Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.
(Adding my soap box here, not disagreeing with what you said)
Vote with your wallet and habits (and your vote). With the exception of maybe AI, most of those things are produced by the companies because people want them. They’re not just doing it for fun. I realize many of those things are essentials that you can’t readily decline in our society which is where the government regulation would ideally kick in. (And if it doesn’t we should hold our leaders accountable)
I know that individual responsibility is a corporate defection to avoid corporate responsibility but the other extreme of no personal accountability (“10 companies account for 90% of emissions, it’s their fault!”) isn’t exactly the correct stance either. We should all work to minimize our impacts, make green choices when mildly more inconvenient green alternatives exist. If companies can’t make money polluting they will adapt. And if we foster a social environment where it’s socially commendable to make those personal choices then the ecological awareness of the average voter goes up and the political situation gets better faster.
Except that when companies can’t make money they adapt by buying politicians to mandate use of their dirty product and outlawing alternatives. Voting with your wallet only goes so far, whereas taking out one CEO has managed to affect the behavior of an entire class. Imagine if they were hunted at the rate of american schoolkids.
(Adding my soap box here, not disagreeing with what you said)
Vote with your wallet and habits (and your vote). With the exception of maybe AI, most of those things are produced by the companies because people want them. They’re not just doing it for fun. I realize many of those things are essentials that you can’t readily decline in our society which is where the government regulation would ideally kick in. (And if it doesn’t we should hold our leaders accountable)
I know that individual responsibility is a corporate defection to avoid corporate responsibility but the other extreme of no personal accountability (“10 companies account for 90% of emissions, it’s their fault!”) isn’t exactly the correct stance either. We should all work to minimize our impacts, make green choices when mildly more inconvenient green alternatives exist. If companies can’t make money polluting they will adapt. And if we foster a social environment where it’s socially commendable to make those personal choices then the ecological awareness of the average voter goes up and the political situation gets better faster.
Except that when companies can’t make money they adapt by buying politicians to mandate use of their dirty product and outlawing alternatives. Voting with your wallet only goes so far, whereas taking out one CEO has managed to affect the behavior of an entire class. Imagine if they were hunted at the rate of american schoolkids.