A thought-stopping cliché that really bothers me is the idea that refusing to participate in something is fanaticism, extremist, or akin to religious belief. There are many people on the internet itching to convince us that setting a boundary and holding our ground makes us a bunch of crazies. Who do you suppose that idea serves?

For example, I know that refusing to consume animal products won't stop their production. But it does lessen demand for them while creating it for alternatives. Scoff, but a small number of people behaving consistently over time shifted the narrative around meat consumption enough to result in fast-food giant Burger King adding a vegetarian burger to its menu. How many people and millions of dollars did it take to develop, market, and launch this product? To train staff ? To print packaging, change signs, secure the supply chain, and write the HACCP plans?

The principle applies to people who refuse to engage with anything AI has touched, or refuse to use non-free software. This isn't fanaticism; it's aligning our actions with a version of the world we want to live in. Opting out isn't a thoughtless emotional reaction, it's an intentional means toward an end, one of the few tools working people have to effect change. Don't put that tool down. Don't let anyone convince you that the centrist option is inherently the sane one. Don't let anyone convince you that setting a boundary and standing by it is extremist. If enough people participate, we win. If not, we can at least sleep knowing that harm wasn't done in our name. As Suzanne Massie said:

All that the Devil asks is acquiescence.

#AI #vegan #FLOSS #FOSS