Science Greta Thunberg Megathread - Dax Herrera says he wouldn't have a day ago (I somewhat doubt that)

Why is Greta Thunberg so triggering? How can a 16-year-old girl in plaits, who has dedicated herself to the not-exactly sinister, authoritarian plot of trying to save the planet from extinction, inspire such incandescent rage?

Last week, she tweeted that she had arrived into New York after her two week transatlantic voyage: “Finally here. Thank you everyone who came to see me off in Plymouth, and everyone who welcomed me in New York! Now I’m going to rest for a few days, and on Friday I’m going to participate in the strike outside the UN”, before promptly giving a press conference in English. Yes, her second language.

Her remarks were immediately greeted with a barrage of jibes about virtue signalling, and snide remarks about the three crew members who will have to fly out to take the yacht home.

This shouldn’t need to be spelled out, but as some people don’t seem to have grasped it yet, we’ll give it a lash: Thunberg’s trip was an act of protest, not a sacred commandment or an instruction manual for the rest of us. Like all acts of protest, it was designed to be symbolic and provocative. For those who missed the point – and oh, how they missed the point – she retweeted someone else’s “friendly reminder” that: “You don’t need to spend two weeks on a boat to do your part to avert our climate emergency. You just need to do everything you can, with everyone you can, to change everything you can.”

Part of the reason she inspires such rage, of course, is blindingly obvious. Climate change is terrifying. The Amazon is burning. So too is the Savannah. Parts of the Arctic are on fire. Sea levels are rising. There are more vicious storms and wildfires and droughts and floods. Denial is easier than confronting the terrifying truth.

Then there’s the fact that we don’t like being made to feel bad about our life choices. That’s human nature. It’s why we sneer at vegans. It’s why we’re suspicious of sober people at parties. And if anything is likely to make you feel bad about your life choices -- as you jet back home after your third Ryanair European minibreak this season – it’ll be the sight of small-boned child subjecting herself to a fortnight being tossed about on the Atlantic, with only a bucket bearing a “Poo Only Please” sign by way of luxury, in order to make a point about climate change.

But that’s not virtue signalling, which anyone can indulge in. As Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and their-four-private-jets-in-11-days found recently, virtue practising is a lot harder.

Even for someone who spends a lot of time on Twitter, some of the criticism levelled at Thunberg is astonishing. It is, simultaneously, the most vicious and the most fatuous kind of playground bullying. The Australian conservative climate change denier Andrew Bolt called her “deeply disturbed” and “freakishly influential” (the use of “freakish”, we can assume, was not incidental.) The former UKIP funder, Arron Banks, tweeted “Freaking yacht accidents do happen in August” (as above.) Brendan O’Neill of Spiked called her a “millenarian weirdo” (nope, still not incidental) in a piece that referred nastily to her “monotone voice” and “the look of apocalyptic dread in her eyes”.

But who’s the real freak – the activist whose determination has single-handedly started a powerful global movement for change, or the middle-aged man taunting a child with Asperger syndrome from behind the safety of their computer screens?

And that, of course, is the real reason why Greta Thunberg is so triggering. They can’t admit it even to themselves, so they ridicule her instead. But the truth is that they’re afraid of her. The poor dears are terrified of her as an individual, and of what she stands for – youth, determination, change.

She is part of a generation who won’t be cowed. She isn’t about to be shamed into submission by trolls. That’s not actually a look of apocalyptic dread in her eyes. It’s a look that says “you’re not relevant”.

The reason they taunt her with childish insults is because that’s all they’ve got. They’re out of ideas. They can’t dismantle her arguments, because she has science – and David Attenborough – on her side. They can’t win the debate with the persuasive force of their arguments, because these bargain bin cranks trade in jaded cynicism, not youthful passion. They can harangue her with snide tweets and hot take blogposts, but they won’t get a reaction because, frankly, she has bigger worries on her mind.

