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.

 

[Secret Asshole]

Are Swedes mentally defective? They literally told terrorists to bring bombs to police stations?

If I remember correctly, its a lot harder to get guns in Sweden but its a LOT easier getting soviet-era hand grenades. Also cheaper. I have no idea how that works.

So, most gang warfare in Sweden involves basically Grenadier battles, chucking Soviet-era grenades produced in the Eastern Bloc at each other. Swedes want to keep this one silent because if this paradise and holy-than-thou nation is speaking on terms of gun control and the international community finds out literal grenade crime is a problem in the socialist paradise, they'll become an international laughingstock.

But its far too late for that. To be fair to the fucktarded Swedes, the grenade thing is gang warfare. We have drive by shootings, they have drive by grenadings.

 

[Jeffrey Epstein]

If I remember correctly, its a lot harder to get guns in Sweden but its a LOT easier getting soviet-era hand grenades. Also cheaper. I have no idea how that works.

So, most gang warfare in Sweden involves basically Grenadier battles, chucking Soviet-era grenades produced in the Eastern Bloc at each other. Swedes want to keep this one silent because if this paradise and holy-than-thou nation is speaking on terms of gun control and the international community finds out literal grenade crime is a problem in the socialist paradise, they'll become an international laughingstock.

But its far too late for that. To be fair to the fucktarded Swedes, the grenade thing is gang warfare. We have drive by shootings, they have drive by grenadings.

I think that when originally producing these grenades, they should've made them look more like fruit.

 

[JoshPlz]

Greta & her handlers get confronted by a based leaf:

 

[AnOminous]

Why would anyone pick this nasty, squinty goblin as a spokesthing for anything at all? It's hard to imagine anyone more off-putting than this troll looking personification of un-fun. She's like some loli version of Jonathan Edwards ranting about sinners in the hands of an angry God. Fuck that shit.

 

[AlexJonesGotMePregnant]

Greta & her handlers get confronted by a based leaf:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Zboorh0vysg

Attached an archive.

 

[SmileyTimeDayCare]

Greta & her handlers get confronted by a based leaf:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Zboorh0vysg

As soon as they realize the questions are making her look bad and exposing the bullshit:

Super runaway!

Always what happens. I'm surprised she didn't start crying.

 

[Water-T]

Why would anyone pick this nasty, squinty goblin as a spokesthing for anything at all? It's hard to imagine anyone more off-putting than this troll looking personification of un-fun. She's like some loli version of Jonathan Edwards ranting about sinners in the hands of an angry God. Fuck that shit.

Seconded.Greta is just a mentally unwell child being thrust into the spotlight and used as a ideological shield by her parents. Confronting her is exactly what they want and only makes the confronter look like an asshole.

Just ignore the eco-dwarf and she'll soon disappear into obscurity like every other kid that gets trotted out for the cause du jour.

 

[CWCissey]

Why would anyone pick this nasty, squinty goblin as a spokesthing for anything at all? It's hard to imagine anyone more off-putting than this troll looking personification of un-fun. She's like some loli version of Jonathan Edwards ranting about sinners in the hands of an angry God. Fuck that shit.

The stunted growth makes her look young and innocent for longer. And the mental illness keeps her pliable.

 

[Fuck Y'all]

If I remember correctly, its a lot harder to get guns in Sweden but its a LOT easier getting soviet-era hand grenades. Also cheaper. I have no idea how that works.

So, most gang warfare in Sweden involves basically Grenadier battles, chucking Soviet-era grenades produced in the Eastern Bloc at each other. Swedes want to keep this one silent because if this paradise and holy-than-thou nation is speaking on terms of gun control and the international community finds out literal grenade crime is a problem in the socialist paradise, they'll become an international laughingstock.

But its far too late for that. To be fair to the fucktarded Swedes, the grenade thing is gang warfare. We have drive by shootings, they have drive by grenadings.

these 'nades are from Balkans IIRC

 

[TowinKarz]

Seconded.Greta is just a mentally unwell child being thrust into the spotlight and used as a ideological shield by her parents. Confronting her is exactly what they want and only makes the confronter look like an asshole.

Just ignore the eco-dwarf and she'll soon disappear into obscurity like every other kid that gets trotted out for the cause du jour.

She's already there, the fickle media, having patted themselves on the back and signaled to the rest of the herd they are correct, is already off to the next crisis.

And Greta can take a seat next to the cast of Black Panther, David Hogg, Zoe Quinn, Women's March and all the other Celibrities who's 15 minutes are up, well, she's there NOW, she's just still at the denial phase where surely, SURELY, being seated here with these losers who weren't pure enough in their rage was a simple paperwork mistake that will be corrected shortly.

