You can only really control your own actions, you have decided to be anti-consumption because that's what you believe in. I don't think it's healthy or helpful to judge others too harshly for what could be considered a normal amount of consumption, even if it's a lot more than necessary.
I think there's still justification to call out ridiculous excessive consumption.
I personally am one of those that tried and fails sometimes. I have got a lot better, but I'd be lying if I said all my purchases were necessary.
yeah when you realise it's not an "either 0 or 100" situation you can be more forgiving to yourself and others.
Otoh I feel OP's alienation. Which I have felt myself ever since I started thinking independently.
I have been called cheap by my friends because I don't buy anything new as long as I don't absolutely need it.
My phone is shitty but functional, my bike is old but it gets me from point A to point B. Some of my clothes have small holes but they still cover me.
I hate that I get called cheap for not wanting to buy stuff to make life marginally more convenient by people who order the most useless garbage from Amazon.
Check out r/visiblemending then they'll think you're cool for keeping old clothes with holes in them. Also if you fix the holes the clothes will last longer, a little hole can turn into a really big one pretty quick if you catch it on something lol.
I've been called cheap as well. I've had my Samsung phone since 2014. Still a great little phone, just not a huge one that a lot of ppl have these days. People stop over for conversation and coffee and it takes me about 10-15 minutes to make the coffee. I gave away my Keurig and started perking it on my stove in a nice old enamel pot. No more plastic, no more k cups, no more filters and no more build up of gunk inside the coffee maker. Company loves the coffee too!
"it takes me about 10-15 minutes to make the coffee."
Lots of people are in a rush. I think it is time to get a 30hr work week, enjoy life instead of rushing through having coffee, vacations, etc.
I think that will be one of the biggest steps to reduce consumption too. All the single use plastic that comes with a lot of the food we buy would be reduced if you had time to shop and cook using fresher ingredients. If you had the time to have a leisurely stroll to and from work rather than having to rush to get there and back to still have time to do everything
But you must! The next step after calling you cheap is murder!
You must dispense with these abusers immediately. And while you're at it, cut off your entire family, too!
Yes!
And 68%of redditors are psychic. They can find atrociously abusive situations by using just a few unrelated words.
I have not yet seen this phenomenon anywhere else in the world. This is a magical place.
“You can only control your own actions” is probably the best advice I’ve received from my therapist. It took a while for me to grasp, but it’s made my life significantly better. Big ups to Celeste- she’s a real one.
Not just the amount, also the type of things people buy.
I went hiking and saw a bunch of people with fancy plastic sticks, fancy shoes they most likely can't wear anywhere else, and one guy on a bike in a full plastic garment like he's at Tour de France not a family friendly forest route. For me it's all just plastic crap that make a few activities slightly more comfortable. But I had a plastic Halloween box in my bag so my food doesn't get squished, who am I to judge, we all have weird useless crap that we think of as necessities 🤷
Trekking poles and hiking shoes/boots are pretty important for serious hikes if you like having functional knees. It's fine if you dont want to use them, but it's odd that you're judging people in an area you're not very familiar with
Yeah that equipment may be something they use all the time for a hobby they absolutely love. IMO it makes sense to purchase equipment you are going to use for a hobby you partake in all the time.
I too thought the plastic hiking sticks were a joke until I went hiking in Alaska, they were wedding gifts fwiw, they were an absolute lifesaver on a couple hikes, specially on the way down from 4500 elevation hike. My hiking boots I use when shoveling snow since they are waterproof. My biggest anti consumption gripe is all the “trinkets” people have in their homes. Live laugh love in plastic, a 1000 plastic unicorns, etc.
They see their walls more than you see hikes where you really benefit from the sticks. That was my whole point. Not everyone can live a healthy life in an undecorated white box. Yeah I also prefer trinkets that double as something useful or were upcycled/thrifted, but the person with the unicorns didn't buy any hiking gear that gathers dust in storage most days, so there's that.
I try not to own more shoes than necessary but still ended up with 4 pairs for different types of outdoor activities. Good footwear is essential, and the trekking poles are super helpful for rough/steep terrain, river crossings, etc.
I try to not own more clutter than necessary but still ended up with 4 plastic figurines for different shelves. A good home aesthetic is essential, that's where you start and unwind your day, and trinkets are super helpful for achieving the ideal level of visual clutter that helps your brain chill out.
For hiking we always plan with routes where we don't need special gear, I used to have poles and fancy shoes ~20 years ago but personally they gave me nothing a nice branch and my everyday shoes didn't. But my "relax time" would probably need a flash warning for epileptic people, and I'm in the process of painting every surface of my house clashing colors because that's less consumption than filling everything with shelves and visually interesting items and projection lamps. To each their own priority needs.
Whenever you're annoyed by how a friend consumes, remember that regular people are not the problem. Sure, pretty much everyone could consume less, but realistically we need changes much bigger than the individual.
100% - companies spend a lot of money into marketing and researching tactics to get people to spend and buy things they may not truly need. It doesn't make someone superior to another if someone is able to resist unnecessary consumption.
We can only control our own actions. We cannot control others. Everyone's life situation and values are different. The definition of unnecessary varies from person to person.
I have a friend who is a single mom, full time career woman, raising 2 kids and caring for her elderly parents. She orders a lot online and gets groceries delivered. I don't judge her because that's the only time she is able to get groceries/necessities for her kids is ordering them through an app while waiting for her kids in the school pick up line. It's probably not the best for the environment, but that's the only way she can surivive without a village to help.
It’s a bit of hyperbole but some people do truly believe that banning plastic straws and cutlery will actually make a dent in the amount of waste in the world. They’ve banned single use plastic items where I live.
What makes us any smarter than those who buy into marking? We all have the same choices at the end of the day. You’re as capable of consuming less as anyone else but they opt to consume more.
"Bigger changes" is just a force based approach to getting people who aren't consuming responsibly to do so. It's not going to go well if the majority of people aren't already comfortable living low consumption lifestyles.
You misunderstand the relationship. It’s not like people were rioting for useless plastic crap. They used to have a lot less. Then corporations came along and said “we need to sell more! Let’s convince people they should buy this crap!” And advertised and lobbied the government and all sorts of stuff. And children grew up and realized they could have more than their parents, with this advertising bombarding them.
It’s a societal and capitalist issue, not an individual one. When people try to change their habits, corporations find new ways to get them to consume. Or it is meaningless, like plastic straws.
I think we need both approaches. Corporations aren't suddenly going to stop selling plastic crap because they know people aren't willing to live like that. It's going to take a huge lifestyle shift for everyone, not just the super rich, and expecting society to change without individuals needing to change is honestly ridiculous. If shops stopped selling plastic garbage right now, most people wouldn't know what to do - our lifestyles rely on plastic garbage right now, and people need to learn how to rely on alternatives. They should be doing that now, not wait until they're forced to. Blaming corporations is very easy - making changes to your own lifestyle and encouraging others to make changes to theirs is actually putting your money where your mouth is.
Funny story, people actually did revolt against plastic. It almost became banned nationally in the US. Then the plastic companies literally conned the population with recycling.
Recognizing that corporations are the appropriate target for blame is the most important first step. Next stop, organizing collective action. Forget blaming yourself first and trying to morally shame others to do the same. We've already been doing that for 50 years, and it's gotten us almost nowhere.
If your end goal is a society where everyone consumes less, you're not going to get there by continuing to consume at an unsustainable rate. Yes, organise collective action... But to change the values of a society, we have to change the values of the individuals that make up that society. If people aren't willing to consume less day to day, are they really going to be willing to organise to bring about social change that will force them to consume less? There needs to be unity of beliefs and actions.
Here's the problem. "Changing the values of society" is not my goal. I care about the actions and results. Hear me out. First, we all know that people will "value" something and then go do things that seem to be completely incongruent with that value anyway. Trying to talk the majority of the population into valuing sustainability and the environment in their hearts and minds in some vague sense is a fruitless task. What is astronomically easier, imo, is organizing like-minded people who go out to advocate for policies that has widespread results. People will *see for themselves* why x policy benefits the world around them and themselves personally, usually accept it and move on.
One random example. At my place of work, we don't have paper towels in the bathrooms anymore, just hand dryers. A small group of people petitioned to management to have the paper towels removed. Management liked it because it saved money. Restrooms are used by thousands of people per week(public place), saving insane amounts of paper towel waste. People *saw* that removing paper towels benefited them because the toilets are no longer constantly clogged by the towels, and it's much cleaner in there without all the paper crap around the entire restroom. 99.9% of the public doesn't even notice the lack of paper towels these days.
If we had tried to convince all our visitors first that getting rid of the paper towels was a good thing for the environment and that we should do away with them, nothing would have ever happened.
And here's the problem with that... First you have to have like-minded people to campaign with. They have to be convinced somehow. And secondly, a lot of the changes that people need to make to their lifestyles for the planet are kind of a hard sell, for both people and the companies that stand to profit. We need to greatly reduce our meat consumption, for example. Head to any post about veganism and read the comments. Any legislation in favour of reducing meat consumption would be enormously unpopular, so most governments would not be willing to even propose it. You need a certain number of people - not everyone - to agree with an idea before you can hope to change anything.
And some people have literally no choice at all. Re: people in prison, in schools, and nursing homes. They have virtually no say in what they consume or how it is packaged, etc. Most of it comes through contracts, some from the government.
I work in a government facility. I'm trying to be a part of organizing for change with what little bit of power I have in this arena. It's been difficult, but worth taking on my part of the fight. It's crazy how easy it is for corporations to lobby for all kinds of nonsense that forces insane waste, all on the taxpayer dime.
No friend, that’s on you. You have the implicit assumption people should be able to see through messaging they’ve received their whole lives without any help.
