There was a finding that all males have microplastic particles in our testes.
It became a meme.
Everybody laughed.
New meme overtakes old meme.
We forget about our plastic testes and move on.
But, is there any issues going forward, that anyone is aware of?
Probably fertility. It’s almost certain that the decreased average sperm count is related to microplastics. It’s less clear if it’s related to our elevated rate of prostate cancer, but I’m cool with blaming big oil for that, too.
Or the lack of exercise. Or the lack of zinc. Or the obesity epidemic.
No not the obesity! You are hurting the slop gobbling agenda!
You don’t want to run afoul of big slop
Death to big slop.
But I like Big Slop…
Think of the profits corporations will be able to make curing the impacts of this!
Can something be done? Possibly, who knows?
Will something be done? I wouldn’t hold my breath.
This isn’t the only potentially human civilization-ending event I first heard about this past month, and that doesn’t include climate change that we’ve known about for literally decades, which many of the major players involved including the USA and China still don’t seem to care much about even now.
There is a saying: “put your money where your mouth is”, meaning that if people want to truly “care” about something - e.g. to be Pro-Life - then we need to actually get up off the couch and do something about what we otherwise claim to but don’t really care. For instance we could… I dunno, wear masks when we feel the slightest hint of a respiratory illness coming on - cheap, trivially easy, and can save literal lives. And not to trivialize this, some people truly do care - even as I type this I’m listening to a livestream talking about restoration taking much more effort but yielding much greater results than merely shaming people by pointing out something bad.
However, and a bit ironically, Big Tobacco and Big Oil and Big Sugar and Big Tech and Big Plastic etc. all do this, investing great efforts into stopping efforts to try to stop them. Without equal or greater efforts in opposition… well, like I said, I would not hold my breath.
which many of the major players involved including the USA and China still don’t seem to care much about even now.
Thanks for sharing the link - TIL something!:-)
without a matching drop in emissions, any country/business who participates in “green energy” is just doing propaganda
I would hardly call creating measured plans then executing the key steps towards making a stable jump to green energy propaganda, unless you’re of the mind that risking severe damage an entire country’s energy grid and in turn threatening possibly the lives of millions in premature actions is much more preferable. But I’m sure you’re smarter than advocating for that
I’m just saying that creating green energy sources is not sufficient evidence that someone actually cares about climate change issues unless it has results
Is having lots more green energy not a result?
only if america does it
If you were pointing at literally any of the western nations I would agree, especially with regards to their naked hypocrisy in the fact that they’ve been further expanding their emmitive energy sources these past few years. But pointing out that China, while having large emissions due to both its large population and due to international Capital moving massive amounts of manufacturing to China over the past few decades, has not only been making its internationally promised goals towards decoupling from emmitive energy sources and switching to a green energy network but has been rapidly surpassing them to the point its leaving the entirety of the G7 nations in the dust.
The fact is that currently it is very difficult for China to lower its emissions as doing so effects not only its own country’s economic productivity but the productivity of nations around the world. We saw an economic slump during covid due to China’s anti-covid measures disrupting the production of commodities across all industries. Performing premature theatrical gestures would objectively harm more people than it would help, therefor holding such a criteria is ultimately idealistic and ethereally utopian in its logical process
alright that’s fair, i was being too bitter and critical, perfect shouldn’t be the enemy of good, and it certainly shouldn’t accuse good of being propaganda
This isn’t the only potentially human civilization-ending event I first heard about this past month, and that doesn’t include climate change that we’ve known about for literally decades, which many of the major players involved including the USA and China still don’t seem to care much about even now.
To be fair, every damn headline is framed as civilisation-ending for clicks. Nuclear war is the only one I can think of that’s both fairly plausible and could actually end it. Others are at various significant but lower levels of suck, or are just geologically rare.
In particular, climate change is going to suck hard, and I’ll miss coral reefs, but some form of civilisation will endure. I know, someone’s going to argue with me, and I look forward to making you move around the goalposts on what “end of civilisation” means.
Otherwise, yeah, you’re just right. Humanity runs on apathy.
Yeah, the increasing likelihood of Russia or China using nukes to get their way was what I was thinking, especially with talk that the Western nations might be giving Ukraine the go-ahead to use those weapons to strike within Russia itself.
