Just a hunch, but as the father of one pre-schooler and two elementary school kids I think it more than fair to say that you could not swing a dead cat in a crowded school and hit anyone who would give a fig about climate change. It is not a factor in their lives.
In fact, I interviewed my pre-school daughter, and she basically had no comment. My second - our little cuddler - said, "Oh", and went on about his new friend at school. My oldest, age 9, - whose life motto is, "Why walk around obstacles when just walk through them?" - kept remarking about how he wants to play football tomorrow - for the Redskins.
It is not a factor and because someone plants a child in front of a camera and sets about theatrically wailing and gnashing teeth is no reason to take it seriously. It is the pointless prattle of an age that prefers moral exhibitionism to the hard business of actual thought and practical action.
If some child has been terrorized by his/her parents, that is between them and child protective services. As a matter of public policy and sensible analysis it has no significance and is the illusion of seriousness.
The answer to romanticism about the idealism of youth is to recall that children are pint sized versions of the adults they criticize. Their passions are transients and their interests even more so.
Today that young lady was weeping and sobbing about the temperature of the planet. Tomorrow she will be looking across the classroom at that cute boy. It is that deep - which means that it is not deep at all. Perfect utter twaddle and it should be treated as such.
Besides, as someone once said, "Since our society equates happiness with youth, we often assume that sorrow, quiet desperation, and hopelessness go hand in hand with getting older. They don't. Emotional pain or numbness are symptoms of living the wrong life, not a long life."
Whether she was pure as the driven snow or the puppet of some nefarious powers that be is entirely irrelevant. What is rather more horrifying is that grown adults, who in theory at least should be raising children and not being raised by them, are taking this young lady with solemn seriousness and granting her, and her pre-adult compatriots, a degree of credibility that is rooted in a silly emotional romantic sentimentalism rather than a hard analysis of the data and the cost/benefit calculations that come with it.
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I think there's some truth in her claims. The climate changes are most likely a combination between natural changes and these ones influenced by humans. Climate changes happen all the time and the ice age is one of the examples at that. It just happen quicker so animals and humans aren't capable to adapt or the nature to repair itself fast enough, so therefor people wants to slow it down becoming more environmental friendly. It's possible to develop new technologies like cars and airplanes using electricity or batteries instead of oil, plant based items instead of plastic and so on. I don't think meat and airplane shaming would help anyone, since shaming are just demotivating people. Why not finding other solution before trying to make people give up plane, meat and enjoyment in life?
It's possible to have your own opinions without being a political puppet or abused. Everyone gets influenced by someone else's when it comes to our own opinions and almost none of our thoughts are original. Greta Thunberg is raised in a democracy and in school Swedish children are taught to participate in discussions, make up their own political opinions and so on. Why should she be any different than everyone else's? She also seem stable, intelligent and knows what she's doing. Her reactions are simply just rhetoric to gain attention and as an attempt to achieve her political goal. I doubt people calling her "unstable" knows how the different rhetoric methods works. She may even not be as scared or angry she appears as, but thinks it's logical to think "better early than late". Some people appears less calm than what they actually are. It's advertisement and a sales man trick.
I also thinks it's smart to be early instead of too late, so I think what she's doing is all right.
I think this is the problem right here. (1) You guys aren’t listening, and (2) you don’t think teens can be passionate about a cause & and be able to voice their thoughts and opinions.
Why do you question “Do you agree with Greta Thunberg or do you think she’s a political tool?” To me, this completely omits what Greta was saying in her speech. It’s not new information that entire ecosystems are collapsing and dying, or the fact that species go extinct every year, but all you can talk about is whether or not Greta is a political tool?
It’s not new information either, that the Arctic and Antarctic ice is melting, but the U. N. reported yesterday that the ice is melting faster than previously thought. “Previously thought”? What were they doing before, that they’re realizing this now?
It’s not a phase for her to grow out of. Greta Thunberg is going to continue being an activist, even after she graduates and lives away from her parents. She has a mind of her own. She will continue to use her voice to speak out on causes that she’s passionate about.
