It isn’t shifting blame to talk about the biggest contributors to the problem. I don’t understand why people always feel the need to pretend like we’re saying “hey guys, don’t take any personal responsibility. Its not our fault!”
People talk about it because what else are we supposed to do? I don’t eat meat. I don’t drive a car. I’m sure its true for a decent number of other people. But how many more concessions do individuals have to make? How will we control what other individuals do? We can’t. Clearly. Like the example you gave about the people who come to vegan threads. How am I supposed to change their minds? How are any of us? There needs to be real systemic changes that directly affect the corporations and entities responsible for this, as well as us.
Yes, people love cars. Is it because they are addicted consumerists? Yes. But also because of a concerted and incredibly successful effort on behalf of automobile and fossil fuel corporations to lobby for car based infrastructure, and to spread propaganda that would inevitably lead to cars being seen as symbols of freedom.
People consume meat and dairy by the truckloads. But, again, how many campaigns were led by the companies producing this food to overblow its health benefits? Got Milk?
Do we place all the blame on the addict and none on the dealer? Especially when the dealer has more power than anyone else on the planet?
So what do we do then? Say nothing? Don’t complain? Just hope that someday people will just decide we are right? That they will undo literal decades of brainwashing and complacency because we believe in the power of personal responsibility?
Can’t we just talk shit about the horrible disgusting shit the corporations have done and will doubtlessly continue to do, without someone assuming we just want to laze around, buy thing, and leave the problem to solve itself?
If you think saying that governments and corporations being “overwhemingly more responsible” is shifting “all” the blame away, then idk what to tell you. Because it is a factually correct statement. They have more power and control than any of us. It doesn’t mean personal choices don’t play into it, nor does it come off to me as pretending that’s the case. I don’t get the idea of seeing people rightfully complaining about our demonstrably shit leadership, and feeling the urge to claim that people are shifting blame. I really don’t get it.