4 ms·
What a weird ass article. Starts off innocent enough talking about how it turns out recycling plastic isn't that effective, but ends up being a way to launder t
by Tiktaalik 4y ago
What a weird ass article. Starts off innocent enough talking about how it turns out recycling plastic isn't that effective, but ends up being a way to launder the author's frankly bizarre crank viewpoints.
But why demonize plastic? Why ban products that are cheaper, sturdier, lighter, cleaner, healthier, and better for the environment? One reason: the plastic scare helps Greenpeace activists raise money and keep their jobs. Environmentalists need something to replace their failed recycling campaign.
But there’s more to it than just financial self-interest. The best explanation I’ve come up with is that plastic bans are a revival of the sumptuary laws formerly imposed on the lower classes by monarchs, nobles, and clergy.
The dull reality is that even though recycling isn't effective, disposable plastic is bad, as it ends up in the oceans and kills wildlife and it takes forever to break down (if ever?). Obviously this would lead some people to be alarmed and to try to think of a way to limit this very real problem.
Everyone involved here in pushing for recycling is well intentioned if unfortunately apparently misguided, but it takes time and study for people to discover that proposed solutions are actually ineffective.
- starkd 4y agoThe US has been recycling for a good 30 years now. How much more time should it take? At some point, you have to question why we are separating our garbage when it all winds up in the same place anyway. Is it just a ritual to make us feel better? the article's conclusions are only logical.
- bediger4000 4y agoYes, it is just such a ritual. It makes consumers feel good so that corporations don't have to work so hard at reducing their waste. This is deliberate, I believe.
- jfengel 4y agoThat's city-journal for you. It's a right-wing blog. It's not even really so much support for right-wing causes, but hating left-wing causes. They don't care about recycling one way or the other. They care about painting Greenpeace as stupid.