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.

 

[Underestimated Nutria]

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.

(1) inert?

(2) those plastics (polymers) contains a lot of unreacted monomers. The most well known in public discourse being, of course, bisphenol A, and maybe styrene. I do suspect that the risk on the whole is exaggerated, but I'm humbled by the utter difficulty of predicting biological activity based on molecular structure, and all that. Like ... to give an unrelated example ... can anyone even tell me why pentane and heptane are pretty safe , but hexane will turn you into Chris Chan?

 

[Gravityqueen4life]

if autism was a super power, Chris-chan would have become the god emperor of human kind.

 

[Marissa Moira]

>The Left won't listen to autistic people about not shoving feminists and normies into tech positions because they'll fuck it up with having unqualified diversity hires and will berate and vilify any autistics who speak up

>The Left somehow will listen unquestioningly to a single autist about climate change though

 

[Dynastier]

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

Booooooooooooo.

Low effort shit bait.

 

[FierceBrosnan]

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

For me it's more that her looks belie a history of malnutrition and possible FAS. If that's the case then a disabled child is being used a mouthpiece and a shield from criticism. Which is double plus fucked up.

 

[Larry David's Opera Cape]

She's gotta be around 4'7 or so by the comparison pictures. Optimistically. I think her eating disorder and her new "vegan diet" aka blessed woke eating disorder have seriously stunted her growth. Her health must be incredibly frail and I will be surprised if she holds up to this rigorous touring schedule much longer.

 

[Tasty Tatty]

I thought awareness of mental illness was a good thing?

Greta doesn't have a mental illness according to some people because autism isn't an illness, bigot.

(yes, real people are making this point).

 

[Christ Cried]

Why is nuclear so bad in their minds? Do they really think that it, Oh idk, pollutes more on average than coal? Or is their hate purely ideological?

It's because being an environmentalist is a flavor of the month way to seem like you have depth. They have no understanding of the environment. They believe that nuclear power isn't clean energy, they don't understand that forests have to be cut or burned in cycles and that most logging in the US is a net positive for the forests, hell, most of them probably don't even know how to get camping. They are typically some of the most obnoxious consumers and have the biggest carbon footprints.

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

Remember when everybody rightfully made fun of Captain Planet?

 

[JambledUpWords]

Greta doesn't have a mental illness according to some people because autism isn't an illness, bigot.

(yes, real people are making this point).

No matter what “special abilities” autism gives you, it is still a mental illness. Autism makes it much harder to socially navigate society than for someone without autism. High functioning autists tend to have the best chance at blending into society, but severe autism can make it impossible to integrate into normal society. I have cousins with severe autism and they will be under the care of their parents/guardians forever. They can never drive, get married, let alone attending a normal school. The people that push that autism isn’t a mental illness are ignorant. Calling autism a mental illness isn’t supposed to be derogatory, it’s just a fact. By not acknowledging it for the mental illness it is, it can make people with autism lose out on getting proper care. If there’s anyone that needs that care, it’s Greta. The adults in her life have failed her and intervention will now be harder because she’s older. Seeing Greta being taken advantage of due to her autism is disgusting and her parents should be ashamed. She’s not okay in the slightest and people should stop reinforcing her self destructive behaviors.

 

[Water-T]

Remember when everybody rightfully made fun of Captain Planet?

EARTH!
FIRE!
WIND!
WATER!
AUTISM!

BY YOUR SPERGERY COMBINED, I AM CAPTAIN GRETA!

 

[Tasty Tatty]

No matter what “special abilities” autism gives you, it is still a mental illness. Autism makes it much harder to socially navigate society than for someone without autism. High functioning autists tend to have the best chance at blending into society, but severe autism can make it impossible to integrate into normal society. I have cousins with severe autism and they will be under the care of their parents/guardians forever. They can never drive, get married, let alone attending a normal school. The people that push that autism isn’t a mental illness are ignorant. Calling autism a mental illness isn’t supposed to be derogatory, it’s just a fact. By not acknowledging it for the mental illness it is, it can make people with autism lose out on getting proper care. If there’s anyone that needs that care, it’s Greta. The adults in her life have failed her and intervention will now be harder because she’s older. Seeing Greta being taken advantage of due to her autism is disgusting and her parents should be ashamed. She’s not okay in the slightest and people should stop reinforcing her self destructive behaviors.

