and make the cognitive error

That’s being charitable. Often, it’s not a cognitive error, but rather spite and retaliation. Hanlon’s razor really doesn’t work well in these situations.

People know damn well what they’re up to, and will redouble their efforts at the suggestion that something might be taken off their plate.

True. Especially in later stages, when someone has joined a tribe. I think in earlier stages it really can be a cognitive error, which is the catalyst for later radicalization, spite, retaliation, etc

So, it’s a false message to save 24 thousand metric tons of plastic from the environment? That continuing to pollute and throw away single use plastics is actually the true message?

Haha. You think you're soooo clever arguing like this. You got him, didn't you?

Well, these all feel like straw men arguments.

“Don’t tell people to not pollute because they will pollute more”

:eye-roll:

It’s like “don’t tell people to treat women with respect because then they will hurt women more”

It’s a logical Fallacy and everyone arguing it should be ashamed.

You‘re the one making a straw man argument. If you had read my comment at all charitably, you would have known I was referring to a larger problem than plastic straw waste. Obviously plastic straws create waste. [I dislike them personally and don’t use them]

The issue is, though, if people paint straws as a vital cause of such problems as ocean garbage patches, then that sort of messaging can turn people away. If people research and find that most ocean garbage comes from a few rivers, and fishing nets, then they won’t trust people who say ”don‘t use straws, it pollutes the oceans [in a significant way]“.

Do you care if there is some truth to it?

This thread, and many like it, demonstrate what I believe is the root problem in so many of society's problems today: undisciplined/shallow thinking, sub-optimal motivations (winning the argument), and poor communication.