Terracide and the Terrarists Destroying the Planet for Record Profits

[GliderGuider]

5. I wonder where this leaves people like me?

All those evil CEOs of all those evil corporations? I really, honestly, don't think they are monsters. I really think they are largely normal people. At least as normal, on average, as any of us. They love their wives and children, and they are doing what the system is asking of them, using the tools they have available. Their circumstances give them a different view of what is possible and desirable. Yes, their views have been warped by their situation, and in turn their views help shape the situation - but who among us can say we don't do the same thing, though on a smaller scale?

If we marched them all to the guillotine, the system would simply ensure that others stepped forward to fill their vacated roles. And the system is not composed of men and women - it's composed of processes. The individuals are largely inconsequential.

The motivation of the system is not murder, its motivation is the increase in material well-being for all. It's what "we" wanted. The consequences suck, but we should have thought of that before we asked for cheaper gasoline, electricity in every wall socket and heat on demand in the winter.

So, what does this position make me? A fellow traveler, an apologist for "terraism"? Or a realist who knows we've been fucked by circumstances rather than men?