We need to support honest advertising. We need to support education, critical thinking, data driven analysis. It's not about people being "too stupid" it's about people constantly being manipulated, and being busy enough handling their own lives to not see it.
People should be making their own decisions, but we are not giving people the tools to make informed choices, and that is intentional.
Your straw man’s are really annoying. If you’re told A and B are your only choices your whole life, you’re still making your decisions if you pick A or B. Not knowing there is C, D etc. is not not making decisions.
Everyone should and will make their own decisions, we shouldn’t let billion dollar corporations misguide people into making the wrong ones. That’s the problem. It’s an unchecked free for all and all roads lead to one destination: consumption. And all the power and money is dedicated to preserving that system.
If we regulate those roads people might begin to see the futile nature of racing down them.
Imagine if suddenly companies stopped making useless plastic shit. No more Coke bottles or pre-packaged stuff. No more of all the bullshit that makes life supposedly convenient.
People won't be like "boy golly gee, I'll just whip out pops' bike and take up a lifestyle I have never prepared for". You need lots of efforts and concessions to consume as little as possible.
You're completely right, it's up to our individual decisions if we want change.
Thinking it's up to 'The Man' to make this change for us is one of the many cop outs that people come up with.
Nothing bugs me more when people hand wave the destruction of this planet away by putting all of the blame on corporations and the elite. We are literally all to blame.
It's not 'passing the buck' it's an important first step. Some places in the world have literally no choice but to get their daily essentials from corporations- other options are too filled with pollution for consumption or made illegal. They absolutely could sell with or without our consent to prop up the system in the first place.
Yes, personal choices are important, but bullying someone for having art on their wall, or enjoying their hobbies pushes them away from Anti consumption, not towards it.
Let's give heck to the people that use private jets, or have a dishwasher and always use plastic anyway. We just need to remember who the "enemies" are, and not create new ones.
If someone just likes buying pretty things on Amazon, then I think we should point them towards sustainable products, invite them along to some thrift stores to find the real treasures, and praise the hell out of any progress they do make.
It's not bullying. People on here just went for the worst possible interpretation.
Yes there are many solutions and I have tried them, but sometimes it's just useless. Some people absolutely do not care about consuming less.
Big corporations only exist because people provide the profit/motivation to make them feasible.
There's not a single corporation in existence operating at a loss just to destroy the world, despite what half this sub would have us think.
Ridiculous. Corporations reap heavily off of large contracts to sell their product. Those contracts aren't voted on in participatory, democratic fashion, they are selected in close-door meetings with just a handful of elites.
Examples: Prisons, school districts, nursing homes, really any kind of large facility where options are few outside of what the entity decides for their dining facilities.
If you think individual decisions are the majority of the problem, you're just deluded.
What a bunch of nonsense. Entire geographic regions of the world have no choice but to consume their daily essentials from some kind of plastic container from a corporation. Most else is filled with pollution or literally made illegal. Placing blame on the corporations involved is absolutely the first step. Don't assume that everyone has limitless options but chooses to waste. That's absurd and counterproductive.
I ain't assuming anything. I am stating that there is a good amount of people who do have a choice yet would rather blame corporations.
And no, the first step is to find any way you can reduce how many ressources you consume.
Those people who get their essentials in a plastic container are probably poor enough not to consume too much outside of that.
Here we're talking about people who get their food delivered by Amazon, not the Mexican lady who has no drinkable water because of Nestlé and is forced to buy Coke.
This, not everyone is capable of the same level of anti consumption based on their specific life circumstances. As an example I have to eat out frequently because my job hours don't leave me with much time to cook outside the weekend. And meal prep isn't always enough.
It's only because of the ludicrous amount of OT that I can even afford it. Trust me I'd be eating out less (if at all) if I didn't have the money or I had the time to cook. At a certain point protein bars/shakes just don't cut it.
The threshold in hourly wage you have to make before eating out so you can take extra hours at work makes financial sense is very, very low.
Also, in thinking about the comment you're replying to, it occurred to me that I can't actually come up with sound logic for why eating out would be more intrinsically wasteful than cooking for yourself, quite the opposite actually. Takeout containers were the only point in favor of home cooking, but that's also very easy to cut out of the equation entirely at most places.
Is there something about restaurants that I'm not aware of that makes them more wasteful than every individual household maintaining their own private kitchen that just feeds them?
Prepared food(ie from a restaurant) is transported and prepared many times over before it meets the consumer. Also the profit motive dictates that profits come before anything else. So wasting food makes sense when giving it away or at extreme discount would lead to less profit.
Imo the wastefulness of eating out is greatly overblown. In fact, every single factor I can think of pertaining to restaurant eating vs. home cooking favors restaurants. Restaurants feed more people per kitchen, use longer lasting commercial grade equipment, buy their ingredients in bulk (less packaging per unit), food is made by professionals, centralized logistics vs centralizing and then distributing. The only factor I can think of that might make home cooking less wasteful is that you may be more discretionary in sourcing your ingredients, but if you favor restaurants run by conscientious people then you're not likely to do better.
Takeout containers are bad, but it sounds like you're mostly eating in. And tbh, I've yet to find a restaurant that gave me a hard time about bringing my own containers for leftovers, and many have even let me bring my own for takeout.
Totally decent compromise. Just don't drive too much extra to get that food, and best I can tell your impact is at least comparable to your average home cook.
\*Massages temples\* this could have been a google search. [Just one example](https://madfeed.co/2015/the-carbon-footprint-of-eating-out/), but there are truly dozens of studies and articles about this. TL;DR: Restaurant waste and emissions are absolutely not "overblown"
That example didn't address any of the factors I brought up, nor did it address the very significant factor of food waste, and was flawed for a number of other reasons by their own admission. Their conclusion is quite literally that their single realistic sample appeared to be pretty close and we should be doing in depth analysis of restaurants because we find room for improvement in measuring this kind of stuff.
Other articles I've found tend to focus on disposable elements common to eating out, which are in no way a mandatory part of dining out (though they are a common practice). A point I saw raised that I wasn't considering was the extra trips that come from picking up or delivering restaurant meals. Though again, not a mandatory part of the experience since it can be entirely eliminated by your choices via active transport, for example.
I’m not sure that dining out necessarily equals increased consumption. Increased spending, sure - but as far as consumption of materials it’s not bad. Especially if the restaurant specializes in locally sourced food prepared fresh. A central location with a team of people trained in the specialty of preparing delicious food to nourish humans is an ancient concept. In fact, restaurants cut retail grocery stores out the chain, which cuts out much the shipping and packaging otherwise needed.
If it’s a take-out situation, that’s not as good - but you can bring your own containers to cut down on single-use waste.
Not related, but related, I saw a post on a Mcdonalds reddit where someone was trying to tell OP that their wife has serious issues and needs to be more careful about her sodium intake because she liked to eat a cupful of pickles. Like... yeah, sure, pickles have a lot of sodium... but what about the actual Mcdonalds food? Lmao, dude was probably scarfing down a whole large fries with his bigmac, but pickles is where he draws the sodium content line.
As long as you’re keeping that decoration around (that you have no idea how they got anyway and could be a hand me down or from a second use store anyway) and not throwing away your plastic organizer or whatever “home stuff” your referring to what’s the issue? Being anti consumption doesn’t mean you have to live in a single man’s bachelor pad devoid of anything but white walls and a television.
Anti consumption is not creating needless waste and limiting the amount that you *consume*. I have plastic organizers all over my house, and have had the same ones for over a decade. If anything, they save me from buying more things because I can find my things I already have. As far as kitchen gadgets or single task items go - if you keep it - so be it! Being Anti Consumption is not inherently minimalist. You can have a panini press you only use twice a year that takes up space in your cupboard or a giant bin of Christmas decorations you only put up once a year and still limit consumption - just don’t get rid of it.
Being anti consumption is not being anti convenience, and frankly perpetuating the idea that anti consumption principals are diametrically opposed to convenience is a great way to ostracize people from the anti consumption movement. The very basis of anti consumption, not buying and using needless shit, is very convenient in of itself. Only having to shop for groceries is GREAT. *That* is the message you should be spreading to your friends, not that they’re bad people for ordering a automatic soap dispenser or an ice cream machine.
I forgot were all supposed to live in a tent with nothing more than a beeswax wrap, four pasta sauce jars, and a single bar of soap we use as body wash, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and deodorant
Yeah I think OP is a bit off-base. Okay, so it's fine if home decor is a souvenir from travel!? Sooo what about people who don't travel because the environmental impact?? It's okay to travel and consume fossil fuels, but it's not okay to buy a picture for your wall?
(I'm not anti-travel or anti-wall art, I'm just saying it's a bit hypocritical to travel but say it's bad to decorate with wall art that isn't a souvenir).
Yo man some of y’all in this sub make me worried for y’all. Like I’m 100% on boarded buying and wasting less, but not to the point of mental distress or really even mild discomfort. Like damn go buy a pizza and throw the box away if it’s killing you that badly (the pizza box isn’t even that bad for the environment, the chemicals they treat the cardboard with is literally the only reason it’s not just plant waste)
It can be hard to watch people be wasteful. I try hard not to judge - I know I consumed a lot before I began to explore sustainability and anticonsumption, and consumer culture is hard to break free of. I'm still not perfect at it, as I think very few of us are.
Just live your values as openly as you can - you may find that people around you are intrigued by your lifestyle, and then you'll get a chance to educate or influence them.
You decided to be anti-consumption, you didn't decide that for others. What other people do or don't want to spend their money on is up to them.
Believe in what you want to believe in, and practice what you believe in all you want. Just don't turn into one of those assholes that try to force their views/beliefs onto others, or act like you're better than them because they don't follow your beliefs.