I think she honestly believes in what she is saying. I was taken aback how she said it until I read today that she has aspergers which gave me a better understanding of her speech mannerisms. If we take the term global warming off the table and used the term we need to clean up our earth it might make more sense to many people and there would be less argument about global warming. If we focused on keeping a clean environment it is a win win whether there turns out to be global warming or not. Leaving the Earth a big trash heap for the next generations really isn't fair and could ultimately affect the health of humans and possibly cause genetic abnormalities.
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I think it's pretty difficult to justify claiming she is a tool by the "radical left" when she is from a completely different country, was invited by Arnold Schwarzenegger (a Republican), is a high functioning autistic person (who are usually very independent minded and obsessive) and her body language and tone of voice is if someone who has conviction.
I don't see any signs of being manipulated here. I mean, she started out as some nobody who "protested" in front of her government building until she was recognized. Now the world recognizes her. On top of that she has called out politicians who went out of their way to support her. So I don't see any reasonable example of how she is a "shill being exploited by the radical left". I understand the inherent question of whether she is or not but c'mon, we all had strong opinions at that age and still fucking do. She's 16, not 11. She's autistic, not stupid. She does not have a "mental illness" like that pathetic third string loser from Daily Wire stated.A tool. After all, anyone who'd know at least something even remotely on eco-damage would know that problems are actually in developing (not developed) nations -- Asia, whole Africa basically etc., not first wold she's touring.
Besides, world's constantly changing with or without human involvement; Earth was much different when dinosaurs existed and humans didn't, while some tens of thousands of years ago nowadays northern Europe/Asia was covered in ice, which isn't the case nowadays.
But she has never been in those developing countries and won't ever be there, nor she'll care, as that's not the goal of those who are using this tool; their goal is to take oligarchical control over different businesses via regulations, destruction of competition & thievery of resources granted to "fight" "climate change" (which some 10-15 years ago was called "global warming", until after a few cold winters & summers folk started to ridicule, so it was scrapped).
However, since she's autistic (which apparently runs in a family -- her sister is an autistic too) she is unlikely to understand that.
Nor her parents are going to explain it to her, as they not only didn't gave much of a fuck about her during her upbringing (hence why she has "fashionable modern" disorders, such as aspergers, selective mutism, ocd; while her sister has [to add to everything Greta has] adhd which results in violent outbursts and shouting profane insults towards her own mom -- something that normally would be fixed with a belt and an asswhooping) since they're "artists" who're constantly hanging around the elite and never had time to educate her properly, leaving upbringing to google and TV; but also because they're bluntly monetizing her nowadays.
What, you think her parents aren't collecting much better deals in their careers (as the so-called artists are often tied to the so-called "elites" that are in bed with globalists) and simply money for prostituting their daughter?I don't give a shit... if you do though, you realize she's a retard right?
It reminds me of when I found out my kid got to have a walkout from school... provided by the school. A walkout for what? I asked him and he was like "I dunno, I just didn't have to sit in class with the usual boring shit all day." I was like, "Yeah, I understand that sentiment dude."
I ended up looking it up... staged protest against the 2nd amendment. School shooting stuff. I called my kid in and pointed out to him how he just took part in a anti-second amendment protest walkout and asked him if he feels I should get rid of all my damn guns.
He didn't know what the hell was going on... it was just a day out of school for him and that is all he cared about. Back to Tunaburg... think she really cares or just glad to not be sitting on her ass in a classroom? Shit, when she started going off about how bad it is that she's not in class right now, I started to realize she has realized her little walkout had become more stressful than sitting on her ass in class all day.
I don't blame these kids for just being kids... or just human... take a good long hard mean look at the adults that are herding them around to say certain things though.Either psycho or a puppet.
I hear her parents are commies, her dad is an actor, her granddad is a actor/director. It's hard not to catch the scent of theater when she speaks. Not to mention her accusatory tone is just grating.
