3 ms·

> Essentially it amounts to "we shouldn't do anything about climate change because someone somewhere is worse than I am" I did not read it that way. I read it

> Essentially it amounts to "we shouldn't do anything about climate change because someone somewhere is worse than I am" I did not read it that way. I read it as: The entrenched political/upper classes who push policies like banning plastic straws are content to push feel-good policies when they affect the "regular" people but are unwilling to be inconvenienced themselves. Taylor Swift's 30-minute private jet ride is just a recent high-profile example. We're all supposed to make sacrifices, right? I'm not an expert but it seems to me that in a world where things are so bad that we've needed to ban the use of plastic straws it's fair game to point out that the entrenched political/upper classes has a habit of spewing more carbon into the atmosphere in a single day than most people will their entire lifetimes, for the sake of _convenience_ (private jets). It's not like Swift was hand delivering heart and kidneys to someone who needed a transplant or anything. If the only way for [insert person] to get to [insert event] is to hop on a private jet then maybe that person should take long look at whether or not they could attend remotely or watch the event on TV. We're all in this together, right?

ryandrake 3y ago
> The entrenched political/upper classes who push policies like banning plastic straws are content to push feel-good policies when they affect the "regular" people but are unwilling to be inconvenienced themselves. Taylor Swift's 30-minute private jet ride is just a recent high-profile example. But Taylor Swift is not a lawmaker and is not herself banning plastic straws. If this was about policy, the point would be better made by pointing out actual politicians who support plastic straw bans flying in private jets. And people do point these out, with the yearly "LOL Private Jets To Davos" memes.
- lp0_on_fire 3y ago
  Taylor Swift may not a lawmaker but she publicly supports and endorses politicians who are pushing those policies. She also has the money to adopt whatever lifestyle she wants without worrying about consequences, yet chooses to do things like take a 30 minute flight on a private jet instead of using an electric vehicle, or a fleet of electric vehicles if you count her staff/bodyguards. It's not like she has a boss who is telling her when and where to be - she makes her own schedule. I don't blame her (or others in her position) for enjoying their success, but I do think that people who are in a position like that have a responsibility to practice what they preach (or support politically). substitute Swift for Musk or Kerry or whoever - the argument is the same.

ryandrake 3y ago

> The entrenched political/upper classes who push policies like banning plastic straws are content to push feel-good policies when they affect the "regular" people but are unwilling to be inconvenienced themselves. Taylor Swift's 30-minute private jet ride is just a recent high-profile example. But Taylor Swift is not a lawmaker and is not herself banning plastic straws. If this was about policy, the point would be better made by pointing out actual politicians who support plastic straw bans flying in private jets. And people do point these out, with the yearly "LOL Private Jets To Davos" memes.

lp0_on_fire 3y ago
Taylor Swift may not a lawmaker but she publicly supports and endorses politicians who are pushing those policies. She also has the money to adopt whatever lifestyle she wants without worrying about consequences, yet chooses to do things like take a 30 minute flight on a private jet instead of using an electric vehicle, or a fleet of electric vehicles if you count her staff/bodyguards. It's not like she has a boss who is telling her when and where to be - she makes her own schedule. I don't blame her (or others in her position) for enjoying their success, but I do think that people who are in a position like that have a responsibility to practice what they preach (or support politically). substitute Swift for Musk or Kerry or whoever - the argument is the same.