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.

 

[Marissa Moira]

Honestly this Feminist Reboot of Gremlins suffers from the same stuff that the Ghostbusters Reboot did, except now they have the creatures lecture you on climate change.

 

[Ma Wang]

Cross-posted from the Trump thread

Notice the uptick of "young people" rhetoric coming from leftists and Democrats right now.

They're blatantly trying to manipulate children at this point.

They think that if they put their watermelon talking points in the mouths of children, it will inoculate them from criticism and pushback.

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

Honestly this Feminist Reboot of Gremlins suffers from the same stuff that the Ghostbusters Reboot did, except now they have the creatures lecture you on climate change.

Except now they're so scared of feeding Gizmo after midnight they just straight up don't feed him

 

[Slimy Time]

Quoting the Don.

 

[Meat Poultry Veg]

I want to slap silly the first conservative turd who took the bait that is Gretard Downsberg.

Oh well, maybe a few news cycles from now she'll vanish into the ether like Jeffrey Epstein's corpse.

 

[Dynastier]

I want to slap silly the first conservative turd who took the bait that is Gretard Downsberg.

Oh well, maybe a few news cycles from now she'll vanish into the ether like Jeffrey Epstein's corpse.

Nobody took the bait. She was introduced as having already triggered all the conservatives. They can do that you know. Just go on the internet and tell lies.

 

[Jason "Qriist" Close]

Micheal Knowles did a segment on Fox where he said only what has already been said about her, that she is a 16-year old mentally ill child. It wasn't even said with malice, just a statement as part of a larger point about why she shouldn't be taken seriously - which was the topic at hand. The other pundit accused Knowles of attacking a child, because of course he did. Knowles is visibly confused. Moral grandstanding at it's finest.

Fox News Guest Michael Knowles Calls Greta Thunberg a ‘Mentally Ill Swedish Child’

www.youtube.com

Fox issued an apology for having Knowles. Shameful cowards.

Fox News Guest Calls Greta Thunberg ‘Mentally Ill Swedish Child’ as R…

archived 24 Sep 2019 18:14:40 UTC

archive.li

 

[Dynastier]

I thought awareness of mental illness was a good thing?

 

[Captain Ahab]

So wait is greta sub 5'?

100%

Here she is standing next to well-known manlet John Bercow, who is reported to be around 5ft5. He is towering over her.

 

[Wendy Wheelchair]

Who wouldn't trust this face?

 

[CharlesBarkley]

We should cheer and encourage her to take on China and India.

The outcome will be hilarious and possibly end in a murder.

 

[Jason "Qriist" Close]

Here's another video on the Knowles incident and Fox apology, this one from a quite left-leaning perspective.

Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles Banned From Fox News After Calling Greta Thunberg Mentally Ill

Right Wingers lit up with glee after Daily Wire host Michael Knowles smeared climate activist Greta Thunberg on Fox News on Monday, but the network was less ...

www.youtube.com

The comments are predictably a dumpster fire.

 

[JosephStalin]

Bottom line here...this kid screwed herself by the manner in which she expressed her concerns. Okay to be passionate about a subject or a cause. Never okay to try to lecture and talk down to people, with a face like a clenched fist. REAL hard to get support from people you've just pissed off. Far as I'm concerned, the little twat needs to STFU and GTFO.

Here's another observation on this whole "climate change" thing, made by another teenaged lady, but who is actually rational.

Socialism, Not Climate Change, Is the Real Threat

By Emma Roberts September 24, 2019

It is preposterous to me that many of my peers are so afraid of climate change that they say they can hardly think about it. I think what they should really be afraid of is government overreach caused by such exaggeration over the effects of climate change.

Back in the 1960s, some scientists believed that by 1975, the human race would perish through famine caused by climate change. Funny thing, the human race is now 7.5 billion strong. Fast-forward 10 years to the 1970s, and scientists were claiming that the world was entering a new ice age, or, in other words, that we were imperiled by global freezing.

Now it is 2019 (about the same time scientists had predicted the world would be frozen over), and many of my peers, as well as plenty of adults, believe that the world is going to end due to global warming, and there is nothing we can do to stop it.

The hysteria over climate change has gone so far that many students my age are striking — skipping school every Friday to protest global warming. And they’re demanding that Washington, D.C., fix it.

Washington has many, many things that it needs to fix, and many responsibilities and duties to uphold. Global warming, however, is not one of them. Studies show that if the U.S. fully implemented the Green New Deal, the temperature of Earth would decrease by no more than 0.097 degrees Fahrenheit over a span of 30 years.

