1) I can guarantee you oil extraction from places like Nigeria isn't free of child exploitation, but I bet you continue to make the lifestyle choice of driving.

2) I didn't say adoption is bad for smart parents I said its not equivalent to having children of your own for smart parents. There aren't exactly a ton of children of high IQ couples in the adoption market. My bother in law is adopted and he is a doll and adoption is great. But it's not completely equivalent to having your own kids.

1) That is very obviously and intentionally not a response to what I asked. I barely, barely drive as it is. I commute to work, I'm within biking distance of my grocery store. Besides, transportation is sort of essential in the United States to commute and buy food. A diamond has none of that utility. None at all. The fact that you compare them, use it to justify any sort of exploitation is incredible.

2) I should've let it go, I have no desire to argue to have an irrelevant discussion about adoption that already offends my sensibilities.

I'm not really trying to single "you" out, FWIW. I'm using a generic "you" at a website full of people who likely choose to drive around in the suburban wasteland that is Silicon Valley, who likely work in an industry that repopularized the sprawling suburban office park, and the hypocrisy of their complaining about how other peoples' lifestyle choices are hurting people in Africa.

Look, I don't care that you can assert that we're hypocritical. My honest response is "Duh."

I care that when the lens is focused on you, the only defense you have is that you're just as bad as the rest of us.

It's completely non-inspirational and devoid of the idea that we should try to be better.

It's as empty as the diamonds you're defending.

He's not defending diamonds at all.

He's pointing out that you have a relatively weak argument to be standing on if you are going to get outraged over how evil diamond are, then continue to happily consume dozens of other "evil" products in your everyday life. The only reason these other "evil" products are being brushed under the table is they are much harder for you to do without day to day than a diamond.

>He's not defending diamonds at all.

This is utter failure.

Do you think I'm not outraged at all the other things we see?

It absolutely _infuriates_ me that you expect me _not_ to be outraged at something because I should be _more_ outraged at _everything_.

It's _so useless_. It's _so dysfunctional_.

Believe me, my outrage is very _active_ and directed towards things outside this conversation.

In this conversation, though, it just seems to me that... there's just nothing ambiguous! Diamonds are awful. They're just awful.

And if that means I'm firing on a hair-trigger, well... so be it.