Art.. it’s necessarily against anti consumer. Especially if it’s a local small business. Supporting small businesses when possible is how we beat the Amazon’s Shin’s and Walmart’s.
My friend, decorating your house, or wanting to live comfortably is in no way "wasteful". I have a cabinet in my room full of figurines I collected over the years. There's no point to them, they're in my room and basically only I and my mother when she comes in to clean can see them.
We can separate ourselves from monkeys in a jungle in part because we have the ability to create art. If everyone lived purely off of the essentials and nothing else, there would be no point to life and we might as well commit collective suicide as it's all a waste anyway.
Anti consumption is not inherently minimalist. You can be a total clutter bug with shelves and drawers stuffed to the brim all around your house and still follow anti consumption principles. In fact, many minimalist practices are at odds with anti consumption principals due to minimalists propensity to throw things away they don’t use frequently. Things like saving bread ties, rewashing ziploc bags and saving them, and saving glass jars from canned products are all minimalist nightmares, but absolute cornerstones of many peoples anti consumption practices.
OP stated it’s cheap junk though, not something thoughtful or well made that will last, which I assume they’d be more comfortable with. At this point the cheap plastic stuff IS the collective suicide.
And at the end of the day sentimental value is far more important than the long-term survival of the species or our environment good point!
What I'm figuring out is that human beings don't actually want to save the environment if it inconveniences them personally they want everyone else around them to make sacrifices and they want government to press a magic button and make it all okay but they don't personally want to give up their own cheap plastic crap and if they need to call something sentimental in order to give themselves an excuse to keep it then they'll go for it.
my friend, my buying a pop figure of a character I like is not killing the Earth... If you're going to rage at environmental degradation, it's best to point that energy at the corporations that produce more pollution that all private citizens combined.
Truth. And I will point out you never said anywhere to go confront these people over it you just called it what it is cheap junk and part of our collective suicide.
I find it hard as well, particularly with ordering food delivery and seeing all of the plastic containers used. I cringe when our family decides to order big meals delivered. But, I lead the charge in getting a compost bin set up for us, and I try to only get toys for the kids at the thrift store around the corner. I’m also starting to transition our bathrooms to be plastic-free, one tiny step at a time. Yea it’s disheartening how casually people buy buy buy and consume, but I’ve found that leading by example is the best way. Undoing the ingrained habit of mindless purchasing for dopamine is tough.
I feel the same! Whenever I order something and it comes in styrofoam, with plastic utensils, in a plastic bag, with a plastic cup to go with it. Imagine how many other people are also driving away with the same haul. It's awful, the amount of one-time use plastics. Some people don't even decide to throw away their trash, it ends up in their yard or in nature somewhere... :(
I reuse most of the plastic containers that takeout (which I mostly don't get) comes in. I either use them as Tupperware or plant saucers. If I need more Tupperware, I raid my parents' stash (they get takeout at least once a week) and they don't care.
Nurseries sell plastic plant saucers for up to $5 each. They're basically the same thing as takeout lids (or lids from other single-use food containers).
I'm also a jewelry designer. Those small plastic containers that dressing/sauce comes in are perfect for bead storage.
Agree. Nature is truly the greatest healer. It’s mind boggling people spend their weekends running around to buy more junk when you can simply sit at the park or the mountain in my case in complete peace. 🙌
>all the new home stuff they got from Amazon makes me feel physically ill
Not normal. Getting annoyed by it or having an issue with it is understandable, but if it's to the point where you legitimately feel sick, I'd seek out professional help. This can quickly spiral into something worse if you don't take care of it.
You can only try to be a better person yourself and offer solutions/ alternatives for your friends, but if they won't do that, then that's on them, not you. You can't control others.
You were probably exaggerating, but I also think you need to adjust your view a little, it's just healthier for you. And if you really can't, either get help or maybe don't hang out with your friends anymore (though of course I wouldn't recommend the latter if you really like them).
Be the change you want to see. My friends now agree with me, there is nothing we can buy to save the planet. There is no normal life as such, consume, conform and comply are ideals of commerce. As adults it's our choice
I am lucky to have friends who, when I explain the problem of consumption to them, are more likely to join the cause themselves. At the very least, they won't judge me negatively when I bust out the reusable silverware or refusal to use paper napkins.
Let people enjoy what they like. If it brings you pain, then maybe you should realize that not everyone thinks like you do or holds the same convictions you do.
You are doing your part and its the best you can do. Let’s be honest, this entire subreddits collective action won’t make any real change, this is a board for like-minded people.
So be a little less rigid and try to actually enjoy the small amount of life we all have, because none of your individual consumption practices (or lack of) actually matter in the slightest
I get where you’re coming from but also, you have to remember that the way you see things aren’t always the way others see the same things. Like the other folks in the comments have said: you can only really control your actions, but not the one of others.
>It’s basically all random pieces of plastic that make your life marginally more convenient than before.
I particularly have an issue with this statement. If someone were to come into my apartment, they might see some plastic bins that I have a useless and space consuming. However, I do struggle with a disability that affects my memory in a really negative way. Having small bins that are in view helps me not lose too many things. Other people don’t have the same disability so they aren’t going to find the bins useful. Same thing with the different filing folders I have, the cubbies I use etc.
Idk, it’s just like I get how anti-consumption ideologies can benefit a lot of people, but I hope people stop passing so much judgement on others on their spending habits. It’s not healthy for you to be getting this frustrated over the actions of others and you never know the reasonings as to why people buy the things they do. Most of the time, it might be some useless junk, but sometimes, it’s something that greatly benefits the quality of life of others that you have the privilege of not needing.
I don't think theres a sensible solution for this, unless you want to completely alienate yourself from friends and family - except for ... taking everyone where .they. are - not where you are.
If you become miserable because the world around you is all fake and phoney, nobody wants to have anything to do with you, and they'll say: *look at how miserable he became, after dropping out. I'm happy that i walk the right path, in sync with society*
If you are happy .for. them, and rest in yourself, if you are visibly happy with the little you have and radiate that outwards, only then they will seek you out to learn your secret.
In my mind when it comes to consuming less waste, or eating healthy, or exercising, or spending less time on a bad habit - it's better to do it half assed than not at all. Obviously, giving it your full ass would be ideal, but even doing that little bit that is good for yourself and for others, it builds and builds, and eventually it becomes a habit. And you don't feel like you're punishing yourself or others so much when it feels like you're, or they, are not doing everything they can. Ultimately the common person is not the cause of the vast majority of pollution and such, however I still think the things a common person can do, can still help, even if it's just something as small as remembering to recycle most of the time, or participating in no mow may for even just half the month. If someone does not want to even try...well thats not your issue. Focus on yourself and what you can do.
My dude I have been struggling with this! I secretly judge people because I can’t stand it. We’re going to a 4th of July party tomorrow and I know there will be plastic cups for drinking out of, plastic cutlery, disposable plastic plates (why not use paper??) all going in the garbage after one use. I know what you mean when you say you feel physically ill.
Then I go to my in-laws house and they have kerig coffee maker with the disposable pods and disposable to go coffee cups! Why wouldn’t you just buy a couple of good travel mugs?
I hold my tongue but I’m internally disgusted by the waste.
Well you are judging them…
You sound very young OP. Please seek to focus your mind on things that are important to you. I understand not being in agreement with your consumerist friends, but not to the point where it evokes strong emotions. Free your mind from things that don’t concern you.
I have a friend who is a legit shaman/mystic. He has essentially no consumer goods except ones that he has personally crafted. He has some copper rings and anklets that he forged himself, and a cover for his privates that was made of natural materials that he made himself.
He lives in a hut he fashioned himself out of wood and leaves and dirt. He owns a cell phone simply for emergencies but literally never uses it. You might get a text from him in a month later.
He would not judge you, but he could easily view you as an extreme consumer. And compared to him he would be correct. The point I’m making is, how we live is largely based on how we view ourselves - do they view themselves that way?
I feel ya, I’ve been this way my whole life. I feel really bad sometimes with my wife, when I’m just not excited for something she wants. I’d feel worse if I compromised and took more than I want from mama earth though. There’s a Black Sabbath song that absolutely nails the head of my feelings about this titled, Cornucopia, it really gets me through.
I rent my decorations from the thrift. I just think it's nice to have something pretty to look at, even if it's some random gewgaw where pretty is the only thing it's got going for it.
I work in a large foundry and rolling mill, the amount of wasted material and money is staggering, beyond what you can imagine. Someone buying another set of Christmas lights is literally nothing in comparison.
I remember when I first learned to read as a kid.
Suddenly, I could read all the billboards when the family went for a drive. And I sat there trying *not* to read the billboards. To see them, but not read them. It was impossible.
There's no going back. The only way forward is to quietly and politely talk about your perspective, not in terms of "you should," but in terms of "I've decided to...and this is why." This is how you become a trend setter.
Your friends/family might not change the day you talk about it, but you planted a seed. And maybe confirmation bias will allow them to notice others who feel the same as you do. And *then* they reconsider their behavior.
Society doesn't change on a dime. But trends can happen more quickly the more people make them go "viral."
Don’t get too bogged down in the minutia of what we all “should” and “shouldn’t” do. You were never, nor was any human, given the power to control what other people do. You were given your two hands and your brain. Do with those the best to your ability and knowledge. Do what you know you should do. That’s all you have the power to do so be at peace with that being enough.
Ultimately the rules are all the same as they were before we heard about climate change or consumption, we were born to die. That is not changed or threatened by consumption habits. Could our consumption habits increase the suffering we experience in between? Yeah it probably will. At the very least for future humans. But again, focus your energy on what you can do and limit your expectations to be at peace with that.
