If you are not coherent, you better keep quiet.

PalmDo you think the only solution to tourist overcrowding is to embrace degrowth? Do you go to protests against tourism and express your discontent with the situation we've reached in any forum? That's all very well. But if you also take advantage of your vacation to travel (and go sightseeing, even if you don't want to admit it), perhaps it would be better to keep quiet. Ludwig Wittgenstein said that "what we cannot speak about, we must remain silent about." Don't be fooled by the apparent simplicity of this statement; it actually has to do with language, not morality. The point is that we all talk about things we should keep silent about, whether due to a lack of linguistic resources, knowledge, or morality.

Do you think the fight against climate change is the greatest challenge humanity has faced in recent centuries? Do you curse private jets? You're absolutely right, unless you travel by plane as a tourist to a crowded city (no, no matter how much you'd like to believe it, you're not a traveler, but a common "guiri"). You should also keep quiet if you regularly use a car while advocating for public transport (I've heard there are professional environmentalists who shamelessly travel up and down the highway on their diesel). There's a chance someone might tell you you're nothing more than a simple hypocrite. I won't be the one to do that; I just want to warn you that some people are a bit picky about doing what you say and saying what you do.

Do you defend public schools as a bastion of democracy, equal opportunity, and civic values? Wonderful, unless you prefer a charter school for your children or spending your money on a private school, where you're sure to make good contacts. Nobody knows what the future will bring, and it's best to maintain a good relationship with society's elites, those who can afford to pay hundreds of euros a month to set foot in one of these classrooms where teachers scold you in English.

Are you protesting against housing as a business? Are you demanding measures to guarantee the right to a roof over your head? Are you accusing landlords of taking advantage of a perverse system? You're at the forefront of social thought, especially if you don't rent out that little apartment you inherited to quiet tourists who won't bother the neighbors and who bring in a substantial summer income. If you're not being consistent, you'd better keep quiet.