I pressed a couple clueless activists that came to my college to speak on this issue, and raised the point that over 90% of the world's ocean plastic comes from roughly half a dozen rivers in Africa and Asia, and that the U.S. contributes less than 1% total, plastic straws accounting for less than 0.01% of that total. And when they hemmed around an answer, I asked if the bans were really accomplishing anything productive, other than raising costs for businesses and consumers while simultaneously providing an inferior product? Their response was that it isn't so much about fixing the problem overall as it is about raising awareness. I thanked them and said that was exactly the answer I had been looking for, which they seemed rather confused about, but it didn't seem like critical thinking was really their strong suit to begin with.
I pressed a couple clueless activists that came to my college to speak on this issue, and raised the point that over 90% of the world's ocean plastic comes from roughly half a dozen rivers in Africa and Asia, and that the U.S. contributes less than 1% total, plastic straws accounting for less than 0.01% of that total. And when they hemmed around an answer, I asked if the bans were really accomplishing anything productive, other than raising costs for businesses and consumers while simultaneously providing an inferior product? Their response was that it isn't so much about fixing the problem overall as it is about raising awareness. I thanked them and said that was exactly the answer I had been looking for, which they seemed rather confused about, but it didn't seem like critical thinking was really their strong suit to begin with.
Logic is the antithesis of their arguments.