Paper Or Plastic

The latest wacky environmentalist cause now is the great "paper or plastic" grocery bag debate. In some countries (Ireland is one of those) plastic bags have been banned for consumer use, in others moderated (In Australia one pays for each plastic bag used if not selecting the paper bag or own bag option) or still others substituted (The store sells a permanent burlap bag or asks the customer to bring his or her own) with a third option.
It seems to me like great ado about an innocuous (bag) issue. But in this age of global warming fears that the mass media has created in many people, it is just another reflection of how the trendy overrules the logical. The bag ban movement comes as cities, states and countries are trying to eliminate non biodegradable plastic bags from cityscapes, waterways and landfills. San Francisco banned them. Oakland is considering a ban. New York and New Jersey require retailers to recycle them. China announced a ban this month. But all I want to do is put a plastic bag over Al Gore's head... and a tight fit!
Plastic bags take a reputed 1000 years to disintegrate when put in landfills, though they can are are recycled by some stores. Most paper bags degrade in about 6 months (but sometimes much longer), but the release of those "green gases" the global warming nuts fear so much are much greater when paper bags are manufactured. Plastic grocery bags can be recycled into other products with less environmental impact than recycling paper. Additionally, because a paper bag weighs much more and requires more space, the costs and environmental impact of transporting them to and from grocery stores are much higher than for plastic bags.
Is this comparison and the whole subject of banning grocery bags a little silly? YES. I doubt the planet will be destroyed if we use either kind of bag. It's just another "I am superior to you because I am saving the planet inanity". The truth is that what bags we use will have a tiny effect on the environment and that the subject is way down the list of environmental needs. But then, it is trendy to flash a permanent burlap bag at the stores, to make the statement that " I am smarter, and better than you because you use paper or plastic. I am saving the planet with my burlap".
Why do people so often mindlessly support bogus environmental theories like "global warming" and the "paper/plastic" issue? Well, I think it is merely a reflection of the non thinking age in which we live. Sad to say, most people today react rather than think about and through an issue. The herd mentality is much more present today as media outlets, who want controversy and fear to up their ratings, promote causes that lack substance but can quickly become trendy.
Having been a teacher for many years I can testify that the greatest weaknesses in modern schools all over the world is the emphasis on regurgitating facts rather than thinking and using them. Too bad schools don't throw out standardized tests scores (which measure only how much crap a kid can memorize for a test) and replace them with some courses in logic and debate. Haha Maybe they would if they thought that would "save the planet".
I think the electronic revolution is also making humans think less deeply today. Those devices are wonderful, but so many have come so quickly that we don't know how to discriminate in using them. Maybe humans are so overwhelmed with information (and a great deal propaganda) in the mediums that they just don't have time to think whether what they see or read is true or not. Ergo, "Global warming" becomes an "accepted fact" even though there is no evidence to substantiate it.
When I see the growing hysteria about paper/plastic bag use I wonder if the apocalypse is here, if civilization died (of course, if so, with hands clutching those cell phones it loves to death) or whether we are just drowsy from all the stimulus thrown at us each day.
One thing for sure! I am going to use whatever kind of grocery bag is most convenient for me when I go to the grocery today