That’s not to say that we should accept everything Thunberg says without question. She is an idealist who is young enough to see the world in black and white. We need voices like hers. We should listen to what she has to say, without tuning the more moderate voices of dissent out.

Why is Greta Thunberg so triggering? Because of what she represents. In an age when democracy is under assault, she hints at the emergency of new kind of power, a convergence of youth, popular protest and irrefutable science. And for her loudest detractors, she also represents something else: the sight of their impending obsolescence hurtling towards them.

joconnell@irishtimes.com
https://twitter.com/jenoconnell

https://web.archive.org/web/2019090...certain-men-1.4002264?localLinksEnabled=false
Found this thought-provoking indeed.

 

[Spicy Tacos]

The argument is that it ends up in the ocean and/or degrades into chemicals that harm human health.

But yeah, apparently a screaming autistic shitfit and emotional blackmail is the new face of environmentalism. I can't wait to see how Greta reacts when her handlers drop her.

Her handlers will have her “suicided”. They can’t risk having her speak out about being used.

Look at her in this CBC video. “We will never forgive you.” She doesn’t care about the costs or the economic damage.

Greta Thunberg blasts world leaders: 'We will never forgive you'

Speaking at the United Nations, Greta Thunberg blasted world leaders for their inaction on climate change despite the looming environmental crisis. »»» Subsc...

youtu.be

 

[Tasty Tatty]

Elon Musk: Greta Thunberg Has 'Better Reasoning & More Heart' than Political Leaders

Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated in a recent tweet that he's a fan of 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg. According to Musk, Thunberg has "better reasoning & more heart than the vast majority of political leaders."

www.breitbart.com

ELON NOOOOOOOOOO!

Musk's a Socialist. He's said that himself a couple of times, not joking. A lot of your usual Right Wingers (the same who go around condemning Sanders) give it a pass because they're in love with how the guy makes money and his "branding" and that's all they care. He might not be an SJW, but he's from the same litter of lunatic activists who think they can save the world by making changes nobody really asked for.

 

[Wallace]

Look at her in this CBC video. “We will never forgive you.” She doesn’t care about the costs or the economic damage.

Greta Thunberg blasts world leaders: 'We will never forgive you'

Speaking at the United Nations, Greta Thunberg blasted world leaders for their inaction on climate change despite the looming environmental crisis. »»» Subsc...

youtu.be

I'm sure that the people with their hands up Greta's ass are very passionate about the environment. The problem is that they are more passionate about ridiculing the people they disagree with. At some point you have to decide if you’re more invested in the fun of feeling righteously superior or the actual need to convince others. People do not respond well to condescending contempt. That’s not how humans work. Making the face of your movement a young girl doesn't change this fact, it just makes them look more desperate to browbeat the other side into submission.

 

[Stoneheart]

1) We don't throw garbage into the ocean. Especially in places like Kansas.

They should outlaw microplastics in all kind of healthcare and washing products.

 

[Manwithn0n0men]

Her handlers will have her “suicided”. They can’t risk having her speak out about being used.

Look at her in this CBC video. “We will never forgive you.” She doesn’t care about the costs or the economic damage.

Greta Thunberg blasts world leaders: 'We will never forgive you'

Speaking at the United Nations, Greta Thunberg blasted world leaders for their inaction on climate change despite the looming environmental crisis. »»» Subsc...

youtu.be

They want to have a approved Genocide

 

[neverendingmidi]

1) We don't throw garbage into the ocean. Especially in places like Kansas.
2) Plastics are just a bunch of carbon strung together. It's like a rotting tree as far as toxicity. Especially with the vastness of the ocean to dilute it. It isn't some finnicky saltwater aquarium for fuck sake.

God they are dumb. So so dumb. Make the proper noises and they believe anything.

Don't get me started on the "Pacific Garbage Patch" and what a load of horseshit that is. Their numbers are all inflated because they count shit like logs and seaweed as "garbage". Fact is plastics degrade if left in the open ocean. Just like the rest of that shit does. It's a non-issue.

