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You're being awfully high and mighty jumping around this thread to criticize what is, on the scale of typical human consumption, really quite minor. Do you own

You're being awfully high and mighty jumping around this thread to criticize what is, on the scale of typical human consumption, really quite minor. Do you own a car? Have you flown in the last year? Do you eat out or get food delivered to you? How often do you get a new laptop? Do you use air conditioning? Apparently it's socially acceptable to look down on someone for using plastic bags, but it would be uncouth to suggest that someone use public transport or vacation domestically. The latter examples would be an actual sacrifice, and we only want to make token gestures to feel good about ourselves and move on with our lives.

Rudneudnru 8y ago
>Do you own a car? Have you flown in the last year? Do you eat out or get food delivered to you? How often do you get a new laptop? Do you use air conditioning? No, no, yes, not in more than ten years, no. Not really that hard.
- reitzensteinm 8y ago
  You do realize saying yes to a single one is enough to absolutely dwarf plastic bag use, right?
bluntfang 8y ago
>You're being awfully high and mighty jumping around this thread to criticize what is, on the scale of typical human consumption, really quite minor. It may be minor, but if OP is complaining about things as simple as "I don't know when I go to the store, so I MUST use plastic bags", then imagine what else they are unwilling to budge on. Not to mention, broken windows theory is real, remove plastic waste from the streets like plastic bags and people will modify their behavior. >Apparently it's socially acceptable to look down on someone for using plastic bags I am not looking down on someone for using plastic bags, I am looking down on them for making really bad excuses for continuing to use plastic bags. It's literally a lack of effort.
- reitzensteinm 8y ago
  That's an unfounded assumption. They might simply be frustrated at politicians rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. I don't oppose banning plastic bags in a vacuum, but I think spending political capital to do so is insane. The vast majority of the waste comes from the products and packaging that go in to the bag, not the bag itself. So now the activity of shopping has essentially been greenwashed. I wouldn't be surprised if total consumption actually increased as a result, because it reduces the guilt one feels. You didn't reply to my list.
  - bluntfang 8y ago
    >greenwashed lol? so you consider using your own bags instead of plastic bags greenwashing? and as to that list, i don't think this strawman needs attention. The issue we are talking about here is using plastic bags, if you want to start a different discussion on these things, feel free to dm me.
    - reitzensteinm 8y ago
      Yes, I do. By using reusable bags instead of disposable plastic bags, you might have reduced the environmental impact of your shop by a tenth of a percent. But you'll get a hit of dopamine for having done your bit, even though you actually haven't done shit. You are the one strawmanning. You decided that OP is completely unwilling to make sacrifices to benefit the environment merely because he is resisting making an insignificant, feel good change. Based on this you jumped around the thread harassing him or her. I then followed your line of argument and asked you if you personally had actually made a sacrifice for the sake of the environment, or are we just condemning OP based on a theoretical here. Frankly, if conservation is important to you, you're being a poor ambassador for the cause.
      - bluntfang 8y ago
        we have to start somewhere. if we're unwilling to even budge on small things like carrying your own bag, do you think we're going to be able to stomach the large scale changes? There are things I can control and there are things I can't. I can't control how much fossil fuels are used when flying a commercial airline. But if everyone makes daily changes in their lives, we can force the capitalists to make larger impact changes by sheer lifestyle. THIS IS A TEAM EFFORT and you're on the team that loses the earth.

Rudneudnru 8y ago

>Do you own a car? Have you flown in the last year? Do you eat out or get food delivered to you? How often do you get a new laptop? Do you use air conditioning? No, no, yes, not in more than ten years, no. Not really that hard.

reitzensteinm 8y ago
You do realize saying yes to a single one is enough to absolutely dwarf plastic bag use, right?

bluntfang 8y ago

>You're being awfully high and mighty jumping around this thread to criticize what is, on the scale of typical human consumption, really quite minor. It may be minor, but if OP is complaining about things as simple as "I don't know when I go to the store, so I MUST use plastic bags", then imagine what else they are unwilling to budge on. Not to mention, broken windows theory is real, remove plastic waste from the streets like plastic bags and people will modify their behavior. >Apparently it's socially acceptable to look down on someone for using plastic bags I am not looking down on someone for using plastic bags, I am looking down on them for making really bad excuses for continuing to use plastic bags. It's literally a lack of effort.

reitzensteinm 8y ago
That's an unfounded assumption. They might simply be frustrated at politicians rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. I don't oppose banning plastic bags in a vacuum, but I think spending political capital to do so is insane. The vast majority of the waste comes from the products and packaging that go in to the bag, not the bag itself. So now the activity of shopping has essentially been greenwashed. I wouldn't be surprised if total consumption actually increased as a result, because it reduces the guilt one feels. You didn't reply to my list.
- bluntfang 8y ago
  >greenwashed lol? so you consider using your own bags instead of plastic bags greenwashing? and as to that list, i don't think this strawman needs attention. The issue we are talking about here is using plastic bags, if you want to start a different discussion on these things, feel free to dm me.
  - reitzensteinm 8y ago
    Yes, I do. By using reusable bags instead of disposable plastic bags, you might have reduced the environmental impact of your shop by a tenth of a percent. But you'll get a hit of dopamine for having done your bit, even though you actually haven't done shit. You are the one strawmanning. You decided that OP is completely unwilling to make sacrifices to benefit the environment merely because he is resisting making an insignificant, feel good change. Based on this you jumped around the thread harassing him or her. I then followed your line of argument and asked you if you personally had actually made a sacrifice for the sake of the environment, or are we just condemning OP based on a theoretical here. Frankly, if conservation is important to you, you're being a poor ambassador for the cause.
    - bluntfang 8y ago
      we have to start somewhere. if we're unwilling to even budge on small things like carrying your own bag, do you think we're going to be able to stomach the large scale changes? There are things I can control and there are things I can't. I can't control how much fossil fuels are used when flying a commercial airline. But if everyone makes daily changes in their lives, we can force the capitalists to make larger impact changes by sheer lifestyle. THIS IS A TEAM EFFORT and you're on the team that loses the earth.