Do You Think Plastic Feels Bad?

This is a completely serious question.

Here’s what’s going on: I don’t know how to behave towards plastic because the overall plastic narrative is too chaotic and I don’t know where I’m supposed to stand. I am conflicted between plastic being a normal part of our lives (because of all of the plastic we continue to use) and plastic being evil (because of all of the pollution and stuff). Which perspective am I supposed to internalize? Am I supposed to be acting casual toward plastic use or acting out against it?

Here’s what we know: plastic decomposition into microplastics is terrible for everything. This is bad! So plastic is evil, but we are all still using plastic pretty regularly so it’s also a normal part of our lives. With this, I feel I can confidently place it in the “necessary evil” category snugly between ‘having to work’ and ‘eating vegetables.’ Though this categorization is helpful, it does not offer any clear behavioral directions, which is what I’m looking for.

I’m not talking about individual plastic objects right now. I know that I can shamefully use my little food containers and that aggressively is the only way to use plastic wrap. I’m talking about plastic as its own entity. Plastic the idea. Plastic’s overall vibe. Like when we talk about “people’’ in the abstract. For example when we say things like “People don’t want…