Comments on The Moral of the Story

Um, the audience didn't seem even a little bit "disturbed, offended, or emotionally hurt". At least not by the skin. The singing, however, was pretty offensive.

And this bears very little relevance to Seattle's proposed bag tax, which would only apply to a small portion of the bags.

And of course not even Modbury's plan does fuck-all for the plastic that killed those birds. Birds don't eat bags, because they don't look like food. They eat bottlecaps and toy parts and all the other unidentifiable plastic garbage. Seriously, go to any Washington beach and it's COVERED with plastic -- none of it bags.

But, you know, it's the thought that counts, right? Symbolism is the only thing that's important. That's the American Way -- it's the lesson of the Bush Administration. We're all Bushies now.

I blame the Chinese. (No particular reason; it's just hip to blame the Chinese for everything.)

Bags are indeed a threat to some marine life; they resemble jellyfish. The solution is obviously to emblazon bags with "THIS IS NOT A JELLYFISH" warnings, and then to promote seaturtle literacy.

Eliminating bags isn't a perfect solution, as Fnarf explains; and taxing them is even less perfect. But it's a good start, right?

Re: #1

Oops. That comment was supposed to go with the nekid rugby players.

So sorry.

(once again remembering to observe National Don't Wake Fnarf From His Wikipedia Unreality Day)

Interesting. I wonder if the bags were being used to obscure the ineffective omnipresent cameras.

the grocery stores sold everything from olives to ice cream in bags and other small containers, all made of cornstarch or paper….

Cornstarch? Are we going to replace en masse an everyday product seen as environmentally irresponsible with a food-based version? Yeah, surely that could never cause us any trouble ...

But on the whole plastic bag issue...

True, reducing or eliminating grocery bags is a gesture, and it won't solve the pollution problem all by itself.

Nevertheless, it is a step in the right direction. It is a recognition that all this packaging isn't merely a waste, it has environmental impacts. If it eventually leads to greater awareness of all manner of plastics and packaging and what it does to the environment, then that's a good thing.

Just like global warming can't be solved solely by forcing everyone to drive Priuses (Prii? Priusi?). It will take a combination of a variety of changes: better milage cars, better public transportation options, more carpooling, denser cities, cleaner manufacturing processes, better energy conservation in construction, etc.

Likewise, eliminating plastic bags is just one component in the overall reduction of plastic waste polution.

Will, you are the one who relies on Wikipedia, not me. I've actually visited the seaside and counted and photographed the plastic.

@9 - wow, I thought you didn't have a life ...

Ooh, good one!

not only the ocean. nicaragua was covered in plastic bags when i went there.

plastic bags were a new phenomenon, and they don't have garbage pickup.

@10 haha that actually made me laugh out loud -- nicely done, will in seattle.

The meek may not make it to their inheritance.
I hope humans don't last too much longer on this planet. They really don't deserve it if it's just their trash pile.

@14, no one's stopping you from leading the way. Unless, of course, you try to lead from the Aurora Bridge.

I formally challenge Fnarf to go ONE FULL 7 DAY WEEK without acquiring ANY PLASTIC at all.

No plastic food wrappers of any kind, no tchotchkes, no bags, no new pens, no plastic-lined plastic-lidded take-out coffee cups, no plastic bottles ... etc. Nothing Plastic. One Week. Are you up for it?

I challenge you Fnarf. If you do this successfully, I will give you no less than 14 Washington State Quarters handed to you by me, treacle, in full view of the cameras, at the following Slog Happy @ Moe. I will also buy you a Very Strong Drink.

You pick the week. I authorize The Stranger to give you my email address to contact me to set this up.

But I will keep those quarters, Fnarf, because you cannot successfully do this. You cannot go one week without plastic.

plastic: the necessary evil. or is it? we would have to rethink our lives entirely to eliminate it. or reformulate it so it's more biodegradable? and stop burning it, as it adds significantly to air pollution (more of a common practice elsewhere in the world). in any case, the ban on plastic bags is a nice start, you snarky bastards.

What do I have to give you if I lose? I don't think I can do it either, but it might be fun to try.

I don't think the problem really lies with plastic in and of itself, as much as how we dispose of it. How are toothbrushes and toys getting into the ocean? When I walk past a parking lot where someone has discarded a used Pamper, the answer is pretty evident.

Plastic floats. A lot of places dump their garbage out at sea.

@18 -- if you lose? You have to stop making anti-good-idea comments in Slog... :) Or simply dedicate your life to the elimination of frivolous plastic waste. :D