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I'm a "former young man" too. There is no age to be acting well or badly with regards to this debate, and there isn't even an absolute metric for how well or ba

by cmehdy 6y ago

I'm a "former young man" too. There is no age to be acting well or badly with regards to this debate, and there isn't even an absolute metric for how well or badly one does when it comes to the issue. But I know I don't need to change to a new smartphone every year, likewise for my laptop. I know the next time I get a smartphone (in years), I'll be much more likely to accept something of lesser polish for something which allows me to replace parts easily. I know that my beef consumption is not an essential part of my life in the sense that I'd die without it, it's an accessory of pure hedonism, and I still don't entirely avoid eating a good steak every once in a while but I put mental efforts into curbing such consumption. I keep in mind very strongly the strategy I want to adopt regarding the place I live in and the places I could work at, such that at equal levels of satisfaction I don't pigeon-hole myself into a place where a car would be an absolute necessity. Each person's strategy can change, but things to take into account include access to public transportation, remote work even partially, only partly using a car along the way if really necessary, and so on. I'm keenly aware of the amount of plastic packaging around me and whenever I can I will prefer avoiding such products. Likewise for anything that can be refilled: do you really need to buy the same container for your detergent over and over again? Why not refill it if you can? etc. I keep in mind all those issues when the time comes to vote, and in my own way strive to encourage this sort of awareness in the people supposed to represent me. - The list is entirely dependent on each person, but you can only start to make that list and to think constructively if you acknowledge the problem and leave aside nihilism and apathy. I don't want kids, but that doesn't prevent me from having the awareness that the things I do (or don't do) can and will hurt other people's kids. Using my age as an excuse to not give a crap is disingenuous. Using the observation that others aren't pulling their weight either is disingenuous. I can't force others to do something but I can change what I do.

camjohnson26 6y ago
This post misses the point of what it’s replying to. Parent comment admitted that individuals can live responsibly, but that the bigger problem is a cycle where each generation protects its own lifestyle and blames the older people for what they’ll one day do themselves.
- cmehdy 6y ago
  And you're missing the fact that what the current generations in power are doing is not sustainable in the sense that regardless of what young generations do right now, they DEFINITELY won't be having the lifestyle that we're having today. It doesn't matter what their kids end up blaming on them afterwards, we won't be there to see it. The defeatist attitudes about the now are cop-outs though, because WE are living in the now.
paulryanrogers 6y ago
Doubtful that individual action will be enough. It didn't stop littering or racism. There must be collective action.
nradov 6y ago
There is zero chance that future cell phones will be easier to repair.
- cmehdy 6y ago
  That depends on what you mean by "cell phones": all of them? Some of them? Because Fairphone[0] is 7 years old and is proving you wrong, showing that AFTER the advent of smartphones a company emerged to drive things in the other direction. And they could very well be only one amongst many as people change their attitudes. That, by the way, is how you act at your own level. [0] https://www.fairphone.com/en/ https://www.fairphone.com/en/
  - eecc 6y ago
    Uh, there is exactly 1 Fairphone out of an entire market of un-repairable, sold already obsolete, throwaway models. While cute, it’s just a token gesture
    - cmehdy 6y ago
      You're telling me there is "zero chances that future cell phone swill be easier to repair", I just proved you wrong. If you don't want to put your money where your mouth is (or if your mouth isn't there anyway) that's an entirely different debate about your pessimism. And cute is a subjective word that has no place there.
      - eecc 6y ago
        No, I’m just putting your statements into context: a 0. market share product makes for nice Wired covers, but not much more unless you use it as a feasibility study to lobby for governmental regulations. But I’m a bit fatigued by grandiose hot takes, let’s just leave it here
eecc 6y ago
> I know that my beef consumption is not an essential part of my life in the sense that I'd die without it, it's an accessory of pure hedonism, and I still don't entirely avoid eating a good steak every once in a while but I put mental efforts into curbing such consumption. Also because, let’s be honest... you can’t really find proper a proper stake in any supermarket let alone do it justice without the right kitchen equipment. It’s better to let a professional do their work than to attempt a sad re-enactment with cheap, mass produced ingredients

by cmehdy 6y ago

camjohnson26 6y ago

This post misses the point of what it’s replying to. Parent comment admitted that individuals can live responsibly, but that the bigger problem is a cycle where each generation protects its own lifestyle and blames the older people for what they’ll one day do themselves.

cmehdy 6y ago
And you're missing the fact that what the current generations in power are doing is not sustainable in the sense that regardless of what young generations do right now, they DEFINITELY won't be having the lifestyle that we're having today. It doesn't matter what their kids end up blaming on them afterwards, we won't be there to see it. The defeatist attitudes about the now are cop-outs though, because WE are living in the now.

paulryanrogers 6y ago

Doubtful that individual action will be enough. It didn't stop littering or racism. There must be collective action.

nradov 6y ago

There is zero chance that future cell phones will be easier to repair.

cmehdy 6y ago
That depends on what you mean by "cell phones": all of them? Some of them? Because Fairphone[0] is 7 years old and is proving you wrong, showing that AFTER the advent of smartphones a company emerged to drive things in the other direction. And they could very well be only one amongst many as people change their attitudes. That, by the way, is how you act at your own level. [0] https://www.fairphone.com/en/ https://www.fairphone.com/en/
- eecc 6y ago
  Uh, there is exactly 1 Fairphone out of an entire market of un-repairable, sold already obsolete, throwaway models. While cute, it’s just a token gesture
  - cmehdy 6y ago
    You're telling me there is "zero chances that future cell phone swill be easier to repair", I just proved you wrong. If you don't want to put your money where your mouth is (or if your mouth isn't there anyway) that's an entirely different debate about your pessimism. And cute is a subjective word that has no place there.
    - eecc 6y ago
      No, I’m just putting your statements into context: a 0. market share product makes for nice Wired covers, but not much more unless you use it as a feasibility study to lobby for governmental regulations. But I’m a bit fatigued by grandiose hot takes, let’s just leave it here

eecc 6y ago

> I know that my beef consumption is not an essential part of my life in the sense that I'd die without it, it's an accessory of pure hedonism, and I still don't entirely avoid eating a good steak every once in a while but I put mental efforts into curbing such consumption. Also because, let’s be honest... you can’t really find proper a proper stake in any supermarket let alone do it justice without the right kitchen equipment. It’s better to let a professional do their work than to attempt a sad re-enactment with cheap, mass produced ingredients