Greta Thunberg is freaking me out!

Greta Thunberg is really freaking me out. I agree with some of what she says like "Fossil fuels should be banned by 2030" and "Meat and dairy should be banned". But only half of what she says is directly related to global warming; the rest of it is her bullying people, calling people names like "*******", "Wimp" and "Weak'o" and saying stuff like "I want you to panic", "I hope your house burns down" and "You must do exactly as I say". She is basically a mean girl with heckloads of power. Millions of kind young people are supporting this nasty girl and her protests are in 2,000 cities in 120 countries. And then she says stuff like "Stop road-building" and "Destroy airports" which makes me angry. Why does it have to be her? Why couldn't it be another, nicer person? Why couldn't you just ditch her and set up your own group when you discovered she was so horrid?

Reply 1

toronto353

19

I actually feel really sorry for her and I don't think a lot of it is her. If you listen to her speak, taking aside that she identifies as being on the autism spectrum, I often get the impression that this has been drilled into her, that she's been brain-washed by adults around her to think what she does about the environment. If anything, far more attention needs putting on the parents and the adults who have exposed her to these theories about climate change because it's worrying how they can brainwash a vulnerable girl in this way.

Reply 2

DanF_2000

12

I support her but I do feel like she's being used, plus the fame she's getting is clearly helping her family out too. I've got aspergers too and know sometimes you can have particular strong interests on one subject/thing, going as far as being more knowledgeable than most in that subject. Her's is about global warming/climate change which is also fuelled by wanting to protect the world and put a stop to it all (+ some aspies, like myself, get very passionate, emotional, etc about their interest which intensifies it all even more. But that does lead us to saying some... wrong things thanks to these emotions...) It's hard but she could find another strong interest but then she's already known by millions thanks to the news so it's hard to stop, especially with adults around (not that what they're supporting is wrong, just the way some of them are going about it.) Just hope people can protect her from the inevitable horrid people around bullying because of her thoughts on climate change, or aspergers, or how young she is.

Am not a massive fan of her tbh, but then again am not a fan of any cult personality. Also with the greatest respect whilst i think her age shouldnt mean she is dismissed i understand why people are annoyed at being told what to do by a 16 year old who is yet to experience paying bills, paying rent, doing the food shop herself etc. When you have little money and have to buy the cheapest food you can find or the cheapest room you can get your carbon footprint is a surprisingly low priority.

Reply 4

Shimo

16

Original post by CoolCavy

Am not a massive fan of her tbh, but then again am not a fan of any cult personality. Also with the greatest respect whilst i think her age shouldnt mean she is dismissed i understand why people are annoyed at being told what to do by a 16 year old who is yet to experience paying bills, paying rent, doing the food shop herself etc. When you have little money and have to buy the cheapest food you can find or the cheapest room you can get your carbon footprint is a surprisingly low priority.

This is the biggest part for me, why aren't we listening to a top climate scientist? It baffles me that people take the opinion of a child into account more than somebody who has been researching this for their entire life.

Reply 5

the bear

20

once she discovers boys she will calm down :h:

Reply 6

Andrew97

Entertainment Forum Helper, Debate & Current Affairs Helper

20

Original post by Shimo

This is the biggest part for me, why aren't we listening to a top climate scientist? It baffles me that people take the opinion of a child into account more than somebody who has been researching this for their entire life.

It’s a genius move, by using a child you get to play with people’s emotional heart strings. That wouldn’t work with a top scientist.

Reply 7

TheAlchemistress

22

People listen to her because it’s mostly our generation Z who seems to like taking control of things. People our age are proud that we are doing something whilst adults aren’t.

People listen to her because she represents the future generation.

Reply 8

Kian Stevens

16

Because this is the current way forward: seemingly 'revolutionary' young people (I'll make the generalisation but who seem to just be arrogant, entitled teenagers) wanting to 'save their generation' etc... It's a sickly sweet fantasy which doesn't sit right with me, because of the arrogance and entitlement, and this kid is catalysing it all unfortunately

A solution to climate change is something which I can get onboard with every day of the week, but it's the delusional vitriol coming from the protesters which just puts me and many others off the whole movement... It's extremely sanctimonious when the protesters parade into a city centre and block the roads off⁠—preventing people from going about their daily lives; emergency services from doing their jobs; people from getting others into hospital etc⁠—and then start spouting arrogant platitudes mentioned in the OP on plaques
Not to mention the disingenuity behind these protesters, who'll go to and from protests in cars and public transport (maybe even the same transport they've been blocking), and live a lifestyle which revolves around not being exactly 'green'... I say this many times, but there seems to only be two interests to these protesters, and the main one is protesting/arguing/acting like the better person

The main objective of these protesters is to get everyone to know about the problem, and consequently get people on your side, but it seems like the complete opposite of that is happening and folk like this Greta kid are a blatant exhibition as to why

Reply 9

Anonymous #1

Pros and cons. Some of her views are the same as mine some are not. I’m a child and know I don’t pay bills etc. but also don’t like being told what to do by those older than me who think that automatically allows them to know more - I’ve worked out how much my uni food shop will cost when I go obviously inflation may push it up slightly and it’s £25-30 a week from Waitrose that my family think is reasonable and I will do lots of research into bills too to make sure I get as good as I can and want to not eat meat for reasons other than saving the world. I think it’s hat as often older people don’t like being told what to do but harder if you’re a young person that doesn’t have the I’m going to save the world attitude either as you’re considered an outsider

