Disposable means imperialist. So does polluting.
The dictionary defines imperialism as:
The policy, practice, or advocacy of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas.
Making something disposable means when you’re done with it, you put it into someone else’s space. Likewise with pollution. In principle, if the disposable thing biodegrades, it might decompose, but most disposable things don’t and even many that do, we produce in such quantity that they don’t in practice. Pollution into shared land, water, and air invades the spaces of other nations, people, and their bodies.
In other words, using disposable stuff and polluting uses our power over others: they have to deal with our waste. If it’s plastic it’s toxic. I don’t see how to avoid concluding that buying disposable things and funding pollution fund imperialism. To clarify, I’m not judging. I’m not saying these activities are good, bad, right, or wrong. If you value innocent people’s freedom but you also dispose and pollute, your conscience may note that you’re violating your values, but that’s your conscience, not mine.
If you don’t want to be imperialist, don’t buy disposable things and don’t pollute. If you buy disposable and pollute, if you criticize imperialism, you’re talking about yourself. Until you change, at least.
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