But in one case the victim is a person with feelings and in the other case it’s a tree. I find it quite concerning that people seem to struggle to see the difference.

Just checked and can’t believe it only got 40 %. Perhaps it’s because it was too close to the Matrix hype at the time. In my friend group we even called all these movies “vermatrixt”.

As someone who was in the same shoes as the person you reacted to: I was absolutely repulsed. It’s the main reason why I waited until my late thirties to get a partner for life.

When I got the slightest whiff of the men being with me because he liked that I was short / skinny / childlike that was the end of the relationship. It’s not only superficial, but also highly questionable to find your partner attractive because of these traits.

He looks too happy and to pretty, this did not bode well with Turkish police!

The concerns were raised but ignored by the media and in politics. It doesn’t stop people from voting for right-wing parties if you just insult them as right-wing and never do anything about their concerns. At some point they just accept that mark and act accordingly.

Sorry, I didn’t mean this on you specifically. Just that we can not tell people (as a society) to just live more frugal without addressing the overall problems that drive so many into consumerism. It’s a bit like how people treat drug addicts. I see the same in the recent climate debate. Instead of focusing on the root issue, it is reduced to judging other people’s morals or character.

People do these things to fight negative emotions. If you want people to change their ways being arrogant and not showing any empathy won’t help.

Anybody who is dependent on consumerism got to that point because society sells these things like tasty food, vacation, alcohol, tech gadgets, etc., as an easy fix for pain and other internal struggles. It’s not about teaching them to be frugal. Almost everybody has something they rely on to deal with their negative emotions, but it’s easier to see in others than in ourselves.