Originally Posted by belsarius
The whole "what about them" argument is so bad faith, especially in regards to Greta who actually does try to follow what she preaches.
The problem is that we all still live in the world in 2021. There arn't a lot of carbon friendly options available and we need to make due with what we have. There is a lot of finger pointing at the advocates to practice what you preach, and you know what, who cares? Does it change the message? Greta isn't saying "you" the individual isn't doing enough, she is saying "you" the collective isn't doing enough.
We all have to drive internal combustion engines still, get our energy from burning fossil fuels and use products made with processes that release carbon. It is our current way of life, and it has to change. You need to use what's available now to further change in the future.
Does Greta own oil company stocks and makes her money while jet setting around? No? Because that would be hypocritical. Using the transportation methods at her disposal in our current world isn't being a hypocrite as much as you want it to be.
Its just a deflection from the real issues and attacking the messenger instead of listening to the message. We as a collective need to change, I don't feel shame for driving an ICE car, because an electric is unaffordable to me. Greta wants the countrys, the governments, the companies with the money and power to enact change, to do it, and its our job to put pressure on them to do it.
No one is saying you are a bad person for owning an iphone, or driving a car, or eating a burger. That's just people putting up a strawman to deflect from a message they don't want to hear. What is being said is that the world is tipping, we are in some deep ####, and the people causing the problem are the ones going to be hurt the least from it.
I'm not worried about food scarcity in Canada, but there are billions of others that will be seriously affected. While we sit with the highest carbon footprint per capita in the G7 and do nothing but offer platitudes, millions of people will die from the changing climate we are causing.
Greta is using her carbon footprint to get out there, to put pressure on changing the status quo, so that they are better options and she won't need to use the carbon she is now. If you take it as personal shame, fine thats your choice. But that's not the message. Force change in governments, make them act, stop buying high carbon intensive goods. If we all used what carbon footprint we have to force the issue like Greta does, we wouldn't even be having this discussion.
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