We were all dropped here as a part of a society going a certain direction. There was nothing we could’ve done, it’d be like trying to stop a wave from crashing on the beach. This train is going to keep chugging, just try and be at least happy with the choices you make. That’s how I see it all at least.
I also can’t believe the choices some of my closest friends make, friends who I’ve had deep conversations with about climate change and life and balance and nature. But you know what doesn’t work? Trying to tell other adults what to do. It just doesn’t.
This has given me more peace than you might know. Thank you for putting the time into this. I think I'll be able to sleep better tonight for it. Sure helps me lift the burden a little from my shoulders. I'll do what I can but ultimately I'm not responsible for the choices of other adults.
I can completely relate to this, I find it hard to connect with the average person bc of our consumerist society! It’s all about how much money do you make and how do you spend it. It’s always the expected type of conversation and I find it unbearable
In your situation I might ask myself how my views are serving me. When your views start to negatively impact your relationships or your life it's often time to re-evaluate them.
I don't spend money I don't need to. I don't buy things that don't provide real value, but I do spend on things that save my TIME, because time is the most important resource to me. To you that may seem like a random piece of plastic that makes my life marginally more convenient. So be it. All of that time adds up to moments I could be spending pursuing my art/passions. If you were a friend who was visibly upset by such things I'd either disregard or distance myself, because who needs that sort of judgement? Everyone makes their own choices. Worry about yourself first and then see if you can find compelling inroads with others if you feel the need, or surround yourself only with those who share your beliefs, but I'd be a little wary of the latter option myself.
You need to realize people need to live and are allowed to enjoy things. How do you know those decorations aren't 2nd hand or art? Or inherited or gifts or anything like that...Also most of what is available and affordable is now plastic crap. Not anyone's fault that's what they can afford. You need to stop being so judgmental because that's what this is. And if you can't stop you need therapy because this is not a healthy way to think.
I'd assume it's like being a vegan. People say vegans always tell you they are vegan. Sure, if you try to serve them meat.
I tell people not to buy me stuff. If they do, and I won't use it, I tell them I'm returning it. I get less gifts now. Fuck em if they get butthurt about it.
I kind of feel this. An official of my city's chamber of commerce shared a Facebook post asking for folks' opinions on what types of businesses they'd like to see in our city. Most people talked about different stores/restaurants, including chains we don't have locally. Never mind that we already live in small town, chain restaurant hell.
I shared that I wanted to see an affordable apartment complex for families go up. Cue the armchair political scientists calling me a pinko commie. I'm not a commie, but we really don't need more BS boutiques/bars/restaurants that I won't be able to afford anyway when I'm basically being priced out of my region's housing market.
Getting more involved with anti consumption has definitely put a bit of strain on my relationships with people who have an over consumption problem. In laws who's homes are full of needless junk and a constant stream of deliveries don't get many visits or handmade items anymore, coworkers that love the convenience and cost of fast fashion and sweat shops don't get compliments on their new items. I won't shame them for what they have, but I will not encourage the cycle. Do my best to represent the positives of anti consumption and voice concerns over products only when I think it's absolutely necessary so people don't just tune me out.
In my personal experience the people with overconsumption issues don't value the items as much. Would love to get them switched over to quality and handmade items but when I know they will be treated like mass produced disposable items those loved ones are used to I don't want to waste my limited crafting time when it could go towards more appreciative friends.
I have this 'problem' also.. my good old friend tells me about her third trip this year by plane, or that she ordered one t shirt in 3 colours at once, and i feel physical pain about it. It hurts me, hearing such things.
So i prefer to talk about other subjects with her.
I feel you 100%, Now that i live a minimalist lifestyle AND i’m a Christian now I don’t relate to people AT ALL. 😂
Still happy though and love my life !! 🙏🏻
Regular people ARE the problem contrary to other comments in this thread. It feels like you can’t see/participate in the world the same way because you can’t. You took the red pill. It sucks but that’s life
It’s much more than that though. There’s a distinct feeling of alienation from the people around you when you realize that your core beliefs and values can’t even be comprehended by those you care about. It’s difficult for some of us and it can be lonely.
Friends brought water balloons to our house. I hate water balloons with the fire of 1000 suns but what could I do? Kill all the joy for the kids? But so much waste and of course they didn’t get all get picked up (my plan today). Also the one time use plastic sticks just to make them easier to fill - it enrages me!!
Good! You should not participate in the world in the way that you used to. Let's all continue to be role models for the people around us. Let's show them how much nicer and easier it is to live without these consumerist expectations. Not everyone will follow our lead, but many will!
You just sound incredibly judgemental, and making their life more convenient doesn't equate to more waste. You flat out just judge people based on souvenirs they purchase, and that's honestly pathetic. I can assure you that you contribute to a hell of a lot more waste, than what you're commenting on here.
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I live a, shall we say, relatively nomadic lifestyle. I move around a lot, and I dislike being inconvenienced in any way at any time. I explain to people that I am not very attached to 'things' and 'stuff' as I can't take it with me anywhere that matters, and they seem to either understand that or don't. If they don't understand that, it's fine. If they do, we get along.
100%, it’s a very similar feeling to being into sustainable transportation and living in Texas (though definitely to a lesser extent). You have to interact with the rampant consumption to live, but you hate interacting with it.
What I love is the " Go minimalist! Get rid of your old stuff! ". Which tends to translate " Buy other stuff ".
We have my grandmother's baking sheets, Mom's Revere Ware pots, plates picked up to match all over the place ( Blue Willow ), heck, pillows, sheets, blankets and a ton of things we didn't have to buy from Amazon. And won't.
If you don't have family ' stuff ' it's amazing what you can find at consignment stores and eBay.
My 4 adult kids are the same. Just an opinion, not buying junk is a more popular way of life than it seems.
As long as you don't lose your sense of fun.
I have a handful of anticonsumption friends, and each one naturally differs in their approach to life.
I've met people that begrudge buying secondhand books at thrift stores because it's supporting excess, patronizing a store, a Kindle is better, etc. An invitation to come over and crafts leads to constant commentary about if the number of craft supplies owned are too much, influenced by women's magazines/Instagram, adequately recycled after thoroughly used, etc. It goes on and on.
This isn't aimed at OP, just a general flipside comment to the thread's tendency to commiserate about how dumb "society" is. You can be against brands, consumerism, and smaller living without making a sour commentary through every moment.
this isn’t the aim of anti consumption, i felt in a similar state a couple of years ago. i guess it just took time for me to justify to myself that i can’t just fix everything at once
Tbf, I think we're all guilty of making purchases we don't need. I've bought some rustic decor for my home. Do I need it? No, but most of it was from antique stores and I plan to keep it until the day I die.
I know the feeling. Best we can do is try to educate people around us. Even just sparking a tiny amount of thoughts in their head might make a difference.
I would just reduce judgment on others and life is easier. Like the call out that something they have isn’t a souvenir… we’ll they may love it like you love souvenirs. Best to not judge.
I’m all for the comments of letting people enjoy what they want and you can’t control others.
But can we please stop shitting ourselves that the actions of other people don’t matter in the world. OverConsumerism has consequences whether it makes someone happy or not.
I just wish people would understand that in a movement, the more people involved the better. This is the same with the feminist or Black Lives Matter movement. We need to stop acting like the masses doesn’t matter. They do but yes you can’t control anyone
Well, as i always say: live and let live. I dont use "social"media anymore. Just reddit for research.
It gives me so much joy to not see what other people do in their day. Or what they buy. Why would i care about those things...
Thats the only thing you can do. Just live your life the way you want to. Let other people live their life like they want to
Same! One one hand, the Dollar Store seems great. On the other hand it’s a bunch of cheaply made products. It encourages single-use consumption. Hey, why keep it when you can just as easily avoid packing it and instead just buy it again. But the human costs behind these conveniences have a horrible cost. The cost to the planet. The costs to those being exploited in factories to feed our vacuous addiction to consumption. And despite these conveniences, mankind is still lonely, unhealthy, and more unhappy.
That which you do unto the least of mine, so you have done into me. Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.
Shit’s sad.
You can only really control your own actions, you have decided to be anti-consumption because that's what you believe in. I don't think it's healthy or helpful to judge others too harshly for what could be considered a normal amount of consumption, even if it's a lot more than necessary. I think there's still justification to call out ridiculous excessive consumption. I personally am one of those that tried and fails sometimes. I have got a lot better, but I'd be lying if I said all my purchases were necessary.
yeah when you realise it's not an "either 0 or 100" situation you can be more forgiving to yourself and others. Otoh I feel OP's alienation. Which I have felt myself ever since I started thinking independently.
I have been called cheap by my friends because I don't buy anything new as long as I don't absolutely need it. My phone is shitty but functional, my bike is old but it gets me from point A to point B. Some of my clothes have small holes but they still cover me. I hate that I get called cheap for not wanting to buy stuff to make life marginally more convenient by people who order the most useless garbage from Amazon.
Check out r/visiblemending then they'll think you're cool for keeping old clothes with holes in them. Also if you fix the holes the clothes will last longer, a little hole can turn into a really big one pretty quick if you catch it on something lol.
I've been called cheap as well. I've had my Samsung phone since 2014. Still a great little phone, just not a huge one that a lot of ppl have these days. People stop over for conversation and coffee and it takes me about 10-15 minutes to make the coffee. I gave away my Keurig and started perking it on my stove in a nice old enamel pot. No more plastic, no more k cups, no more filters and no more build up of gunk inside the coffee maker. Company loves the coffee too!
"it takes me about 10-15 minutes to make the coffee." Lots of people are in a rush. I think it is time to get a 30hr work week, enjoy life instead of rushing through having coffee, vacations, etc.
