We make choices every day. I have chosen to have a glass of wine this evening. I choose to not use plastic any more than necessary. Some people choose to use single-use bottles, plastic throw-away bags. It's a choice, right? I choose my thing, they choose theirs. We all go our own way, right?
Wrong. When someone's choice is to the detriment of the rest of us, it is no longer just their right to go their merry way, is it? If someone is choosing to waste water, that hurts us all, does it not? Can we not call out those people on their choices?
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Do we need government to legislate plastic bag use? Yes, because we do not make the choice to NOT use them. Apparently, we must be forced to give them up. Is that right, fair? It is what it is. People do not stop to think, to make a small choice. Could the 3-5 minutes I stood there puzzling over something as insignificant as to ranch or not to ranch have been better spent otherwise? Sure. Would it have killed the planet for me to buy that ranch. No. Could I have eventually found some in a glass jar in another area of the store? Probably. but I was over it. I survived not having ranch. LOTS of our choices, IF we stopped to make them, would be just like that. Maybe not monumental, maybe completely insignificant, but... maybe not.
It's all about the choices. Let's start making some, shall we?
I have to say, I have mixed feelings on this one. I know exactly what you are trying to get at. On issues like plastic bags and bottles, it would be great to see the government to step in and force everyone to change. But then where would it end? First they remove our choice about which bags we choose, okay, great... But what's next? Maybe make books illegal, they waste paper - and put millions of book stores out of business... Or what about forcing women to start using cloth and reusable personal products, that would save MILLIONS of pounds of waste and toxins... What about forcing parents to use cloth diapers... Again, MILLIONS of pounds of waste and toxins... But do we really want the Government to have that kind of control? Personally, I do my best never to use plastics, or just about anything else that's disposable... But I wouldn't want the government forcing me to make those choices either. Instead I would rather see them better educating people and making alternatives and proper disposal more readily available...
ReplyDeleteSabrina, that is a good point. But what it the alternative? If not for the government stepping in at times, people would do a lot of things that are harmful to the rest of us.
DeleteThere are no easy answers. I just know a vast swath of people refuse to do the right thing unless laws are put in place. Do I wish it could be different? Of course.
You know... I have issues about this whole concept of "government taking away our freedoms." Here's the deal, "government" isn't some nebulous boogeyman out there just trying to control us all... the government is us. We elect representatives, they "do the will of the people" at least in theory that's how it's supposed to work.
DeleteFree enterprise, on the other hand is accountable to no one and nothing except the bottom line. The whole point of the much maligned government regulation is not to control the people, rather it's to protect us from the blind ravages of corporate self-interest.
It's not that I think we should just go around regulating things for the sake of regulating them, but as far as I'm concerned we've all been sold a bill of goods by the giant corporate PR machine. It's like everybody's afraid of some fictitious government control monster, all the while we're just happy as clams to hand over our air, our water, our land, our money, our freedom and our lives to these corporations who really, truly do NOT care about what's in our best interest at all.
You're concerned about "being forced" to use non-disposable items? Well, I'm concerned about being forced to breathe poisoned air, and drink poisoned water, and eat poisoned food grown on poisoned land. Somehow, I just don't think that one man's "right" to convenience should trump everyone else's right to things like clean air, water and food.
"Proper disposal" is a myth... you can't throw anything away because there is no "away".
Sorry to rant, but I get really sick of hearing how my right to a healthy life is less important than someone else's right to pollute.
AGAIN, you NAILED it. For instance, I KNOW my step-daughter is going to use plastic diapers on her kid, because she flat-out said she won't be bothered to deal with the trouble of cotton reusable. So... the convenience of others trumps MY right to a clean planet? I don't think so. Oooo - new topic. Mwahahahah.
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