From what I understand it's the theory of "microplastics". Supposedly these tiny pieces of plastic somehow get absorbed into fishes bodies and build up. This caused a big hullabaloo about the dangers and how every harbor has billions of these microplastics in them.

The problem being that there is no evidence of them doing anything other than going straight through the guts and out the other end of fish. Let alone a concrete proof that they're being absorbed up the food chain.

 

[Wallace]

From what I understand it's the theory of "microplastics". Supposedly these tiny pieces of plastic somehow get absorbed into fishes bodies and build up. This caused a big hullabaloo about the dangers and how every harbor has billions of these microplastics in them.

The problem being that there is no evidence of them doing anything other than going straight through the guts and out the other end of fish. Let alone a concrete proof that they're being absorbed up the food chain.

How about this?

 

[Tasty Tatty]

I'm sure that the people with their hands up Greta's ass are very passionate about the environment.

I disagree. I don't think they care about the environment. I think they are in love of the idea of how they are saving the environment and how much power that gives them over other people. And the people who owns the money that sponsors the girl, only wants to make more money from it. None of these people give a damn about the environment.

How about this?

That study they mention is from 2008. The recent one, was in 2018. We still ahve no evidence if all of these plastic ban will affect positively. Also, it's from one single type of fish. Very inconclusive, imo.

 

[Larry David's Opera Cape]

So her parent's programmed their autist with a wokescold script, and that's her one and only trick.

Ryan Saavedra on Twitter

“This speech by far-left activist Greta Thunberg is absolute madness https://t.co/RFyIPZlajQ”

twitter.com

She's basically a Furby.

She sounds and looks like she's about to crack and shank a bitch. Also her speech was incoherent. Highly ambitious goals for climate reform are "not good enough"? But she has no feasible proposals for what to do instead, just screaming and crying and "I'll never forgive you"? What is anyone supposed to do with that? It's literally just the tantrum of a mentally ill child. I am not a tinfoil hatter but I am starting to suspect her handlers are setting us up for some kind of Jonestown moment, where we are supposed to off ourselves for the greater good.

 

[Wallace]

That study they mention is from 2008. The recent one, was in 2018. We still ahve no evidence if all of these plastic ban will affect positively. Also, it's from one single type of fish. Very inconclusive, imo.

Here's three more linked from the same article.

 

[Malodorous Merkin]

She sounds and looks like she's about to crack and shank a bitch. Also her speech was incoherent. Highly ambitious goals for climate reform are "not good enough"? But she has no feasible proposals for what to do instead, just screaming and crying and "I'll never forgive you"? What is anyone supposed to do with that? It's literally just the tantrum of a mentally ill child. I am not a tinfoil hatter but I am starting to suspect her handlers are setting us up for some kind of Jonestown moment, where we are supposed to off ourselves for the greater good.

Ya gotta admit though, it's always kinda funny when adults exploit retarded children.

 

[Spicy Tacos]

I disagree. I don't think they care about the environment. I think they are in love of the idea of how they are saving the environment and how much power that gives them over other people. And the people who owns the money that sponsors the girl, only wants to make more money from it. None of these people give a damn about the environment.

You could be very correct. I’m seeing so many individuals responding about eco-socialism being the solution to her UN tweet.

Eco-socialism - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[ColtWalker1847]

They should outlaw microplastics in all kind of healthcare and washing products.

Why?

They are just little particles of inert matter. They don't do anything in the environment. They are inert. Just like lignin, cellulose, and countless other natural carbon molecules that abound in the environment.

How about this?

I too can quote a propaganda Op-Ed. But I won't. Reread that whole thing but replace the word "plastic" with "wood" and 99% of what they say holds true. I like the part where the two guys who study mussels say they haven't found any ill effects BUT THEY ARE WORRIED. MR SCIENCE MAN IS WORRIED! WE SHOULD BE ALARMED.

