People who comment on Greta Thunberg’s personality, demeanor and looks should instead focus on the fact that she is right that we face an existential environmental crisis.
Who Was That Greta Girl Again?
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The Final Countdown" talk show on Radio Sputnik. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
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Couldn’t agree more with you, Ted – or with frk Thunberg. But I fear we – H sapiens sapiens – are screwed, and we did it to ourselves….
Henri
Yes, she’s right, but she’s the wrong person to deliver the message.
The people that need to be won over are not the people who already agree with us. Adowable children speaking about these things depositionalizes scientists, which adds to the “skeptic’s” perception that the scientists aren’t too terribly bright (I mean, they’re making the same arguments children make.)
Again, for the people who need convincing, many of them are not highly educated, and that means their economic realities are less likely to be non-grim. Thunberg has led a privileged life: no bombs, no rape gangs, no child soldiers, clean water is available at all times at almost no cost, clean clothes, good food, safety, the luxury of free time, etc. And she complains that her childhood has been spoiled by the wealthy. SHE IS THE WEALTHY. Her childhood has seen her sailing across the ocean to address the U.N. She’s living an adventure that most little girls, who are constantly told that they have no value except as they provide pleasure to a man, will never, ever have. Despite her autism, she will be integrated into her society, not shunned, and allowed to fulfill her life by pursuing the goals that she has chosen for herself.
For most of the people in the world, who are too tired and overworked and overburdened to sit and nod their heads cogently (finger holding their place in a treatise from Kierkegaard while Bach plays over the $500 pair of Bose speakers) while they listen to someone with everything scold them from the tremendous pool of wisdom and knowledge that all teenagers possess, the message is delivered by someone without credentials.
She’s right, but she isn’t experienced. She ignores the example of Severn Cullis-Suzuki (who?–yeah, that’s how effective she was, too), and will, in 20-odd years, still be making bank off her one-act, one-girl show. And the cynics will point to her them and say, “See? She was just in it for the attention.”
Ah yes, Alex, frk Thunberg scolding the underprivileged at the UNO and Davos. I appreciate your irony….
Henri
Remember Henri, this is about the people who can be convinced. Not one lapdog at the U.N. would dare upset its owner by being convinced. The U.N. types know how to nod their heads, in French, of course, or one of the other U.N. charter languages, while they run through the menu at 21 in their heads and act concerned.
Thunberg’s whole speech was ignored by the powerful. And the impoverished were too busy toiling in the fields to be given a chance to explain how they’re too busy starving to death to worry about sorting the recycling (rich white people’s favorite way to show they too are “concerned”).
Well, Alex, if the UNO lapdogs won’t dare upset their owner(s) by heeding frk Thunberg’s message and the impoverished are too busy toiling in the fields to even give it a listen, then I suggest the fault lies neither with messenger nor message, but rather with la condition humaine. As I said above, we’re screwed….
Henri
Henri, on that — we’re all screwed — we agree.
My big regret will be not living long enough to see what fragments of humanity come out the other end of the sausage grinder.
With no trace of irony, I submit to you that those who do survive will build a much better world than the one we are, finally, managing to kill. I wish I would be able to see it emerge.
I wish, Alex, I could share your optimism regarding that brave new world. I doubt there will be any place in it for H sapiens sapiens….
Henri
“She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!” —Trump
“Despite her autism, she will be integrated into her society, not shunned, and allowed to fulfill her life by pursuing the goals that she has chosen for herself.” —Alex, Nonchalant Sick Bastard
What you and Trump don’t get is that people her age will be dealing with the natural world in a steep decline while both of you are rotting in your graves if flood waters don’t wash them away first.
You know you don’t have to keep spouting the vile toxins erupting from your ignorance until you’re dead. You can shut your mouth any time you want.
“Adowable children speaking about these things depositionalizes scientists, which adds to the “skeptic’s” perception that the scientists aren’t too terribly bright.”
You broken down old farts don’t know that Gretta has nothing to say to Trump because, she says, If Trump won’t listen to the scientists why would he listen to me?