The plastic sperm issue actually doesn’t sound so bad in comparison, bc fertilization treatments might work even if needing to extract outside of the body first. Overall, it still sounds less dangerous to me than e.g. a young woman living in Florida these days without access to money to leave the state for medical care.
I frankly have no idea what to expect about climate change at this point - we’ve blown far past all the targets and seem now to be in uncharted territory, according to what little I understand. I do notice far fewer birds, bees and other insect life, and I recall hearing how in the Antarctic a few months back there was a single day where the temperature spiked by +70 degrees F (~40°C). I can only imagine what that would do to e.g. Texas if it went from already 100 to then 170 degrees, even if only for a few hours. “Coral” is the least of the issue iirc, they were (by virtue of being sensitive) mainly indicators of the actual events, which we won’t know until we see it, but scientists are saying that it’s no bueno. Anyway, it seems like the changes could wipe out all mammalian life on the planet, but then again maybe not!?:-P i.e. it could be really bad, but it could be less so, we just don’t know, and as you said, we mostly barely care (“we” meaning voters, so chiefly Boomers & evangelical Christians, as Trump and the Republican party’s biggest bases).
And yet we seem to care a great deal about tHe EcOnOmY tHo - so it’s a choice of prioritization to pick what “matters” to us.
Yeah, I’ve noticed the lack of insects, and also different plants growing than I remember from when I was a kid, not all too long ago. Every once in a while I’ll be talking to someone about the weather and how freakish it is, and they’ll suddenly get quiet if I use the word “climate” instead of just weather, because they were (and maybe still are?) denialists.
The thing about mammals is that at least some - ourselves included - can migrate. If we have to, we’ll set up banana plantations on Antarctica, and there’s no known scenario where it gets that bad. Others are not so lucky, though.
Right, civilization might survive… maybe, possibly, hopefully, just like if we all were to play Russian Roulette. Still doesn’t sound like a smart idea to me to mess with something known to be so dangerous.
At the absolute minimum the changes will be cruel, and hundreds of thousands of people are already dying from each of many individual events like hurricanes outside of their normal seasons, at intensities never before seen in a particular area.
So my thought: at the very least we could care? Except I was wrong - we can go lower, so much lower. We do have the satisfaction though that whatever comes, we brought it upon ourselves.
It’s irreversible at this point and nothing you can do except hope it won’t affect your health.
It’s only fair that it’s happening to humans since we are destroying the planet.
It’s also happening to practically every other animal, and some of them were more sensitive to the effects before people.
it’s gonna keep looping through the foodchain until some microbe finally figures out an easy way to break them down… fun stuff.
Not mine. Mine so big, they got their own municipal recycling program.
unusually enlarged testes are a sign of cancer
I’m guessing it’s unknown. There’s microplastic in testes, and it’s not good for fertility. Getting that far probably required a lot of research. Understanding the mechanism and projecting it forwards will require way, way more.
Well perhaps the microplastics will reduce the overall fertility rate of the human population at large. Perhaps life itself will get so difficult for the average person, they’ll be discouraged from having babies, and perhaps only then will the worst effects of climate change will be narrowly averted…maybe.
One of the worst things you can do to the environment folks. Don’t bear children. Don’t invite another being into this madness and suffering.
One of the worst things you can do to the environment folks. Don’t bear children. Don’t invite another being into this madness and suffering.
As is continuing to live so why don’t you follow through on that line of thought here
Because I hold out hope that the living can change things. But only us, this generation, right now has that opportunity. Having children forces you to focus on raising them rather than fighting the good fight against climate change and the forces that keep it in place. Instead, I’d say your energy is better spent protesting loudly and relentlessly against the forces that enforce the status quo.
But hey, good luck trying to stay optimistic about that next generation not hating your guts as you raise them in an ever darkening world, if that’s the gamble you’d like to take.
Idk about you but I watched the sopranos senior year of high school, and the premise of that show is literally “the party’s over”. I still love my parents.
No one hates their parents for having them.
The idea that energy spent protesting or engaging with work to change our global system is premised on two plainly false underlying ideas, that more time spent will result in faster or broader change (or any change at all) and that people can’t do two things.
My parents had hobbies, one of my childhood friends parents was always out at some protest or other.
