreads conspiracy theories that would make Alex Jones blush.
Here's the latest example. On 24 February 2024, Xitter user illuminatibot posted. "Something weird is happening and the media isn't telling you about it… – Excess deaths are through the roof, with a 1101% increase among children aged 0-14 in Europe – Birthrates have collapsed all over the world at the same time and nobody knows why WHAT IS GOING ON?"
The claim was made without citing a source.
Xitter user JimmyFalk_55 responded, "I leave 9sic) in a pretty large city but have noticed less cars on the road, standing in line for morning coffee, and in the stores. Anyone else visibly notice less activity/ people in your area? Just a question."
Dr. Wolf weighed in with her own observation about the secret decline in global population: "Who has seen a heavily pregnant woman since 2021?"
Xitter's Community Notes (the only good thing about Xitter) added a note to Dr. Wolf's comment that contradicted her anecdotal comment:
According to UN estimates, ~250 million babies were born in 2022 and 2023 (https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/number-of-births-per-year). National statistical authorities have also released data on births, including in
– China (2023: 9m): https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-population-drops-2nd-year-raises-long-term-growth-concerns-2024-01-17/;
– the US (2023: 3.66m): https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/12/state-population-estimates.html; and
– Indonesia (2022–3 pop. increase of ~3m) https://www.bps.go.id/en/statistics-table/2/MTk3NSMy/mid-year-population–thousand-people-.html.
"Pain is real when you get other people to believe in it. If no one believes in it but you, your pain is madness or hysteria" — Naomi Wolf, 1998
See also: Former thinker Naomi Wolf says WHO forces will occupy the US next week