Still thinking about a post I was so unfortunate to have come across that accused anarchists of only caring about aesthetics as if MLs don't goon over soviet imagery and over utilize jargon they barely know how to apply
Veganism is a form of boycotting, for boycotts to work we need as many people participating as possible. Like all pessimistic attitudes toward the action of boycotting, it serves a selfish doomerism that rids an individual of any responsibility and sabotages preemptively. Thusly absolving individuals of consumerist guilt by cloaking their inaction as "concerns over efficacy"
Denying the role that individuals need to play in combating the climate crisis is the leftist version of climate change denial. Anyone responding to suggestions of realistic, accessible changes to reduce your own impact with anything resembling ‘100 companies are responsible for most of our emissions so this is pointless’ are engaging in science denialism.
There is no way that collective action takes place without individuals making changes in their own lives. Yes, the rich are more responsible than the poor and yes, what we need is systematic change. However, there absolutely are things we can and should be doing to reduce our own impact and put pressure on polluting industries through direct action and boycott.
These include stopping or reducing flying, eliminating or drastically reducing our consumption of meat and dairy, buying second hand where possible, repairing, recycling and supporting environmental action and rewilding efforts. None of this in isolation will mend the world but its a hell of a lot better than passing the buck while refusing to make any changes in our own lives.
I know that the idea that climate change is caused by someone else; somewhere else, and that it’s up to them to change instead of us is seductive rhetoric, but it’s also extremely dangerous. It encourages the kind of apathy that plays directly into the hands of corporations who want us to feel powerless and to continue to consume as we do now.
We can’t just sit around and wait for The Revolution; we have to live revolutionary lives.