 

[Dynastier]

I'm sure that the people with their hands up Greta's ass are very passionate about the environment. The problem is that they are more passionate about ridiculing the people they disagree with. At some point you have to decide if you’re more invested in the fun of feeling righteously superior or the actual need to convince others. People do not respond well to condescending contempt. That’s not how humans work. Making the face of your movement a young girl doesn't change this fact, it just makes them look more desperate to browbeat the other side into submission.

That's pretty much my take as well. This "anthro climate change real y/n" question is jammed into absolutely every environmental cause. Plastic in the ocean has zero to do with climate change.

Really, climate change stuff isn't something you can do anything about on an individual level. You personally probably don't contribute much carbon dioxide, and you personally have no say in where your power comes from. You do control whether you dump oil in the drain, whether you burn plastic in your yard, whether you litter in the water.

People who are confident in the science don't hide behind emotional appeals from 16 year old children with developmental disorders.

The other problem with climate change is it's so big, so global, it almost seems tailor made to make people say "Fuck it, I can't control what China does anyway, we're fucked no matter what!". It seems to encourage nihilism.

 

[Webby's Boyfriend]

Musk's a Socialist. He's said that himself a couple of times, not joking. A lot of your usual Right Wingers (the same who go around condemning Sanders) give it a pass because they're in love with how the guy makes money and his "branding" and that's all they care. He might not be an SJW, but he's from the same litter of lunatic activists who think they can save the world by making changes nobody really asked for.

Hasn't he once said he's "socially liberal and fiscally conservative" aka "I like to smoke weed but fuck poor people"? Yet, to me it seems he wants to let computers, machines and robots do all work and give everybody a tugboat.

 

[Irrelevant]

Why?

They are just little particles of inert matter. They don't do anything in the environment. They are inert. Just like lignin, cellulose, and countless other natural carbon molecules that abound in the environment.

They are already banned in the US and parts of Europe. This is what they look like:


If you ever used a microbead facewash there were thousands of these beads in a squirt and people were pouring them down the drain every morning.

The microscopic microplastics that come off when plastic degrades is not what most people are talking about.

 

[Sīn the Moon Daddy]

Musk is a big post-scarcity believer. He calls himself an anarchist but he supports Socialist policies because like most anarchists he's too stupid to understand the difference.

Elon Musk: Automation Will Force Universal Basic Income - Geek.com

At the World Government Summit in Dubai, our real-world Tony Stark, Elon Musk, was throwing around some big and important ideas about the future of humanity. Musk says that Universal Basic Income — …

www.geek.com

 

[Dynastier]

They are already banned in the US and EU. This is what they look like:

View attachment 946181
If you ever used a microbead facewash there were thousands of these beads in a squirt and people were pouring them down the drain every morning.

The microscopic microplastics that come off when plastic degrades is not what most people are talking about.

Do you realize that although you apparently disagree, you haven't said... how you disagree? Yes, that is a picture of small plastic beads. And? OK, those small beads go down the drain. And?

I'm not even saying you're wrong, the thing is, I don't know what you're saying.

 

[Irrelevant]

Do you realize that although you apparently disagree, you haven't said... how you disagree? Yes, that is a picture of small plastic beads. And? OK, those small beads go down the drain. And?

I'm not even saying you're wrong, the thing is, I don't know what you're saying.

Your confusion seems to stem from the fact that I didn't disagree with anything. I merely pointed out that microbeads are already banned in the US and parts of Europe and offered an explanation as to why even a climate change "denier" like Trump would sign off on it.

Is there a reason why this clarification of facts seems to have triggered you?

 

[Manwithn0n0men]

I disagree. I don't think they care about the environment. I think they are in love of the idea of how they are saving the environment and how much power that gives them over other people. And the people who owns the money that sponsors the girl, only wants to make more money from it. None of these people give a damn about the environment.

Its Feudalism. They want to restore a Feudal order with themselves at the top

they just need a new god (and a new joan of arc in this case) to get there