But the price of electricity would increase by almost 10 times its current amount. The price of gasoline would increase astronomically, so that drivers would have no choice but to drive Priuses and Teslas.

Further, it is estimated that in the state of Texas alone, such regulations would cause the loss of over a million jobs. And that’s just in Texas; across the United States, the numbers would be devastating and the effects on our economy and society possibly irreversible.

None of this sounds like freedom to me, and that is because it is not freedom; it is government control. It is government control over the single black mother who now won’t be able to afford her electricity. It is government control over the Hispanic immigrant who, because the construction machines he operates are not “eco-friendly,” will lose his job and not be able to put food on the table for his family. This is not the American way. It doesn’t make sense to implement regulations that do not solve the problem and yet adversely affect the American people so greatly.

The government wants control. And its excuse is the thin veil of only wanting the best for people and the Earth. But the result of ceding so much control to government that we will have no choice in what job we have, no choice in what car we drive, and no choice in the price we pay for our electricity.

That’s not freedom. And frankly, the possibility of such government overreach scares me a lot more than global warming, which seems to be just another ridiculous scientific prediction. Yes, we need to be good stewards of the Earth. We need to take care of our natural resources, because they are the only ones we have. But the government cannot do it for us, and if it tries, it will only wreak havoc.

The good news is we are taking care of our environment; America’s air and water are cleaner than ever, even as our economy has expanded and our population has increased. My peers should take note, so that in 20 years or 30 years or 50 years, we’ll still enjoy the freedoms that set America apart.

Emma Roberts is a 17-year-old living in Liberty Hill, Texas. She is home-schooled and, when not reading about public policy, enjoys exploring the Texas Hill Country.

 

[Slimy Time]

100%

Here she is standing next to well-known manlet John Bercow, who is reported to be around 5ft5. He is towering over her.

View attachment 947392

Most bong politicians are tiny when you see them in person. A person at 5'7 looks dignified compared to them. Also, given that she's 16, her growth period, unless it's late, is over. She's stuck at that height.

 

[Feline Supremacist]

Knowles merely stated what everyone is thinking but is too cowardly to say it. Like the fairy tale about the emperor with new clothes.

 

[FierceBrosnan]

Here's another video on the Knowles incident and Fox apology, this one from a quite left-leaning perspective.

Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles Banned From Fox News After Calling Greta Thunberg Mentally Ill

Right Wingers lit up with glee after Daily Wire host Michael Knowles smeared climate activist Greta Thunberg on Fox News on Monday, but the network was less ...

www.youtube.com

View attachment 947399

The comments are predictably a dumpster fire.
View attachment 947403

something... something... Covington Catholic... pot kettle... etc...

Was what Knowles said in bad taste? Sure. Was he wrong? Not entirely. We can't beat the Swede out of this dead horse enough, the girl is 16 years old, with the body of a 10 year old, the face of a 40 year old, and a vegan to boot. Choices are being made for Greta that are both unhealthy and extremely manipulative and it has been going on for a lot longer than we'd suspect. I don't see any of these asshats on the far left stopping and saying "this shit isn't right". Take the whole "hot climate bad" out of the equation and we're seeing another blatant case of a child being used and abused so their parents can rake in some cash.

 

[Secret Asshole]

Aspergers doesn't make you smarter. Autisim isn't a fucking super power. This is a stereotype. Most genius are eccentric, but some are still very sociable. Aspergers reduces your intelligence, because it prevents you from getting practical experience and exercising that intelligence. Being lead around by wealthy speech writers and your parents who probably dictate your every move because she's so fucked in the head she can barely talk to anyone else without prompting.

She's arguably not smarter because she has a complete inability to predict social cues. She's being lead around by politicians, her parents and her handlers. People who think this is spontaneous are so fucking stupid it begs comprehension. This is anything but spontaneous. Its AstroTurfed as fuck. She can't even see she's being used, like you know, 90% of the population.

"SHE'S SO BRAVE"
- For what? Saying a majority opinion among her political peers?

"SHE'S SO SMART"
- So are a lot of 16 and 17 year olds. Smarter than her. But she has no life experience, and no economic reality of most countries.

"SHE SPEAKS TRUTH TO POWER"
- You want a cookie? Any free speech rally is braver than her, because Antifa will attack children and old people. She's also a useful political tool to the rich and powerful.

