Edit: I wanted to apologize after reading some of the comments. You raise some legitimate points, I realize that there is a subtle malthusian element to this chart and some of you feel like a burden already. Furthermore, you raise a good point about corporate pollution, oil companies, and how their footprint is much greater than average plebs like us.
That’s 100% valid and I don’t disagree with you at all. My “compromise” I guess would be that continue to apply pressure and protest against large corporations, but in terms of ourselves, just pick a few things you can cut down on yourself, it does not have to be everything on this list.
For example, I really prefer having animal products in my diet, but I am willing to live in a small apartment , car-free, and not go on vacation much in my adulthood. In the same way, you guys can pick what you are comfortable with in reducing and what you do not want to compromise on.
All of us have different standards of living and we are flexible on some things, and some things we are not flexible. That is alright, just consider changing what you are comfortable with, but please do not think you are a burden. Your presence and your life is valuable to me. I don’t like to demoralize people.
This argument always comes up. But corporations are no independent evil agents trying to destroy the world for the sake of it. They facilitate and produce what people want. So it does have to start with regular people because even though the onus should be on politics, history has shown that this is not working in a democracy.
The decisions politicians would have to make are hugely unpopular and would result in their opposition being voted in to undo those changes.
Not to mention the corruption that’s also a pretty big factor in all of this.
That’s a dumb take. “The corporations are only doing what we’re asking them to do so it’s all our fault”
No one wants modern packaging on kids toys, it’s annoying to deal with, makes tons of trash, and it’s designed to make kids want more junk toys at home. The only reason corporations do this is that they know colorful packaging and uselessly large boxes draw kids in more than a brown paper box with the name of the toy on it. It’s pure emotional manipulation of children, which already has (ineffective) laws to prevent it. The reason these laws are ineffective is corporate pressure in politics undermining the democratic desires of the population, because manipulating kids is profitable.
Nearly every product can be made in a manner that is more earth friendly and supports good labor practices. Corporations choose NOT to do these things because of profits not because it’s what we want to buy.
Even “what we want to buy” as a concept itself has been under assault by targeted ad campaigns for decades now such that it’s hard to separate consumer desires from corporate profit motives. Apple is a great example of this type of “lifestyle” brand.
I can’t believe ANYONE believes that “corporations are just a reflection of the material desires of society, so changing them won’t fix the real problem” what boot licking brown nosed bullshit.
Don’t simp for corporations.