almost all food comes packaged in plastic. is that my fault for buying food, or is it the fault of the corporations that started using that packaging? do I have a moral duty to starve to death if I think we should use less plastic? or is it more realistic that I continue to live and advocate that corporations change their packaging?
It isn’t your fault for trying to exist, his argument is comically flawed. He is blaming the people trying to survive for all of the corruption perpetrated by those in power.
Yes it is. If people didn’t buy things that are packaged in plastic, the companies won’t sell things packaged in plastic.
Alternatives are available right now, they just either a) cost more or b) take more time, or c) you would have to do without
By making the choice to go with the cheaper/easier option, and by doing so are giving them permission to keep doing it.
“BUT MAH COST OF LIVING” this isn’t a valid excuse for doing something you know is bad.
If the more environmentally friendly option was the cheapest, it would already be the default. You have to choose cheap or environmentally friendly, and accept the consequences of your choices.
Forcing companies to not use plastic packaging will not somehow make the same product available at the same price. They will raise prices because the alternative is going to cost them more or again… they would already be doing it. Those people would then “die” anyways as the prices rise.
Your logic is shit.
People can definitely continue to stay alive with less polluting personal choices, but choose not to every single day., I rarely see broke vegetarians for example, despite a true vegetarian diet (meat replacement products are expensive and do not count) being significantly cheaper than a meat based one and MASSIVELY more environmentally friendly.
I’m not here to argue. I think you’re conflating multiple things here. Vegetarianism is lower pollution yes, but it’s still delivered via truck or ship, it’s still usually plastic wrapped, etc. Pollution is systemically embedded in our entire society and economy, so blaming consumers is only blaming the smallest part of the problem.
If everyone in the world tomorrow stopped buying anything that was polluting… They’d probably starve to death. Our farms and logistics are simply not designed for this. It’s all been “optimised” for the lowest cost to companies and consumers both. The only solution is to start at the top and work your way down.
Let’s say you’re a company that sells food. You care about the environment so you switch everything to green. Electric trucks and ships. No plastic packaging. Your operating costs triple, and you fall behind all your competitors. Most customers don’t understand, don’t care, or cannot afford your more expensive products, especially in this economy. You go out of business. The only way to make it work is to reshape everything so that pollution is no longer an integral part of everything. I don’t know what that would look like though, I’m not that smart.
almost all food comes packaged in plastic. is that my fault for buying food, or is it the fault of the corporations that started using that packaging? do I have a moral duty to starve to death if I think we should use less plastic? or is it more realistic that I continue to live and advocate that corporations change their packaging?
It isn’t your fault for trying to exist, his argument is comically flawed. He is blaming the people trying to survive for all of the corruption perpetrated by those in power.
Yes it is. If people didn’t buy things that are packaged in plastic, the companies won’t sell things packaged in plastic.
Alternatives are available right now, they just either a) cost more or b) take more time, or c) you would have to do without
By making the choice to go with the cheaper/easier option, and by doing so are giving them permission to keep doing it.
“BUT MAH COST OF LIVING” this isn’t a valid excuse for doing something you know is bad.
If the more environmentally friendly option was the cheapest, it would already be the default. You have to choose cheap or environmentally friendly, and accept the consequences of your choices.
ok I see, so only poor people deserve to die. excellent point, I hadn’t considered that
Forcing companies to not use plastic packaging will not somehow make the same product available at the same price. They will raise prices because the alternative is going to cost them more or again… they would already be doing it. Those people would then “die” anyways as the prices rise.
Your logic is shit.
People can definitely continue to stay alive with less polluting personal choices, but choose not to every single day., I rarely see broke vegetarians for example, despite a true vegetarian diet (meat replacement products are expensive and do not count) being significantly cheaper than a meat based one and MASSIVELY more environmentally friendly.
I’m not here to argue. I think you’re conflating multiple things here. Vegetarianism is lower pollution yes, but it’s still delivered via truck or ship, it’s still usually plastic wrapped, etc. Pollution is systemically embedded in our entire society and economy, so blaming consumers is only blaming the smallest part of the problem.
If everyone in the world tomorrow stopped buying anything that was polluting… They’d probably starve to death. Our farms and logistics are simply not designed for this. It’s all been “optimised” for the lowest cost to companies and consumers both. The only solution is to start at the top and work your way down.
Let’s say you’re a company that sells food. You care about the environment so you switch everything to green. Electric trucks and ships. No plastic packaging. Your operating costs triple, and you fall behind all your competitors. Most customers don’t understand, don’t care, or cannot afford your more expensive products, especially in this economy. You go out of business. The only way to make it work is to reshape everything so that pollution is no longer an integral part of everything. I don’t know what that would look like though, I’m not that smart.
‘because the alternative is going to cost them more’
This is one of those things that you have to let go of. While it makes sense, it is not a guiding factor for corporate decisions.