Theres obviously room to work towards a better society while also raising children.
Idk about you but I watched the sopranos senior year of high school, and the premise of that show is literally “the party’s over”.
Didn’t watch that show, but I’m assuming you mean “the party’s over” as in the world is already fucked. Fuck that noise, even if it were, then the question only is “how hard did you fight to leave this world better than you found it anyway?”
I still love my parents.
Good for you.
No one hates their parents for having them.
Hard disagree from my own experience. I’ve met plenty of people across different backgrounds who hate or resent their parents for bringing them into this world, and then gave some half hearted “Your generation will figure out climate change” schtick when confronted with the naive question, “Why aren’t we all doing something about it?” The hate and resentment comes when you realize they were selfish and weak. If they really wanted kids, why not adopt? Oh but MY genes. MY heritage is what matters. Why?
Why not fight the good fight and protest instead? Meh, it’s just easier to live a comfortable life today than fight for a better tomorrow I’ll never live to see. I’m still a good person! I raised a beautiful family of people who will likely make the same selfish decisions, but because I cared and looked after them and them alone, I swear, there’s no way you can question my goodness!
Again, fuck that, hell yes I can and should question that bullshit, and break the fucking cycle of selfish idiocy. Not having more kids is the absolute least I can do.
Theres obviously room to work towards a better society while also raising children.
You live a privileged life for being able to fantasize that that is he case for the majority of people. Most people make little to no money, and had they not had children, might look at their shitty circumstances and had enough time and willpower to take a chance and upend the systems that oppress them. Instead, out of fear for their children’s wellbeing, they bow their heads and accept increasingly shitty conditions, all the while praying that somehow life will magically be better for their children. No, you can’t exert the kind of political pressure necessary when there are many more sociological pressures to simply feed your kids. The kind of pressure needed to actually change things requires your undivided attention and an exorbitant amount of your time.
I saw it articulated as “the greenest thing anyone can do is not have kids.” Pretty cynical, but also true. Unfortunately, there tends to be a lot of overlap between truth and cynicism.
“Bad for the environment” means “Bad for us humans”, nature will take care of itself, just not in a human scale lifespan. So not populating because of the environment doesn’t make sense. Why have a better environment for humans if there are no humans? I’m not saying we don’t need to look after the environment, on the contrary, we need to better ourselves and the environment because otherwise we go extinct anyway.
You think only humans are affected by microplastics? You think it got into our blood streams and no other animals?
Oh no, I’m saying on a scale big enough micro plastics don’t matter. But you are missing my point, we DO need to take care of microplastics, because we want to repopulate… the poster I’m replying to is trying to convince us not to bear children. Edgy, but also quite stupid.
Your statement is exhibiting a narrow anthropocentric point of view. Obviously, human beings aren’t meant to be here forever. Just like any individual life form, we live for a moment and then die.
The question is not “how can we survive for the longest amount of time possible?”, it’s not even “how can I get the most out of my time living?”, it’s “what do I leave behind for those that remain?”
In the case of human beings as a species, our best selves are those that leave a positive impact on our environment, stewards of the Earth. But we obviously aren’t exhibiting our best selves.
“The Earth will be fine.” is a pointless statement akin to “The next generation will figure out this mess.” Both statements hand wave away the complicated problem that needs to be solved right the fuck now.
A better statement to ponder is the difficult question of “how do we leave this place better than we found it even if we do go extinct?” And on a more individual level, “what decisions and actions can we take to make sure the world is better off for those that will come after me?” Which then begs the follow up question, “What does a better world look like?”, and also “How can we get there?”
Whining about what you can’t do, or isn’t feasible in the paradigm that is modern civilization is pointless. You can’t have modern capitalism and leave the Earth a better place than it was before.
Very soon, something major will have to change sociopolitically and economically if we’re going to simply go extinct with dignity. Let alone preserve the climate for our children.
So first you say: Don’t bear children. And now you’re trying to counteract my point by saying: think of the children… I’m positive you didn’t even read beyond my first sentence. Cause I’m literally saying we need to get our shit together.
Then let’s go over your post, line by line.
“Bad for the environment” means “Bad for us humans”, nature will take care of itself, just not in a human scale lifespan. So not populating because of the environment doesn’t make sense.