Reply 10

DragonsOfAsshai

15

Saving the environment should be everyone's priority but she is a bit annoying but she'll become famous anyway as she'll become a figurehead that calls protests for many years to come

Reply 11

Shimo

16

If it takes manipulation to get people to do things then it really says more about the political system/society as a whole than anything to do with climate change

She great

Original post by Shimo

This is the biggest part for me, why aren't we listening to a top climate scientist? It baffles me that people take the opinion of a child into account more than somebody who has been researching this for their entire life.

Indeedy... she's too easy to dismiss because she's a child talking like a child. Her echo chamber shoves her up on a pedestal but the people who matter (the unconvinced/sceptical policymakers) just ignore her...

Reply 14

the bear

20

Greta luv you need to ditch this coat made from petrochemicals ?

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190920011302-greta-thunberg-profile-bill-weir-climate-pkg-vpx-00001021-exlarge-169.jpg

instead make one out of seaweed and coconut fiber.

Reply 15

slazman

7

Her aim is to raise awareness and make people listen to the scientists, who have been trying to warn everyone for years. It's stupid that it takes someone like her to make people pay attention but it's the way the world is - the general public have woefully little understanding or respect of the scientific community. The way I see it is public will is needed to make the worlds politicians act, and therefore anything that raises awareness can only be a good thing, nomatter how it's done.

Reply 16

Kian Stevens

16

Original post by slazman

Her aim is to raise awareness and make people listen to the scientists, who have been trying to warn everyone for years. It's stupid that it takes someone like her to make people pay attention but it's the way the world is - the general public have woefully little understanding or respect of the scientific community. The way I see it is public will is needed to make the worlds politicians act, and therefore anything that raises awareness can only be a good thing, nomatter how it's done.

But it seems extremely disingenuous and crass that some samey protests around the world, spear-headed by a child, will make the governments and corporations actually do anything at all... Climate change is potentially one of the most well-known subjects of today, and there have been multiple protests in recent times to bolster this, so what is all this achieving now apart from having an excuse to miss things like school and work, and instead do some protesting for the day?

The governments are doing things with their plans to reduce carbon emissions and switch to better power sources, and the corporations are clearly doing things with their desperate attempts to shift from things like plastic to paper and from petrol/oil to EVs/hydrogen... You and many others I see seem to be claiming that the general public is 'too stupid' at this point to understand climate change and related science, and that these protests and child figures are needed to change that, but in my opinion it does more harm than good

(edited 4 years ago)

Original post by Kian Stevens

Because this is the current way forward: seemingly 'revolutionary' young people (I'll make the generalisation but who seem to just be arrogant, entitled teenagers) wanting to 'save their generation' etc... It's a sickly sweet fantasy which doesn't sit right with me, because of the arrogance and entitlement, and this kid is catalysing it all unfortunately

Very eloquently put, i find this entire movement and Greta as the spearhead incredibly condescending. You need some element of privillege to take a yacht round the world instead of a plane. Am not a massive fan of someone preaching for better lifestyle choices when they are still living and provided for by their parents. Perhaps when she grows up and enters the real world she will realise how expensive just keeping yourself alive is, if that means buying 50p cheaper cows milk over soya or coconut then that is what i shall continue to do.

Reply 18

HumbleBee_x

20

Shes a cutie...thats all I have to say :rolleyes:

Reply 19

slazman

7

Original post by Kian Stevens

But it seems extremely disingenuous and crass that some samey protests around the world, spear-headed by a child, will make the governments and corporations actually do anything at all... Climate change is potentially one of the most well-known subjects of today, and there have been multiple protests to bolster this, so what are they achieving now apart from having an excuse to miss school and do some protesting?

The governments are doing things with their plans to reduce carbon emissions and switch to better power sources, and the corporations are clearly doing things with their desperate attempts to shift from things like plastic to paper and from petrol/oil to EVs/hydrogen... You seem to be claiming that the general public is 'too stupid' at this point to understand climate change and related science, and these protests and child figures are needed to change that, but in my opinion it does more harm than good

I agree that in many ways progress is being made, I would argue that the pace of government and especially corporation's policies has increased more or less in line with the increasing public awareness of the issue. Through history, change has been brought about by huge, rapid increases of public support for issues - think suffragettes, apartheid etc.

My point about the general public was not about stupidity but ignorance - a large number of people refuse to accept science if it inconveniences them in any way, and this is what allows people like Donald Trump to be in charge of one of the worlds largest polluters. As long as tens millions of people can in good conscience vote for a man who has pulled the US out of the Paris agreement and even gone as far as arguing that Artic sea ice loss will be an economic benefit, the world clearly has a problem.

I can see how Thunberg and her supporters' tactics could be seen to have negative consequences, and they may well do, I believe however that movements like hers are the only way to create large scale change in a world dominated by rich, self-indulgent companies and individuals as ours is.

Greta Thunberg is freaking me out!

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