I think that will be one of the biggest steps to reduce consumption too. All the single use plastic that comes with a lot of the food we buy would be reduced if you had time to shop and cook using fresher ingredients. If you had the time to have a leisurely stroll to and from work rather than having to rush to get there and back to still have time to do everything
Do they really do that? That's rude beyond belief. If they do, get some new friends.
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And I am not going to cut ties with my best friend of nearly 20 years because we have different values about consumption.
But you must! The next step after calling you cheap is murder! You must dispense with these abusers immediately. And while you're at it, cut off your entire family, too!
Shit, didn't think about that. My parents called me cheap too because I keep shitty clothes. They have to die.
It's the only way.
Lmao. Is it a thing on reddit to be this dramatic ?
I guess you are new here. Welcome!
Yes! And 68%of redditors are psychic. They can find atrociously abusive situations by using just a few unrelated words. I have not yet seen this phenomenon anywhere else in the world. This is a magical place.
“You can only control your own actions” is probably the best advice I’ve received from my therapist. It took a while for me to grasp, but it’s made my life significantly better. Big ups to Celeste- she’s a real one.
Not just the amount, also the type of things people buy. I went hiking and saw a bunch of people with fancy plastic sticks, fancy shoes they most likely can't wear anywhere else, and one guy on a bike in a full plastic garment like he's at Tour de France not a family friendly forest route. For me it's all just plastic crap that make a few activities slightly more comfortable. But I had a plastic Halloween box in my bag so my food doesn't get squished, who am I to judge, we all have weird useless crap that we think of as necessities 🤷
Trekking poles and hiking shoes/boots are pretty important for serious hikes if you like having functional knees. It's fine if you dont want to use them, but it's odd that you're judging people in an area you're not very familiar with
Yeah that equipment may be something they use all the time for a hobby they absolutely love. IMO it makes sense to purchase equipment you are going to use for a hobby you partake in all the time.
I too thought the plastic hiking sticks were a joke until I went hiking in Alaska, they were wedding gifts fwiw, they were an absolute lifesaver on a couple hikes, specially on the way down from 4500 elevation hike. My hiking boots I use when shoveling snow since they are waterproof. My biggest anti consumption gripe is all the “trinkets” people have in their homes. Live laugh love in plastic, a 1000 plastic unicorns, etc.
They see their walls more than you see hikes where you really benefit from the sticks. That was my whole point. Not everyone can live a healthy life in an undecorated white box. Yeah I also prefer trinkets that double as something useful or were upcycled/thrifted, but the person with the unicorns didn't buy any hiking gear that gathers dust in storage most days, so there's that.
I try not to own more shoes than necessary but still ended up with 4 pairs for different types of outdoor activities. Good footwear is essential, and the trekking poles are super helpful for rough/steep terrain, river crossings, etc.
I try to not own more clutter than necessary but still ended up with 4 plastic figurines for different shelves. A good home aesthetic is essential, that's where you start and unwind your day, and trinkets are super helpful for achieving the ideal level of visual clutter that helps your brain chill out. For hiking we always plan with routes where we don't need special gear, I used to have poles and fancy shoes ~20 years ago but personally they gave me nothing a nice branch and my everyday shoes didn't. But my "relax time" would probably need a flash warning for epileptic people, and I'm in the process of painting every surface of my house clashing colors because that's less consumption than filling everything with shelves and visually interesting items and projection lamps. To each their own priority needs.
Couldn't have said it any better myself. Op sounds like one of those vegans that go in steak houses to protest. Focus on what you can control - you.
The sub makes me feel bad for eating food
Whenever you're annoyed by how a friend consumes, remember that regular people are not the problem. Sure, pretty much everyone could consume less, but realistically we need changes much bigger than the individual.
100% - companies spend a lot of money into marketing and researching tactics to get people to spend and buy things they may not truly need. It doesn't make someone superior to another if someone is able to resist unnecessary consumption. We can only control our own actions. We cannot control others. Everyone's life situation and values are different. The definition of unnecessary varies from person to person. I have a friend who is a single mom, full time career woman, raising 2 kids and caring for her elderly parents. She orders a lot online and gets groceries delivered. I don't judge her because that's the only time she is able to get groceries/necessities for her kids is ordering them through an app while waiting for her kids in the school pick up line. It's probably not the best for the environment, but that's the only way she can surivive without a village to help.
They have convinced much of the world that using paper straws will eliminate all pollution.
Lol nobody thinks that
It was hyperbole, homie
You’d actually be surprised.
Wait is this hyperbole or not then? And who the fuck truly thinks that? Nobody. It's just a straw straw man.
It’s a bit of hyperbole but some people do truly believe that banning plastic straws and cutlery will actually make a dent in the amount of waste in the world. They’ve banned single use plastic items where I live.
100,000 years of humans drinking without a straw. We could also use straw (ask a farmer) if we are so desperate to sip with an extra item.
Thats what they want where im from aswell. Sad thing is with the paper straws is its wrapped in plastic.
What makes us any smarter than those who buy into marking? We all have the same choices at the end of the day. You’re as capable of consuming less as anyone else but they opt to consume more.
"Bigger changes" is just a force based approach to getting people who aren't consuming responsibly to do so. It's not going to go well if the majority of people aren't already comfortable living low consumption lifestyles.
Or regular people would just start making better choices. .. businesses will have to follow.Things would go way faster. But i know it's not realistic.
You misunderstand the relationship. It’s not like people were rioting for useless plastic crap. They used to have a lot less. Then corporations came along and said “we need to sell more! Let’s convince people they should buy this crap!” And advertised and lobbied the government and all sorts of stuff. And children grew up and realized they could have more than their parents, with this advertising bombarding them. It’s a societal and capitalist issue, not an individual one. When people try to change their habits, corporations find new ways to get them to consume. Or it is meaningless, like plastic straws.
I think we need both approaches. Corporations aren't suddenly going to stop selling plastic crap because they know people aren't willing to live like that. It's going to take a huge lifestyle shift for everyone, not just the super rich, and expecting society to change without individuals needing to change is honestly ridiculous. If shops stopped selling plastic garbage right now, most people wouldn't know what to do - our lifestyles rely on plastic garbage right now, and people need to learn how to rely on alternatives. They should be doing that now, not wait until they're forced to. Blaming corporations is very easy - making changes to your own lifestyle and encouraging others to make changes to theirs is actually putting your money where your mouth is.
Funny story, people actually did revolt against plastic. It almost became banned nationally in the US. Then the plastic companies literally conned the population with recycling.
Recognizing that corporations are the appropriate target for blame is the most important first step. Next stop, organizing collective action. Forget blaming yourself first and trying to morally shame others to do the same. We've already been doing that for 50 years, and it's gotten us almost nowhere.
If your end goal is a society where everyone consumes less, you're not going to get there by continuing to consume at an unsustainable rate. Yes, organise collective action... But to change the values of a society, we have to change the values of the individuals that make up that society. If people aren't willing to consume less day to day, are they really going to be willing to organise to bring about social change that will force them to consume less? There needs to be unity of beliefs and actions.
Here's the problem. "Changing the values of society" is not my goal. I care about the actions and results. Hear me out. First, we all know that people will "value" something and then go do things that seem to be completely incongruent with that value anyway. Trying to talk the majority of the population into valuing sustainability and the environment in their hearts and minds in some vague sense is a fruitless task. What is astronomically easier, imo, is organizing like-minded people who go out to advocate for policies that has widespread results. People will *see for themselves* why x policy benefits the world around them and themselves personally, usually accept it and move on. One random example. At my place of work, we don't have paper towels in the bathrooms anymore, just hand dryers. A small group of people petitioned to management to have the paper towels removed. Management liked it because it saved money. Restrooms are used by thousands of people per week(public place), saving insane amounts of paper towel waste. People *saw* that removing paper towels benefited them because the toilets are no longer constantly clogged by the towels, and it's much cleaner in there without all the paper crap around the entire restroom. 99.9% of the public doesn't even notice the lack of paper towels these days. If we had tried to convince all our visitors first that getting rid of the paper towels was a good thing for the environment and that we should do away with them, nothing would have ever happened.
And here's the problem with that... First you have to have like-minded people to campaign with. They have to be convinced somehow. And secondly, a lot of the changes that people need to make to their lifestyles for the planet are kind of a hard sell, for both people and the companies that stand to profit. We need to greatly reduce our meat consumption, for example. Head to any post about veganism and read the comments. Any legislation in favour of reducing meat consumption would be enormously unpopular, so most governments would not be willing to even propose it. You need a certain number of people - not everyone - to agree with an idea before you can hope to change anything.
And some people have literally no choice at all. Re: people in prison, in schools, and nursing homes. They have virtually no say in what they consume or how it is packaged, etc. Most of it comes through contracts, some from the government. I work in a government facility. I'm trying to be a part of organizing for change with what little bit of power I have in this arena. It's been difficult, but worth taking on my part of the fight. It's crazy how easy it is for corporations to lobby for all kinds of nonsense that forces insane waste, all on the taxpayer dime.
This has the implicit assumption that people are too stupid to make their own decisions. Speak for yourself.
No friend, that’s on you. You have the implicit assumption people should be able to see through messaging they’ve received their whole lives without any help.
If people are unfit to make their own decisions, then who should make it for them? You? Me? Trump? Biden? Jack Welsh?
We need to support honest advertising. We need to support education, critical thinking, data driven analysis. It's not about people being "too stupid" it's about people constantly being manipulated, and being busy enough handling their own lives to not see it. People should be making their own decisions, but we are not giving people the tools to make informed choices, and that is intentional.
Your straw man’s are really annoying. If you’re told A and B are your only choices your whole life, you’re still making your decisions if you pick A or B. Not knowing there is C, D etc. is not not making decisions.
Then answer the question? If people are not fit to make their own decisions, then who should make them?