On top of that every super lefty environmentalist comes out with lines like "any scientist worth their salt agrees with this" and it's like stfu. There are people who disagree and you should be eager to engage them to find out if you've been wrong. Greta says shit like "the science has been clear for 30 years", and it's like 1. Girl, you're 16 and ditched school to complain about science you learned when you where 12. How do you know anything? And 2. There are plenty of people who disagree and instead of being psycho about it and casting blame on everyone, maybe hear people out and welcome the idea that maybe someone finally has it right, in case you've had it wrong for 30 years. Instead every environmentalist wants to screech at the prospect of opposition -- they then protest, litter with fkn confetti all over the place, burn dumpsters then complain that Trump supporters clean the streets of blue states.
Weird how progressives can makes things otherwise reasonable to support seem utterly fkn retarded.She isn't a political tool even if some politicians try to use her as one. You can have your own message, which could be distorted or misused by some people, and it doesn't actually invalidate your original message. She wasn't created in a lab by Al Gore for the express purpose of promoting another climate change movie. She is an individual with her own thoughts and feelings.
I agree with her on everything I have heard. I know she's not offering much in the way of solutions but when the governments of the world are refusing to even admit that there is a problem, then it is still useful and respectable to spend time campaigning for greater understanding of the problem.Honestly, I knew very little about her.
From what i'm able to gather, she is leading a lot of public movement building to push for aggressive emissions reductions.
Fair enough. Voted B. Strikes seem dumb to me, but apparently it's getting a lot of attention. Does it move the needle in terms of what happens? I don't know.
Doesn't strike me as a 'tool of leftists'. She has more the Asperger black and white thinking, which maybe is not inappropriate. Just 'climate disaster we have to change it period.'.
Wanting to conserve the planet shouldn't be a left-right thing. Contrary to the wild dreams of green-new-deal types, actually reigning in emissions hard is going to fuck the working class hardest. But perhaps its necessary.This poor girl with fetal alcohol syndrome has been used by people who want increase prices for energy and fuel. (not necessary leftists)
You can see it like you want, but for me is using of handicapped people for some kind of agenda despicable.
Fight against the climate change while industry still ships parts around the world with very bad CO2-balance, only to assembly them in countries with cheap workforce, is absolutely pointless. Demand for stopping eating meat is just an illusion hence manure is most important thing for soil fertility. Artificial fertilizer that is produced with natural gas creates a lot of CO2 as well and isn't so efficient like animal manure fertilizer. It's just the desire of some people to raise praises for some goods like meat, oil, energy and it doesn't help ecosystem at all.I agree with the message but not the tone she took. It is a HUGE problem and instead of trying to make things better like even in the 90s-2010s, today the world is going backwards on the issue with radical right wing assholes popping not just in the US, but also Europe, South America and Asia. None of them seemed to give a shit as the Amazon burned.
What I don't like is the tone which gives the right-wing assholes a way to exploit this. She was crying and shouting and the right only tolerates that when people like Trump do it and not 16 year old girls.She is a political pawn. I have no doubt that she believes what she is saying, and I sympathize with her fear of the situation. But she's a 16 year old kid. She has no knowledge of climate science apart from the propaganda and fear that has been instilled into her by others.
It takes a minimum of a basic education in environmental science, political science, and business science to understand what's going on with this climate movement and offer reasonable solutions. Most people twice her age aren't qualified to have an educated, independent opinion on it.
But she's young, innocent, passionate, easy to deceive, and easy to manipulate to gain an emotional appeal to the underlying political agenda. She's a political puppet.
I feel sorry for the kid. I have no doubt that she is afraid and that she believes this propaganda. It's the puppet masters who are deceiving her and pulling her strings that I have a problem with.I voted with the 48% that is the presumed consensus, that this poor kid has been used in a shameful tool to exaggerate and therefore minimize tha actual importance of this issue. These are the things that reinforce the idea that this is not really about the climate, but rather about making an entire population totally and completely under the control of the state. Eventual slavery. Convincing the population can only be saved by the government, they are the only hope for life. The elites see themselves as being at the top of the food chain when and if they take over all life on the planet, their objective. To do that, the government has to be all things to all people. It begins just like what we see happening, believe in the narrative, certain death by not obeying, OR bowing down in utter surrender to those who now have total power over you.
