• carlossurf@lemmy.ca
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    2 months ago

    Fuck the billionaires that do that, but that doesn’t mean that me using a straw isnt still making the shit worse. At least I can sleep at night knowing I am not making the situation worse, and I will still try to vote for politicians that are fighting against the billionaires

    • TipsyMcGee@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 months ago

      The normalization of needless single use products, like straws, by making them non plastic DOES make things worse. It delays real action, like removing straws altogether.

      It’s greenwashing inherently unsustainable practices, just like introducing carbon capture technology on oil rigs or hyping electric cars as a way to keep the auto industry going (while suppressing more efficient means of transportation).

      If we’re not going to fix shit, then why the fuck bother with mushy straws.

    • Snowclone@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      It’s replacing real action in place of a good feeling. It’s THE plan to not do anything effective.

    • survirtual@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Sorry, but I am confiscating your moral license if the straw you use is justification.

      The straw you use does nothing but make you feel better, which I would argue is harmful. You shouldn’t feel better for doing nothing when such large problems exist.

      Your use of the right straw is akin to you killing a single invasive ant in a rain forest, and saying you did your part to remove the invasive colony. You then spend every opportunity talking about how you killed that single ant, all while the ants have already multiplied and utterly nullified your non-effort contribution.

      Shipping barges, data centers, meat production, gas and coal burning are all many orders of magnitudes greater problems than what straw you use. Gas, coal, and fossil fuel use is over 70% of all emissions, so that should be the primary conversation. In addition, these are all growing in use. Talk about that. Put your attention and action towards that.

      • jagungal@aussie.zone
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        2 months ago

        The straw is a metaphor for doing what you can in your own world no matter how small, not the absolute culmination of all the good that we’ve done.

        • survirtual@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          We can all do much more than straws.

          Edit: let me rephrase this. Unless you are a billionaire, there is nothing you can do individually that matters. The problem requires banding together and holding these people accountable. This requires honest communication so people at least understand what the real problem is.

          Given we are barely at the honest communication stage and ignorance is running rampant, and that we have a fast approaching deadline before nothing we do will work, I do not have much optimism for the survival of our species.