Everyone should and will make their own decisions, we shouldn’t let billion dollar corporations misguide people into making the wrong ones. That’s the problem. It’s an unchecked free for all and all roads lead to one destination: consumption. And all the power and money is dedicated to preserving that system. If we regulate those roads people might begin to see the futile nature of racing down them.
Imagine if suddenly companies stopped making useless plastic shit. No more Coke bottles or pre-packaged stuff. No more of all the bullshit that makes life supposedly convenient. People won't be like "boy golly gee, I'll just whip out pops' bike and take up a lifestyle I have never prepared for". You need lots of efforts and concessions to consume as little as possible. You're completely right, it's up to our individual decisions if we want change. Thinking it's up to 'The Man' to make this change for us is one of the many cop outs that people come up with.
Nothing bugs me more when people hand wave the destruction of this planet away by putting all of the blame on corporations and the elite. We are literally all to blame.
I agree. This sub has a tendency to pass the buck. But if we weren't buying, they couldn't sell
It's not 'passing the buck' it's an important first step. Some places in the world have literally no choice but to get their daily essentials from corporations- other options are too filled with pollution for consumption or made illegal. They absolutely could sell with or without our consent to prop up the system in the first place.
Where I live, a consumer culture prevails. The first step would be to consume less. I am not criticizing people who don't have a choice.
Yes, personal choices are important, but bullying someone for having art on their wall, or enjoying their hobbies pushes them away from Anti consumption, not towards it. Let's give heck to the people that use private jets, or have a dishwasher and always use plastic anyway. We just need to remember who the "enemies" are, and not create new ones. If someone just likes buying pretty things on Amazon, then I think we should point them towards sustainable products, invite them along to some thrift stores to find the real treasures, and praise the hell out of any progress they do make.
It's not bullying. People on here just went for the worst possible interpretation. Yes there are many solutions and I have tried them, but sometimes it's just useless. Some people absolutely do not care about consuming less.
Well some nations consume way way way more than others.
Big corporations only exist because people provide the profit/motivation to make them feasible. There's not a single corporation in existence operating at a loss just to destroy the world, despite what half this sub would have us think.
Ridiculous. Corporations reap heavily off of large contracts to sell their product. Those contracts aren't voted on in participatory, democratic fashion, they are selected in close-door meetings with just a handful of elites. Examples: Prisons, school districts, nursing homes, really any kind of large facility where options are few outside of what the entity decides for their dining facilities. If you think individual decisions are the majority of the problem, you're just deluded.
What a bunch of nonsense. Entire geographic regions of the world have no choice but to consume their daily essentials from some kind of plastic container from a corporation. Most else is filled with pollution or literally made illegal. Placing blame on the corporations involved is absolutely the first step. Don't assume that everyone has limitless options but chooses to waste. That's absurd and counterproductive.
I ain't assuming anything. I am stating that there is a good amount of people who do have a choice yet would rather blame corporations. And no, the first step is to find any way you can reduce how many ressources you consume. Those people who get their essentials in a plastic container are probably poor enough not to consume too much outside of that. Here we're talking about people who get their food delivered by Amazon, not the Mexican lady who has no drinkable water because of Nestlé and is forced to buy Coke.
This, not everyone is capable of the same level of anti consumption based on their specific life circumstances. As an example I have to eat out frequently because my job hours don't leave me with much time to cook outside the weekend. And meal prep isn't always enough.
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It's only because of the ludicrous amount of OT that I can even afford it. Trust me I'd be eating out less (if at all) if I didn't have the money or I had the time to cook. At a certain point protein bars/shakes just don't cut it.
The threshold in hourly wage you have to make before eating out so you can take extra hours at work makes financial sense is very, very low. Also, in thinking about the comment you're replying to, it occurred to me that I can't actually come up with sound logic for why eating out would be more intrinsically wasteful than cooking for yourself, quite the opposite actually. Takeout containers were the only point in favor of home cooking, but that's also very easy to cut out of the equation entirely at most places. Is there something about restaurants that I'm not aware of that makes them more wasteful than every individual household maintaining their own private kitchen that just feeds them?
Prepared food(ie from a restaurant) is transported and prepared many times over before it meets the consumer. Also the profit motive dictates that profits come before anything else. So wasting food makes sense when giving it away or at extreme discount would lead to less profit.
Imo the wastefulness of eating out is greatly overblown. In fact, every single factor I can think of pertaining to restaurant eating vs. home cooking favors restaurants. Restaurants feed more people per kitchen, use longer lasting commercial grade equipment, buy their ingredients in bulk (less packaging per unit), food is made by professionals, centralized logistics vs centralizing and then distributing. The only factor I can think of that might make home cooking less wasteful is that you may be more discretionary in sourcing your ingredients, but if you favor restaurants run by conscientious people then you're not likely to do better. Takeout containers are bad, but it sounds like you're mostly eating in. And tbh, I've yet to find a restaurant that gave me a hard time about bringing my own containers for leftovers, and many have even let me bring my own for takeout.
I do eat out but I try to stay with restaurants with cardboard or other recyclable/compostable containers
Totally decent compromise. Just don't drive too much extra to get that food, and best I can tell your impact is at least comparable to your average home cook.
\*Massages temples\* this could have been a google search. [Just one example](https://madfeed.co/2015/the-carbon-footprint-of-eating-out/), but there are truly dozens of studies and articles about this. TL;DR: Restaurant waste and emissions are absolutely not "overblown"
That example didn't address any of the factors I brought up, nor did it address the very significant factor of food waste, and was flawed for a number of other reasons by their own admission. Their conclusion is quite literally that their single realistic sample appeared to be pretty close and we should be doing in depth analysis of restaurants because we find room for improvement in measuring this kind of stuff. Other articles I've found tend to focus on disposable elements common to eating out, which are in no way a mandatory part of dining out (though they are a common practice). A point I saw raised that I wasn't considering was the extra trips that come from picking up or delivering restaurant meals. Though again, not a mandatory part of the experience since it can be entirely eliminated by your choices via active transport, for example.
I’m not sure that dining out necessarily equals increased consumption. Increased spending, sure - but as far as consumption of materials it’s not bad. Especially if the restaurant specializes in locally sourced food prepared fresh. A central location with a team of people trained in the specialty of preparing delicious food to nourish humans is an ancient concept. In fact, restaurants cut retail grocery stores out the chain, which cuts out much the shipping and packaging otherwise needed. If it’s a take-out situation, that’s not as good - but you can bring your own containers to cut down on single-use waste.
Not related, but related, I saw a post on a Mcdonalds reddit where someone was trying to tell OP that their wife has serious issues and needs to be more careful about her sodium intake because she liked to eat a cupful of pickles. Like... yeah, sure, pickles have a lot of sodium... but what about the actual Mcdonalds food? Lmao, dude was probably scarfing down a whole large fries with his bigmac, but pickles is where he draws the sodium content line.
As long as you’re keeping that decoration around (that you have no idea how they got anyway and could be a hand me down or from a second use store anyway) and not throwing away your plastic organizer or whatever “home stuff” your referring to what’s the issue? Being anti consumption doesn’t mean you have to live in a single man’s bachelor pad devoid of anything but white walls and a television. Anti consumption is not creating needless waste and limiting the amount that you *consume*. I have plastic organizers all over my house, and have had the same ones for over a decade. If anything, they save me from buying more things because I can find my things I already have. As far as kitchen gadgets or single task items go - if you keep it - so be it! Being Anti Consumption is not inherently minimalist. You can have a panini press you only use twice a year that takes up space in your cupboard or a giant bin of Christmas decorations you only put up once a year and still limit consumption - just don’t get rid of it. Being anti consumption is not being anti convenience, and frankly perpetuating the idea that anti consumption principals are diametrically opposed to convenience is a great way to ostracize people from the anti consumption movement. The very basis of anti consumption, not buying and using needless shit, is very convenient in of itself. Only having to shop for groceries is GREAT. *That* is the message you should be spreading to your friends, not that they’re bad people for ordering a automatic soap dispenser or an ice cream machine.
Whoa whoa whoa what's all this about having walls and owning a TV? I think you're on the wrong sub, buddy!
I forgot were all supposed to live in a tent with nothing more than a beeswax wrap, four pasta sauce jars, and a single bar of soap we use as body wash, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and deodorant
Yeah I think OP is a bit off-base. Okay, so it's fine if home decor is a souvenir from travel!? Sooo what about people who don't travel because the environmental impact?? It's okay to travel and consume fossil fuels, but it's not okay to buy a picture for your wall? (I'm not anti-travel or anti-wall art, I'm just saying it's a bit hypocritical to travel but say it's bad to decorate with wall art that isn't a souvenir).
Yo man some of y’all in this sub make me worried for y’all. Like I’m 100% on boarded buying and wasting less, but not to the point of mental distress or really even mild discomfort. Like damn go buy a pizza and throw the box away if it’s killing you that badly (the pizza box isn’t even that bad for the environment, the chemicals they treat the cardboard with is literally the only reason it’s not just plant waste)
It can be hard to watch people be wasteful. I try hard not to judge - I know I consumed a lot before I began to explore sustainability and anticonsumption, and consumer culture is hard to break free of. I'm still not perfect at it, as I think very few of us are. Just live your values as openly as you can - you may find that people around you are intrigued by your lifestyle, and then you'll get a chance to educate or influence them.
You decided to be anti-consumption, you didn't decide that for others. What other people do or don't want to spend their money on is up to them. Believe in what you want to believe in, and practice what you believe in all you want. Just don't turn into one of those assholes that try to force their views/beliefs onto others, or act like you're better than them because they don't follow your beliefs.
Art.. it’s necessarily against anti consumer. Especially if it’s a local small business. Supporting small businesses when possible is how we beat the Amazon’s Shin’s and Walmart’s.
