https://sfba.social/@drahardja/117344931893000589
the other day a tanky said a sentence constructed like that to me too, while literally arguing for me to join his authoritarian group
this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2026
809 points (96.8% liked)
solarpunk memes
6328 readers
663 users here now
For when you need a laugh!
The definition of a "meme" here is intentionally pretty loose. Images, screenshots, and the like are welcome!
But, keep it lighthearted and/or within our server's ideals.
Posts and comments that are hateful, trolling, inciting, and/or overly negative will be removed at the moderators' discretion.
Please follow all slrpnk.net rules and community guidelines
Have fun!
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
This is only valid as long as your partial/incomplete solution doesn't encourage people who would otherwise keep working on solving the whole problem to decide that since there's a solution they can just knock off for brunch and leave you to it.
Partial solutions to a polluted creek that's choked with litter? Yes please, then we can see what comes next
Placebo solutions that make people who've made no difference feel like they've done their part to fight fascism and can go back to brunch? Gtfo with that shit.
Hint: if the "problem" is a societal one, nothing you see or hear suggested by anyone who has advertisers is going to actually solve anything, and is likely to work against anyone trying an actual solution.
And here we are. The exact sentiment described by OP.
You are the one describing the solution as "placebo". I think the effort I implement is a positive step. I believe strongly that you are one of two types of people: Anti-solution and an agitator trying to divide and dishearten; or... maybe... you're invested in the positive outcome and you will continue the greater work while I try to ensure you still can.
If you were only doing it because it was 100% bad, then you're just as much of an idiot as those 'why wouldn't you rape without sky-daddy watching you' christians. You can still work to solve it when it's only 90% as bad as it was, since it will still be 100% bad.
Hint: Telling people to either be fully dedicated to solving the big issues or give up and 'go to brunch' is reductive and not encouraging the way you want it to be.
No.
The "solution" they're clearly trying to defend without naming it to make it obvious is "voting for liberal politicians". That absolutely 100% is a placebo, and every time the liberal shitbag wins, all their Blue No Matter Who voters (or whatever the equivalent is in other countries) go back to brunch and pretend all the problems have been solved
Hint: "go back to brunch" is a derisive way to mock liberals, and wasn't intended to be encouraging at all to anyone.
From the other poster: Using a paper straw does reduce plastic usage. So will using reusable grocery bags. A person can quite easily do both. Deriding the paper straw as a useless step just seems unhelpful to me. When the plastic bags and straws are reduced, we can attack other angles too. As an anecdote, I rarely even get offered a choice of straw nowadays - it's either not present or paper. that's a minor win, but a win nonetheless. Some people worked hard to make that happen and this talk of placebo is derisive of that work.
This is you presuming to know the motivations of all other people and deciding for them when they stop working on new things. Just because I want people to be involved in their political processes doesn't mean I stop at the voting booth, or can't also be doing service in my community. I don't love the catchphrase 'Blue no matter Who' - but I recognize that not voting blue is always going to be detrimental to the cause until enough people are involved in local level organizations to change the candidates from the ground up. Until we get there, I recommend we vote blue.
Discouraging civic engagement only benefits the wealthy. Wanna fight fascism and oligarchs? Encourage people to participate instead of telling them it doesn't matter or there can only be revolution instead of incremental progress.
That's my whole point. Don't discourage.
More encouragement of participation is better. Tell me that's wrong.
Plastic pollution in the ocean is not from consumer waste, it's from industrial fishing. Plastic straws LITERALLY DO NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE. It's a fantastic example of this.
Look at the people telling you to engage in these ways.
This is the epitome of the issue I'm talking about -- you people seem to presume the engagement ends at the simple step. For some, it will, but those people weren't likely to engage larger in the first place and reducing the consumer waste doesn't hurt.
For others, it will make them aware of the larger call to action, to get them to join advocacy groups that punish industrial and systemic issues.
I can't stop fascism or climate change or pollution on my own. I need MORE people engaged and telling people we need all or nothing solutions can only lower the number of people willing to take action. Individual, even trivial steps matter.
Look at the people telling you to give up.
No one is saying to give up. The fact that you hear "stop wasting your energy trying to solve things in ways that are controlled by the people profiting from the problem" and interpret that as "give up" tells us all exactly how engaged you are with anything that actually might make a difference.
Your lack of reading comprehension tells me exactly how much you think.
My point being: 'give up' is what some people, who would otherwise be our allies, are hearing. Stop telling *them* to give up.
You won't make more anti-capitalists by squashing the people who see the problems and want to solve them just not in your way. That only accelerates us towards the fascism you claim to be against.
"I use a paper straw, so I dont have to reduce my plastic usage"
I think this is an example of what this commentor was pointing out.