Clearly you haven’t listened to her or the scientists either.
It’s always Marketing Scum who try to dominate and shut down conversation, Climate Change or Wall Street Economics.
Glenn,
When climate change comes, Greta Thunberg will be inconvenienced. Her homeland will not flood. She will not flee across borders where she will be (if lucky) placed in relocation camps rather than full-tilt concentration camps. Her social democratic society is best situated to handle the disasters that are to come because it is part of the nature of the Swedes to pool resources and take care of each other because they have had the luxury of enough food and security to see such behavior work FOR GENERATIONS.
Glenn, when I don’t have something to say, I DO shut my mouth. You should try the same. You have contributed not a jot or a tittle to the point I was making: We still aren’t doing anything to deal with climate change at the source. And our spokeschildren are not helping. They are privileged. The amount of skin they have in the game that will come in 40 years is minimal. Everyone watching (who cares one way or the other) knows that.
And it’s a comforting delusion to cling to because it means not facing the reality that millions and millions of brown people are going to die because of climate change because we in the First World refuse to give up our airflight for holidays and our cars and ordering things online for overnight delivery and six varieties of organic apples at Whole Foods that were grown in New Zealand–just about literally the furthest point away–and slave-labor smartphones, etc.
Don’t take it out on me because rational thinking offends you when it doesn’t reinforce your delicate sensibilities.
And if you’re going to insult me personally, try to make it original. Broken down old fart? (which should be hyphenated by the way). Of course I’m broken down. I’ve lived through 35 years of end-stage capitalism. And as a result, I know of what I speak. From what pool of deep wisdom do your pearls arise, Glenn? Your mid-20s? A worn-down copy of “Atlas Shrugged”? Your growing sense of outrage?
I have been outraged for my entire adult life. And it’s mostly because I have to deal with people who cannot apprehend how to deal with things correctly. Recycling doesn’t work. We do it because it allows us to feel good about ourselves while doing nothing that inconveniences us greatly. The line from Veep comes to mind: “It’s like using a croissant for a vibrator. It doesn’t do the job, and it makes a huge mess.”
And that’s why people eat up Greta Thunberg. Because she isn’t effective at shaming anyone. Those who buy her message will still continue to live the carbon lifestyle while ignoring their own continued contribution to what will be the largest diaspora in human history. She is, in the whole world’s history, well within the one percent. Just like me. And just like you, I assume.
But please, let’s have the precis on who Glenn is that he can pass judgment on anyone.
It’s easy for aging over-the-hill adults like you to counsel youth to be quiet and remain calm.
When the only choice that remains becomes a choice of how to die, hope for your own sake that you and other preachers of the fake counsel of calm are not revealed to an angry mob.
Youth haven’t really reacted strongly since the Vietnam draft forced them into choosing how to die, either passively accepting or in aggressive resistance.
Rich or poor, it won’t matter.
You, Alex, must have been hiding under a rock for thirty years to think that climate scientists haven’t yet begun to make their points.
And that the future victims should passively respect their passive elders.
When the pot boils over many will be burned.
They say that breathing higher CO2 levels makes humans stupider….I wonder if that’s already kicking in.
I don’t know. Why don’t you watch this video and then tell me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOh1I28HbAA
Can we not focus on the fact that her mother is a media whore – sorry, “ex opera singer”/contestant on Yurup’s Got Talent” – who, upon the expiration of her own 15 minutes of fame then proceeded to hire a PR firm to ‘document’ (and publicise) her offspring’s antics in order, apparently , to live vicariously through her daughter?
Definition of a net troll :
Attempts to divert the discussion from frk Thunberg’s message concerning the climate catastrophe we are facing (or rather, not facing, but ignoring) to a discussion of her mother – and gratuitiously calling the latter a «media whore» – strike me as exemplifying the above definition perfectly….
I am fully aware that nowhere on the internet can one expect to be free from egregious trolls, but sometimes we have managed to have meaningful discussions on Ted’s forum….
Henri