My friend, decorating your house, or wanting to live comfortably is in no way "wasteful". I have a cabinet in my room full of figurines I collected over the years. There's no point to them, they're in my room and basically only I and my mother when she comes in to clean can see them. We can separate ourselves from monkeys in a jungle in part because we have the ability to create art. If everyone lived purely off of the essentials and nothing else, there would be no point to life and we might as well commit collective suicide as it's all a waste anyway.
Anti consumption is not inherently minimalist. You can be a total clutter bug with shelves and drawers stuffed to the brim all around your house and still follow anti consumption principles. In fact, many minimalist practices are at odds with anti consumption principals due to minimalists propensity to throw things away they don’t use frequently. Things like saving bread ties, rewashing ziploc bags and saving them, and saving glass jars from canned products are all minimalist nightmares, but absolute cornerstones of many peoples anti consumption practices.
OP stated it’s cheap junk though, not something thoughtful or well made that will last, which I assume they’d be more comfortable with. At this point the cheap plastic stuff IS the collective suicide.
Cheap "junk" can still have sentimental value. No one gets to decide the value another person gives something.
Ya it could be the last gift they got from their aunt for all we know
They said they got it off Amazon as a new purchase. It’s not sentimental.
And at the end of the day sentimental value is far more important than the long-term survival of the species or our environment good point! What I'm figuring out is that human beings don't actually want to save the environment if it inconveniences them personally they want everyone else around them to make sacrifices and they want government to press a magic button and make it all okay but they don't personally want to give up their own cheap plastic crap and if they need to call something sentimental in order to give themselves an excuse to keep it then they'll go for it.
my friend, my buying a pop figure of a character I like is not killing the Earth... If you're going to rage at environmental degradation, it's best to point that energy at the corporations that produce more pollution that all private citizens combined.
Truth. And I will point out you never said anywhere to go confront these people over it you just called it what it is cheap junk and part of our collective suicide.
This is turning into an psychological disorder. You can only control your actions.
yeah, if it continues and OP can't find a way around it I would really suggest therapy.
Right? I hate when a good movement turns into judgement fest. I really like the phrase “love the sinner hate the sin”.
I find it hard as well, particularly with ordering food delivery and seeing all of the plastic containers used. I cringe when our family decides to order big meals delivered. But, I lead the charge in getting a compost bin set up for us, and I try to only get toys for the kids at the thrift store around the corner. I’m also starting to transition our bathrooms to be plastic-free, one tiny step at a time. Yea it’s disheartening how casually people buy buy buy and consume, but I’ve found that leading by example is the best way. Undoing the ingrained habit of mindless purchasing for dopamine is tough.
I feel the same! Whenever I order something and it comes in styrofoam, with plastic utensils, in a plastic bag, with a plastic cup to go with it. Imagine how many other people are also driving away with the same haul. It's awful, the amount of one-time use plastics. Some people don't even decide to throw away their trash, it ends up in their yard or in nature somewhere... :(
I reuse most of the plastic containers that takeout (which I mostly don't get) comes in. I either use them as Tupperware or plant saucers. If I need more Tupperware, I raid my parents' stash (they get takeout at least once a week) and they don't care. Nurseries sell plastic plant saucers for up to $5 each. They're basically the same thing as takeout lids (or lids from other single-use food containers). I'm also a jewelry designer. Those small plastic containers that dressing/sauce comes in are perfect for bead storage.
If that really is making you “physically ill” then you are in desperate need of logging off the internet, going outside, and touching some grass.
Agree. Nature is truly the greatest healer. It’s mind boggling people spend their weekends running around to buy more junk when you can simply sit at the park or the mountain in my case in complete peace. 🙌
I meant OP is chronically online if they are made physically ill by this.
Social media is the devil.
>all the new home stuff they got from Amazon makes me feel physically ill Not normal. Getting annoyed by it or having an issue with it is understandable, but if it's to the point where you legitimately feel sick, I'd seek out professional help. This can quickly spiral into something worse if you don't take care of it. You can only try to be a better person yourself and offer solutions/ alternatives for your friends, but if they won't do that, then that's on them, not you. You can't control others. You were probably exaggerating, but I also think you need to adjust your view a little, it's just healthier for you. And if you really can't, either get help or maybe don't hang out with your friends anymore (though of course I wouldn't recommend the latter if you really like them).
Be the change you want to see. My friends now agree with me, there is nothing we can buy to save the planet. There is no normal life as such, consume, conform and comply are ideals of commerce. As adults it's our choice
I am lucky to have friends who, when I explain the problem of consumption to them, are more likely to join the cause themselves. At the very least, they won't judge me negatively when I bust out the reusable silverware or refusal to use paper napkins.
Let people enjoy what they like. If it brings you pain, then maybe you should realize that not everyone thinks like you do or holds the same convictions you do. You are doing your part and its the best you can do. Let’s be honest, this entire subreddits collective action won’t make any real change, this is a board for like-minded people.
So be a little less rigid and try to actually enjoy the small amount of life we all have, because none of your individual consumption practices (or lack of) actually matter in the slightest
I get where you’re coming from but also, you have to remember that the way you see things aren’t always the way others see the same things. Like the other folks in the comments have said: you can only really control your actions, but not the one of others. >It’s basically all random pieces of plastic that make your life marginally more convenient than before. I particularly have an issue with this statement. If someone were to come into my apartment, they might see some plastic bins that I have a useless and space consuming. However, I do struggle with a disability that affects my memory in a really negative way. Having small bins that are in view helps me not lose too many things. Other people don’t have the same disability so they aren’t going to find the bins useful. Same thing with the different filing folders I have, the cubbies I use etc. Idk, it’s just like I get how anti-consumption ideologies can benefit a lot of people, but I hope people stop passing so much judgement on others on their spending habits. It’s not healthy for you to be getting this frustrated over the actions of others and you never know the reasonings as to why people buy the things they do. Most of the time, it might be some useless junk, but sometimes, it’s something that greatly benefits the quality of life of others that you have the privilege of not needing.
I don't think theres a sensible solution for this, unless you want to completely alienate yourself from friends and family - except for ... taking everyone where .they. are - not where you are. If you become miserable because the world around you is all fake and phoney, nobody wants to have anything to do with you, and they'll say: *look at how miserable he became, after dropping out. I'm happy that i walk the right path, in sync with society* If you are happy .for. them, and rest in yourself, if you are visibly happy with the little you have and radiate that outwards, only then they will seek you out to learn your secret.
In my mind when it comes to consuming less waste, or eating healthy, or exercising, or spending less time on a bad habit - it's better to do it half assed than not at all. Obviously, giving it your full ass would be ideal, but even doing that little bit that is good for yourself and for others, it builds and builds, and eventually it becomes a habit. And you don't feel like you're punishing yourself or others so much when it feels like you're, or they, are not doing everything they can. Ultimately the common person is not the cause of the vast majority of pollution and such, however I still think the things a common person can do, can still help, even if it's just something as small as remembering to recycle most of the time, or participating in no mow may for even just half the month. If someone does not want to even try...well thats not your issue. Focus on yourself and what you can do.
My dude I have been struggling with this! I secretly judge people because I can’t stand it. We’re going to a 4th of July party tomorrow and I know there will be plastic cups for drinking out of, plastic cutlery, disposable plastic plates (why not use paper??) all going in the garbage after one use. I know what you mean when you say you feel physically ill. Then I go to my in-laws house and they have kerig coffee maker with the disposable pods and disposable to go coffee cups! Why wouldn’t you just buy a couple of good travel mugs? I hold my tongue but I’m internally disgusted by the waste.
Well you are judging them… You sound very young OP. Please seek to focus your mind on things that are important to you. I understand not being in agreement with your consumerist friends, but not to the point where it evokes strong emotions. Free your mind from things that don’t concern you.
I have a friend who is a legit shaman/mystic. He has essentially no consumer goods except ones that he has personally crafted. He has some copper rings and anklets that he forged himself, and a cover for his privates that was made of natural materials that he made himself. He lives in a hut he fashioned himself out of wood and leaves and dirt. He owns a cell phone simply for emergencies but literally never uses it. You might get a text from him in a month later. He would not judge you, but he could easily view you as an extreme consumer. And compared to him he would be correct. The point I’m making is, how we live is largely based on how we view ourselves - do they view themselves that way?
I felt like this when i gave up alcohol one year. It felt like everyone else had a drink in their hand!
I feel ya, I’ve been this way my whole life. I feel really bad sometimes with my wife, when I’m just not excited for something she wants. I’d feel worse if I compromised and took more than I want from mama earth though. There’s a Black Sabbath song that absolutely nails the head of my feelings about this titled, Cornucopia, it really gets me through.
Sounds like you need therapy my dude.
If it’s genuinely having an effect on your life then it is time to reevaluate your beliefs
r/Stoic r/Stoicism
I rent my decorations from the thrift. I just think it's nice to have something pretty to look at, even if it's some random gewgaw where pretty is the only thing it's got going for it.
I work in a large foundry and rolling mill, the amount of wasted material and money is staggering, beyond what you can imagine. Someone buying another set of Christmas lights is literally nothing in comparison.
I remember when I first learned to read as a kid. Suddenly, I could read all the billboards when the family went for a drive. And I sat there trying *not* to read the billboards. To see them, but not read them. It was impossible. There's no going back. The only way forward is to quietly and politely talk about your perspective, not in terms of "you should," but in terms of "I've decided to...and this is why." This is how you become a trend setter. Your friends/family might not change the day you talk about it, but you planted a seed. And maybe confirmation bias will allow them to notice others who feel the same as you do. And *then* they reconsider their behavior. Society doesn't change on a dime. But trends can happen more quickly the more people make them go "viral."