Most bong politicians are tiny when you see them in person. A person at 5'7 looks dignified compared to them. Also, given that she's 16, her growth period, unless it's late, is over. She's stuck at that height.

Malnutrition and veganism. Not even once.

Knowles merely stated what everyone is thinking but is too cowardly to say it. Like the fairy tale about the emperor with new clothes.

Exactly. Problem is she's being worshiped by like 5% of the population and has powerful people backing her. She's a mentally ill child being exploited. Also, fuck protecting 'children'. You thrust yourself into the public spectacle, go to fucking hell. I'm not going to sit silent.

Nobody is listening to her. Once she gets to like 18 or 20 no one will give a fuck because she's out of high school. They're like pedophiles with this shit. Once she ages out, she's of no use to them. Just another activist sucker. And nobody will care.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Most bong politicians are tiny when you see them in person. A person at 5'7 looks dignified compared to them. Also, given that she's 16, her growth period, unless it's late, is over. She's stuck at that height.

Her parents are considerably taller than her, too. It’s probably the result of her shitty vegan diet and the stress of being raised by delusional narcissists.

 

[Flustercuck]

imagine being so far up your own ass that your strongest argument is insulting a teenager for her looks when you're twice her age
really mature guys lmao

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

Bottom line here...this kid screwed herself by the manner in which she expressed her concerns. Okay to be passionate about a subject or a cause. Never okay to try to lecture and talk down to people, with a face like a clenched fist. REAL hard to get support from people you've just pissed off. Far as I'm concerned, the little twat needs to STFU and GTFO.

Here's another observation on this whole "climate change" thing, made by another teenaged lady, but who is actually rational.

Socialism, Not Climate Change, Is the Real Threat

By Emma Roberts September 24, 2019

It is preposterous to me that many of my peers are so afraid of climate change that they say they can hardly think about it. I think what they should really be afraid of is government overreach caused by such exaggeration over the effects of climate change.

Back in the 1960s, some scientists believed that by 1975, the human race would perish through famine caused by climate change. Funny thing, the human race is now 7.5 billion strong. Fast-forward 10 years to the 1970s, and scientists were claiming that the world was entering a new ice age, or, in other words, that we were imperiled by global freezing.

Now it is 2019 (about the same time scientists had predicted the world would be frozen over), and many of my peers, as well as plenty of adults, believe that the world is going to end due to global warming, and there is nothing we can do to stop it.

The hysteria over climate change has gone so far that many students my age are striking — skipping school every Friday to protest global warming. And they’re demanding that Washington, D.C., fix it.

Washington has many, many things that it needs to fix, and many responsibilities and duties to uphold. Global warming, however, is not one of them. Studies show that if the U.S. fully implemented the Green New Deal, the temperature of Earth would decrease by no more than 0.097 degrees Fahrenheit over a span of 30 years.

But the price of electricity would increase by almost 10 times its current amount. The price of gasoline would increase astronomically, so that drivers would have no choice but to drive Priuses and Teslas.

Further, it is estimated that in the state of Texas alone, such regulations would cause the loss of over a million jobs. And that’s just in Texas; across the United States, the numbers would be devastating and the effects on our economy and society possibly irreversible.

None of this sounds like freedom to me, and that is because it is not freedom; it is government control. It is government control over the single black mother who now won’t be able to afford her electricity. It is government control over the Hispanic immigrant who, because the construction machines he operates are not “eco-friendly,” will lose his job and not be able to put food on the table for his family. This is not the American way. It doesn’t make sense to implement regulations that do not solve the problem and yet adversely affect the American people so greatly.

The government wants control. And its excuse is the thin veil of only wanting the best for people and the Earth. But the result of ceding so much control to government that we will have no choice in what job we have, no choice in what car we drive, and no choice in the price we pay for our electricity.

That’s not freedom. And frankly, the possibility of such government overreach scares me a lot more than global warming, which seems to be just another ridiculous scientific prediction. Yes, we need to be good stewards of the Earth. We need to take care of our natural resources, because they are the only ones we have. But the government cannot do it for us, and if it tries, it will only wreak havoc.

The good news is we are taking care of our environment; America’s air and water are cleaner than ever, even as our economy has expanded and our population has increased. My peers should take note, so that in 20 years or 30 years or 50 years, we’ll still enjoy the freedoms that set America apart.

Emma Roberts is a 17-year-old living in Liberty Hill, Texas. She is home-schooled and, when not reading about public policy, enjoys exploring the Texas Hill Country.

The best Emma Roberts