I know that. But, you know how some people tend to be. They want to be "normal" just in the same way they fight against what it's "established". I think their reasoning is "well, if I can function, that means I'm normal and I don't have an illness, right?", which is wrong as people with asthma, diabetes, hearth diseases, and many other physical illnesses can function in the world very well too. I have asthma and I've run in a marathon, for example. In Greta's case, her own parents have said the girl has issues. Whether it's true she has autism or she only has anxiety after being programmed to be so afraid, it's up to debate. But the girl isn't a normal functioning girl, imo.

 

[Dynastier]

I know that. But, you know how some people tend to be. They want to be "normal" just in the same way they fight against what it's "established". I think their reasoning is "well, if I can function, that means I'm normal and I don't have an illness, right?", which is wrong as people with asthma, diabetes, hearth diseases, and many other physical illnesses can function in the world very well too. I have asthma and I've run in a marathon, for example. In Greta's case, her own parents have said the girl has issues. Whether it's true she has autism or she only has anxiety after being programmed to be so afraid, it's up to debate. But the girl isn't a normal functioning girl, imo.

She was supposedly hospitalized in the past over anxiety. She is described as having "selective mutism".
She ain't "Mentally well", so I don't know what else you're supposed to call her besides mentally ill.

 

[Jason "Qriist" Close]

Greta doesn't have a mental illness according to some people because autism isn't an illness, bigot.

(yes, real people are making this point).

Ignore that, then. She still has OCD, selective mutism, and a history of self-harm.

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

No matter what “special abilities” autism gives you, it is still a mental illness. Autism makes it much harder to socially navigate society than for someone without autism. High functioning autists tend to have the best chance at blending into society, but severe autism can make it impossible to integrate into normal society. I have cousins with severe autism and they will be under the care of their parents/guardians forever. They can never drive, get married, let alone attending a normal school. The people that push that autism isn’t a mental illness are ignorant. Calling autism a mental illness isn’t supposed to be derogatory, it’s just a fact. By not acknowledging it for the mental illness it is, it can make people with autism lose out on getting proper care. If there’s anyone that needs that care, it’s Greta. The adults in her life have failed her and intervention will now be harder because she’s older. Seeing Greta being taken advantage of due to her autism is disgusting and her parents should be ashamed. She’s not okay in the slightest and people should stop reinforcing her self destructive behaviors.

The harder a parent pushes for "AUTISM IS A SUPERPOWER REEEEE" the more I imagine what an absolute fucking nightmare their little tard is.

 

[Hux]

It's because being an environmentalist is a flavor of the month way to seem like you have depth. They have no understanding of the environment. They believe that nuclear power isn't clean energy, they don't understand that forests have to be cut or burned in cycles and that most logging in the US is a net positive for the forests, hell, most of them probably don't even know how to get camping. They are typically some of the most obnoxious consumers and have the biggest carbon footprints.

They also believe that every single nuclear power plant is staffed entirely by clones of Mr. Burnses at the top and Homers at the bottom

 

[nosemouth]

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

Jesus Christ, what a family of retards that is.

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

They also believe that every single nuclear power plant is staffed entirely by clones of Mr. Burnses at the top and Homers at the bottom

Just what Matt Groening wanted.

 

[Wallace]

(1) inert?

(2) those plastics (polymers) contains a lot of unreacted monomers. The most well known in public discourse being, of course, bisphenol A, and maybe styrene. I do suspect that the risk on the whole is exaggerated, but I'm humbled by the utter difficulty of predicting biological activity based on molecular structure, and all that. Like ... to give an unrelated example ... can anyone even tell me why pentane and heptane are pretty safe , but hexane will turn you into Chris Chan?

It depends on the molecule's ability to mimic other similar molecules. For example, bisphenol A's chemical structure is similar enough to estrogen that it can bind to estrogen receptors surprisingly well, giving cells a false impression that there's more estrogen around, and the cells react accordingly.

DNA damage is another possibility, but I don't know much about that off the top of my head.

 

[Dreams Mask]

The harder a parent pushes for "AUTISM IS A SUPERPOWER REEEEE" the more I imagine what an absolute fucking nightmare their little tard is.

As an Aspie person myself i can vouch that the "Autism is a superpower" should not be taken lightly. You don't know what your going to say or if your going to say the wrong thing. With Greta though, the more her parents and supporters use that idea more the more worse and far left policies we could see coming our way. I'm pro environment but gosh damn what her parents are saying to her is just a plain out retarded idea.