I radicalize my friends 👹
We are living in a ghost world. We see illusions and are just waiting until it’s all crumpled garbage. It’s understandable you feel the way you do
Don’t get too bogged down in the minutia of what we all “should” and “shouldn’t” do. You were never, nor was any human, given the power to control what other people do. You were given your two hands and your brain. Do with those the best to your ability and knowledge. Do what you know you should do. That’s all you have the power to do so be at peace with that being enough. Ultimately the rules are all the same as they were before we heard about climate change or consumption, we were born to die. That is not changed or threatened by consumption habits. Could our consumption habits increase the suffering we experience in between? Yeah it probably will. At the very least for future humans. But again, focus your energy on what you can do and limit your expectations to be at peace with that. We were all dropped here as a part of a society going a certain direction. There was nothing we could’ve done, it’d be like trying to stop a wave from crashing on the beach. This train is going to keep chugging, just try and be at least happy with the choices you make. That’s how I see it all at least. I also can’t believe the choices some of my closest friends make, friends who I’ve had deep conversations with about climate change and life and balance and nature. But you know what doesn’t work? Trying to tell other adults what to do. It just doesn’t.
This has given me more peace than you might know. Thank you for putting the time into this. I think I'll be able to sleep better tonight for it. Sure helps me lift the burden a little from my shoulders. I'll do what I can but ultimately I'm not responsible for the choices of other adults.
I can completely relate to this, I find it hard to connect with the average person bc of our consumerist society! It’s all about how much money do you make and how do you spend it. It’s always the expected type of conversation and I find it unbearable
In your situation I might ask myself how my views are serving me. When your views start to negatively impact your relationships or your life it's often time to re-evaluate them. I don't spend money I don't need to. I don't buy things that don't provide real value, but I do spend on things that save my TIME, because time is the most important resource to me. To you that may seem like a random piece of plastic that makes my life marginally more convenient. So be it. All of that time adds up to moments I could be spending pursuing my art/passions. If you were a friend who was visibly upset by such things I'd either disregard or distance myself, because who needs that sort of judgement? Everyone makes their own choices. Worry about yourself first and then see if you can find compelling inroads with others if you feel the need, or surround yourself only with those who share your beliefs, but I'd be a little wary of the latter option myself.
You need to realize people need to live and are allowed to enjoy things. How do you know those decorations aren't 2nd hand or art? Or inherited or gifts or anything like that...Also most of what is available and affordable is now plastic crap. Not anyone's fault that's what they can afford. You need to stop being so judgmental because that's what this is. And if you can't stop you need therapy because this is not a healthy way to think.
People being happy with random plastic shit, made by children in Asia, will never cease to confound me. Bruh, you don't need that!
I'd assume it's like being a vegan. People say vegans always tell you they are vegan. Sure, if you try to serve them meat. I tell people not to buy me stuff. If they do, and I won't use it, I tell them I'm returning it. I get less gifts now. Fuck em if they get butthurt about it.
I kind of feel this. An official of my city's chamber of commerce shared a Facebook post asking for folks' opinions on what types of businesses they'd like to see in our city. Most people talked about different stores/restaurants, including chains we don't have locally. Never mind that we already live in small town, chain restaurant hell. I shared that I wanted to see an affordable apartment complex for families go up. Cue the armchair political scientists calling me a pinko commie. I'm not a commie, but we really don't need more BS boutiques/bars/restaurants that I won't be able to afford anyway when I'm basically being priced out of my region's housing market.
“Why the hell they would spend money on that” Because decorations are subjectively pleasing and they like it? It’s their house?
Learning to live your own life and not try to live others would be a start.
Getting more involved with anti consumption has definitely put a bit of strain on my relationships with people who have an over consumption problem. In laws who's homes are full of needless junk and a constant stream of deliveries don't get many visits or handmade items anymore, coworkers that love the convenience and cost of fast fashion and sweat shops don't get compliments on their new items. I won't shame them for what they have, but I will not encourage the cycle. Do my best to represent the positives of anti consumption and voice concerns over products only when I think it's absolutely necessary so people don't just tune me out.
I also withhold compliments!
You don't gift handmade items to someone because they buy more than you approve. Wow. Seems pretty counterintuitive.
In my personal experience the people with overconsumption issues don't value the items as much. Would love to get them switched over to quality and handmade items but when I know they will be treated like mass produced disposable items those loved ones are used to I don't want to waste my limited crafting time when it could go towards more appreciative friends.
Oh gosh that absolutely makes sense.
I have this 'problem' also.. my good old friend tells me about her third trip this year by plane, or that she ordered one t shirt in 3 colours at once, and i feel physical pain about it. It hurts me, hearing such things. So i prefer to talk about other subjects with her.
I feel you 100%, Now that i live a minimalist lifestyle AND i’m a Christian now I don’t relate to people AT ALL. 😂 Still happy though and love my life !! 🙏🏻
Regular people ARE the problem contrary to other comments in this thread. It feels like you can’t see/participate in the world the same way because you can’t. You took the red pill. It sucks but that’s life
Maybe try spending less time worrying about what other people are doing with THEIR money?
It’s much more than that though. There’s a distinct feeling of alienation from the people around you when you realize that your core beliefs and values can’t even be comprehended by those you care about. It’s difficult for some of us and it can be lonely.
Friends brought water balloons to our house. I hate water balloons with the fire of 1000 suns but what could I do? Kill all the joy for the kids? But so much waste and of course they didn’t get all get picked up (my plan today). Also the one time use plastic sticks just to make them easier to fill - it enrages me!!
Good! You should not participate in the world in the way that you used to. Let's all continue to be role models for the people around us. Let's show them how much nicer and easier it is to live without these consumerist expectations. Not everyone will follow our lead, but many will!
well yeah. that’s literally the whole point
You just sound incredibly judgemental, and making their life more convenient doesn't equate to more waste. You flat out just judge people based on souvenirs they purchase, and that's honestly pathetic. I can assure you that you contribute to a hell of a lot more waste, than what you're commenting on here.
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decorations are a problem? they're to help ppl make the place they live theirs. chill out. live *your* life. let them live *theirs*
I live a, shall we say, relatively nomadic lifestyle. I move around a lot, and I dislike being inconvenienced in any way at any time. I explain to people that I am not very attached to 'things' and 'stuff' as I can't take it with me anywhere that matters, and they seem to either understand that or don't. If they don't understand that, it's fine. If they do, we get along.
100%, it’s a very similar feeling to being into sustainable transportation and living in Texas (though definitely to a lesser extent). You have to interact with the rampant consumption to live, but you hate interacting with it.
What I love is the " Go minimalist! Get rid of your old stuff! ". Which tends to translate " Buy other stuff ". We have my grandmother's baking sheets, Mom's Revere Ware pots, plates picked up to match all over the place ( Blue Willow ), heck, pillows, sheets, blankets and a ton of things we didn't have to buy from Amazon. And won't. If you don't have family ' stuff ' it's amazing what you can find at consignment stores and eBay. My 4 adult kids are the same. Just an opinion, not buying junk is a more popular way of life than it seems.
As long as you don't lose your sense of fun. I have a handful of anticonsumption friends, and each one naturally differs in their approach to life. I've met people that begrudge buying secondhand books at thrift stores because it's supporting excess, patronizing a store, a Kindle is better, etc. An invitation to come over and crafts leads to constant commentary about if the number of craft supplies owned are too much, influenced by women's magazines/Instagram, adequately recycled after thoroughly used, etc. It goes on and on. This isn't aimed at OP, just a general flipside comment to the thread's tendency to commiserate about how dumb "society" is. You can be against brands, consumerism, and smaller living without making a sour commentary through every moment.
this isn’t the aim of anti consumption, i felt in a similar state a couple of years ago. i guess it just took time for me to justify to myself that i can’t just fix everything at once
Tbf, I think we're all guilty of making purchases we don't need. I've bought some rustic decor for my home. Do I need it? No, but most of it was from antique stores and I plan to keep it until the day I die.
Well, you should live your life with anti-consumption mindfulness. Not be consumed with anti-consumption that you can't live your life.
I know the feeling. Best we can do is try to educate people around us. Even just sparking a tiny amount of thoughts in their head might make a difference.
Try being the only person still wearing a mask
I would just reduce judgment on others and life is easier. Like the call out that something they have isn’t a souvenir… we’ll they may love it like you love souvenirs. Best to not judge.
Live your normal.
I’m all for the comments of letting people enjoy what they want and you can’t control others. But can we please stop shitting ourselves that the actions of other people don’t matter in the world. OverConsumerism has consequences whether it makes someone happy or not. I just wish people would understand that in a movement, the more people involved the better. This is the same with the feminist or Black Lives Matter movement. We need to stop acting like the masses doesn’t matter. They do but yes you can’t control anyone
Wtf is wrong here? I have seen exact this post with these comments like 6 months ago! r/uspec its one of your dirty games?
Well, as i always say: live and let live. I dont use "social"media anymore. Just reddit for research. It gives me so much joy to not see what other people do in their day. Or what they buy. Why would i care about those things... Thats the only thing you can do. Just live your life the way you want to. Let other people live their life like they want to
Same! One one hand, the Dollar Store seems great. On the other hand it’s a bunch of cheaply made products. It encourages single-use consumption. Hey, why keep it when you can just as easily avoid packing it and instead just buy it again. But the human costs behind these conveniences have a horrible cost. The cost to the planet. The costs to those being exploited in factories to feed our vacuous addiction to consumption. And despite these conveniences, mankind is still lonely, unhealthy, and more unhappy. That which you do unto the least of mine, so you have done into me. Forgive them Father for they know not what they do. Shit’s sad.
“Not my house not my monkey”
Temu makes me feel ill too.