Monday, November 29, 2010
Psychology of Waste
The standard response by oil companies for poisoning our environment is to blame consumers for not living a more sustainable way of life. They neglect to mention that the limited choices we have are a result of their bribes to politicians to keep things the way they are.
Shifting the blame onto powerless consumers, who can only do so much to cut their consumption within the economic framework built by the corporations that own our government, not only forecloses discussion about alternatives, but also distracts us from the fact that energy consumption — similar to water consumption — is mostly industrial. If anyone should be changing their lifestyle, it is industry.
If we want to move toward a more sustainable way of life, even more important than driving less and insulating our homes is becoming conscious of the reality of energy use and energy waste, and becoming involved in changing that dynamic. Understanding how corporate media and government undermine our psychological will to fight is a logical place to start.
Shifting the blame onto powerless consumers, who can only do so much to cut their consumption within the economic framework built by the corporations that own our government, not only forecloses discussion about alternatives, but also distracts us from the fact that energy consumption — similar to water consumption — is mostly industrial. If anyone should be changing their lifestyle, it is industry.
If we want to move toward a more sustainable way of life, even more important than driving less and insulating our homes is becoming conscious of the reality of energy use and energy waste, and becoming involved in changing that dynamic. Understanding how corporate media and government undermine our psychological will to fight is a logical place to start.
