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A comment on Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?. Parent comment

Re:Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you re... by renewiltord on Monday January 30, 2023 @02:46PM (#34585369)
Yeah but I don't like future generations, my dude. I like me. And so does everyone else. So I'd rather pillage the commons because if I do otherwise the commons won't be unpillaged. It'll just be pillaged by others.

Everyone's all "we must care about the environment" but then you ask them why Germany isn't reforesting (after razing the cities they built on old forests) and why Europe is deforesting at an accelerated rate and it's all this and that.

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Re:Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you re... by hgomersall on Monday January 30, 2023 @03:26PM (#34585852)
The commons is an interesting point. It was stable for a long time through very strong social and cultural norms. It was broken essentially by wealthy landowners taking slices of it and then using their oversized influence to change the law to support them. It suggests the root of the solution to any of this stuff is very much cultural and social.
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