That’s incorrect. Nature is an ambivalent unfeeling aspect of our reality. This is the hand waving comment I was referencing earlier. It amounts to “The Earth will be fine. Humans should only focus on the environment as much as it relates to humans.” I heavily disagree. Humans should focus on the environment to ensure that it remains in a state that sustains as much biodiversity and life for its own sake.
Why have a better environment for humans if there are no humans? I’m not saying we don’t need to look after the environment, on the contrary, we need to better ourselves and the environment because otherwise we go extinct anyway.
I believe I addressed this as well. This is anthropocentric thinking. “Human beings should only care about human beings” sort of thinking. My argument is that the fight for a “better environment”, as you put it, is not for the sake of preserving human beings, but rather for the sake of leaving the Earth in a state that is better for biodiversity as a whole, that is a better world period, whether human beings go extinct or not.
Ultimately I hold human beings to a higher standard than the average person. I believe we are beings capable of great compassion for other living beings on this Earth, but most seem to think we are little more than a thinking animal. I am less concerned with preserving human survival, and more concerned with the legacy humans leave once we are gone, even if there is not a soul to appreciate it, it is still worth doing in my opinion because I believe that is the pinnacle of what humans are capable of, i.e. Compassionate Selflessness.
Now let’s address your latest comment:
So first you say: Don’t bear children. And now you’re trying to counteract my point by saying: think of the children…
Not having children is thinking of the children. Just think about it. If I tell you that having children will make the environment worse, and encourage you to not have children. Ultimately those children that do end up being born in that world with less people in it will inherit a world with an environment under less strain from less human beings.
I’m positive you didn’t even read beyond my first sentence.
Well I did read your post, and I stand by my initial response.
Cause I’m literally saying we need to get our shit together.
On that we are in agreement. The point on which we differ is on whether advocating for not having children is reasonable. I’ve made my case on this point, and unless you have anything to elaborate on, I don’t see how you’ve made a reasonable argument to the contrary. But of course, feel free to respond.
And also, in response to your separate name calling:
Oh no, I’m saying on a scale big enough micro plastics don’t matter. But you are missing my point, we DO need to take care of microplastics, because we want to repopulate… the poster I’m replying to is trying to convince us not to bear children. Edgy, but also quite stupid.
Another hard disagree. The human population is far beyond what it can sustain without oil. Oil goes into our fertilizers, our medications, our daily used plastic packaged products, etc. Without oil, we would not be able to feed and sustain the population we have now, the majority of which live in relative squalor. And we WILL need to vastly cut back on our oil consumption to stabilize the climate. Depopulation will either be forced through mass starvation due to lack of oil and degradation of our environment, or will be chosen by those who opt out of having children.
Repopulation is something touted by the rich to ensure a continuous supply of wage/literal slaves and armies for future nation states to hold dominance. Depopulation will be necessary in order to ensure the survival not only of the human race but also the majority of the currently existing life on this planet, as well as ensuring that the quality of life for those that do live in such a world can be expected to be better than what we have today.
Edgy? Meh, your perspective. Stupid? Debate me.
Soon we will all be plastic. Its already in our food and water.
What i really think about is these are only the effects so far from the plastics that have started to break down from when plastics were created (smaller quantities). What happens when the plastics of today start to break down (larger quantities).
Kind of like the effects of oil (air pollution) being felt 30-50 years down the line.
Well we’ll find out soon enough 😂
Preliminary testes have suggested it will be an issue, but we need another few rounds of testes to be sure.
Please send any testes you have laying around to PO box 609 for testing.
For science!
Experiments in rats have found that once plastic is introduced to their environment, their ability to reproduce declines drdmstically. Genitalia are smaller, slerm rates lower. And the effect compounds and grows generation after generation, getting worse and worse so long as plastic is consumed.
Studies have also shown that human fertility (regarding actual physical ability to reproduce, not the choice of whether to do so) has dropped dramatically genetation on generation since the rise of plastics
^slerm
once plastic is introduced to their environment, their ability to reproduce declines drdmstically.
Their ability to communicate goes down too, apparently 😆
Plastic babies with poseable figures; you’ll be able to get them into any cool action pose for selfies!
We’ll just have to chew more.
There are microplastics in your testes perhaps. Not mine. I’m built different.
(incorrectly)
