3 ms·
I don't know what sociologists & psychologists would say, but I think the group action problem continues to be a big hurdle. There is a tremendous variety of ch
by ip26 6y ago
I don't know what sociologists & psychologists would say, but I think the group action problem continues to be a big hurdle. There is a tremendous variety of changes I & my spouse would be willing to make, costs we would be willing to pay- except if only we do it, it makes not one iota of difference. (Our compromise has been that we focus our efforts on positive changes that also save us money, like insulation, efficiency, shade, biking, etc)
Frankly it's also currently a lot of work to constantly make all the "right" choices. Taking the "right" actions would be significantly easier with a stronger "systems" solution. For example, a carbon tax or neonicotinoid ban would instantly make it zero-effort to buy low-carbon or bee-friendly.
Consumer-choice oriented campaigns like the Rainforest Alliance et al are absolutely well intentioned but the message of saving the world through our purchasing decisions may have indirectly disenfranchised our capacity for collective action.
- pjerem 6y agoDon’t think about doing the « right » thing. Thinking like this is extremism. What is important is acquiring the knowledge of your impacts. Once you decide to acquire this knowledge, there is no more « right » or « wrong » way to act. There is only « reasonable », « unreasonable », « exceptional », « I don’t know let’s check this I’m curious ». You have the right to make the wrong choices as long as you are able to accept you were wrong. What I like with this approach, is that it’s not self-flagellation anymore, it’s the joy of understanding the beautiful and complex world we live in. You are not thinking about what the others do, you are just working towards being a better human. And this is easily transmissible around you without proselytism.