Putting an autistic teenager in the forefront as a puppet to an ideology while it clearly is psychologically harming her? To me first and foremost she is a case for child protective services independant of her message.
Furthermore her "argumentation" is ridiculous. When she says "I want you to panic" - it clearly shows she isn't quite right in the head. Everyone with a bit of experience dealing with emergencies knows that the LAST thing you want to do is panic. So what's left is fear-mongering. And considering her age and her parents as well as their parents family ties - it is clear that she isn't the one who has started that.As a Swede myself who happens to know that her mother is a well known expressed leftist icon here, yes, she's a political tool. A way for the left to push their useless symbolic agendas that do nothing for the climate in real time.
All she has done is refrain from school and complained about something she has no real insight to. And, and this is most important, when in a Swedish interview before she went international, she was asked what exactly politicians and others should do instead of what they're doing now, and she admitted openly that she had no idea.
Take that in for a second. You know, I would think that if you truly cared for the climate, that you'd spend more time behind the school desk, educate yourself and then contribute to the ongoing research. And I wouldn't try to make climate threat into some fanatic religion either, especially not now when the scientist behind the hysteria was caught with propagating fradulent research.To be honest, I've never heard of her except at GaG. Judging from what I've seen here, people need to stop talking about her for her own sake. She's very young and being thrown in with the lions. I don't see good coming out of it. I think this is going to mess her up as a person.
Politics is nasty. I'm a politics addict. But sometimes I envy people who pay zero attention to it, and stay as far away as possible.
If she keeps it up, this girl will be used as a pawn by the machine. I can totally see her being eaten away by anger and hate. And for what? It won't accomplish a damn thing.Is she just a "tool" because of her age? I think she's brave and smart and I am grateful that she has the courage to speak truth to power.
Greta Thunberg might be a political tool, but if it's the case, she is exactly what politics needs, people who speak out on the major problems, denounce those who seem not to care about them, and ACTS in accordance with her stance (Because there is a huge lack of action in this world, to be honest)
Nothing more than a tool. Liberals like using kids and people with mental illness because then if he tried to say anything negative about them they just attack you saying why I'm attacking a kid Why are you attacking someone with mental illness. They know their ideas are false they know you actually think about them you realize they're all lies. So they need a way where they can give you their ideas but you're not about to question them here comes the autistic little kids to tell you how you're wrong and don't you dare question them
Meme material good, political activism bad. The amount of fetal alcohol syndrom signs makes me suspicious.
still lots of people getting mad about the smoke alarm waking them up because there house is on fire... she doesn't need to go on and on about stats and research... its all out there already and has been for the last 40 years.. also this wave of calling for action would have happened without greta. she is just the face of it
I cheated and read the entire thread before replying, and I didn’t vote. I appreciate the many thoughtful replies and the asker for posing the question. What I didn’t see mentioned, and don’t see mentioned ANYWHERE is anything about life. Life (living things, beings) is what makes this planet alive. As we (we don’t all do it) swagger about, extinguishing life at a scandalous pace we are making ourselves poorer. It is the hope of a few (the 1% if you will) that this will go unnoticed, or lightly regarded. We can all climb aboard with climate change and everybody wins. Start talking about compassion, caring, and sharing Earth with (what’s left of) them, and you will doubtless not be very popular. We can stop the destruction. We can reclaim segments of what’s been lost.
Mine is not a popular messageI think she is painfully naive and kinda hypocritical.
The people running the show are evil, they know that everyone else will come off worse and pay the consequences before they will.
She refuses to accept the obvious truth but we have to accept it?
Why?
Why can't we just close our eyes and drive full speed of the edge of a cliff feining blissful ignorance?
Does she think anyone gives a fuck about her little guilt trip? Does she think it will make any difference or that it solves the core problems?
It won't and doesn't.
If we had the political will to fix anything at all we wouldn't be living like this in the first place.
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