 

[Malagor the dank omen]

She's already there, the fickle media, having patted themselves on the back and signaled to the rest of the herd they are correct, is already off to the next crisis.

This so much. The suckers in the media might get their dopamine dosis by virtue signalling hobgoblins like Greta, but remember that for them is money first, political causes later. And they need inflamatory as fuck hedlines in order to draw attention from people because they know their average reader has the attention span of a fruit fly. Quoting some fucking self aware journalist in a cyberpunk game "My trade isn't the truth, because that doesn't sell. I trade in attention. Do you know how hard is to get eyeballs to turn your way these days? Well, that's what sells and i'm good at making whatever it sells."

They will drive off to the next drama, fabricated crisis, fake hate crime or wheveter the UN spouts to keep people in line.

 

[ICametoLurk]

how Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate appeared when Greta Thunberg retweeted her. how Vanessa Nakata appeared in her modeling agency headshot.

 

[⠠⠠⠅⠑⠋⠋⠁⠇⠎ ⠠⠠⠊⠎ ⠠⠠⠁ ⠠⠠⠋⠁⠛]

View attachment 991671how Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate appeared when Greta Thunberg retweeted her. how Vanessa Nakata appeared in her modeling agency headshot.

Hmm, a model is striking by not working (maybe even not eating). Powerful..
And in service of corrupt geopolitical goals, too. Very interesting.
For added hmms, the Congo rainforest, while not solely confined to the two Congos, is nowhere near Uganda.

 

[Stoneheart]

For added hmms, the Congo rainforest, while not solely confined to the two Congos, is nowhere near Uganda.

Let Belgium sort that out... cutting down a forest without hands doesnt work...

 

[Silence of the Troons]

Obviously, the most climate-conscious choice one can make is to eat a banana, a fruit that is well-known for growing in Canada during this time of the year and which definitely doesn't have to be transported there from countries that are thousands of kilometers away

 

[CWCissey]

View attachment 992142
Obviously, the most climate-conscious choice one can make is to eat a banana, a fruit that is well-known for growing in Canada during this time of the year and which definitely doesn't have to be transported there from countries that are thousands of kilometers away

One that is also a product of modern science (all modern bananas come from cuttings from a few plants in an English greenhouse IIRC) AND it's an endangered species of fruit seeing as it's sterile.

 

[Homegrown Homophobia]

View attachment 992142
Obviously, the most climate-conscious choice one can make is to eat a banana, a fruit that is well-known for growing in Canada during this time of the year and which definitely doesn't have to be transported there from countries that are thousands of kilometers away

Between Greta's family and her handlers I can't get over how Goddamn ugly looking Swedes are. Where the deuce did the idea in America that all Swedish people look like chad vikings and bikini models come from?

 

[CWCissey]

Between Greta's family and her handlers I can't get over how Goddamn ugly looking Swedes are. Where the deuce did the idea in America that all Swedish people look like chad vikings and bikini models come from?

70's porn mostly.

 

[George Floyd Sneed]

She's already there, the fickle media, having patted themselves on the back and signaled to the rest of the herd they are correct, is already off to the next crisis.

And Greta can take a seat next to the cast of Black Panther, David Hogg, Zoe Quinn, Women's March and all the other Celibrities who's 15 minutes are up, well, she's there NOW, she's just still at the denial phase where surely, SURELY, being seated here with these losers who weren't pure enough in their rage was a simple paperwork mistake that will be corrected shortly.

I agree, people have moved on for a while now. It’s funny how all these “organic”and “grassroots” movements wither and die when billionaires stop funding them and media stops covering them. Almost as if it’s a total lie that people are concerned about cow farts and can’t wait until they can eat a steak made entirely with bugs.

 

[Malagor the dank omen]

Between Greta's family and her handlers I can't get over how Goddamn ugly looking Swedes are. Where the deuce did the idea in America that all Swedish people look like chad vikings and bikini models come from?

At least in Spain there is an important reason. In the 70s swedish tourists came to Spain in droves and the women were... Let's just say very easy by spanish standards. That and the movies of Andrés Pajares.

I agree, people have moved on for a while now. It’s funny how all these “organic”and “grassroots” movements wither and die when billionaires stop funding them and media stops covering them. Almost as if it’s a total lie that people are concerned about cow farts and can’t wait until they can eat a steak made entirely with bugs.

At this point, these grassroots movements are just a con so journalists can generate clicks. Just fabricated news so journos can keep making inane garbage for people taht still pay them attention.

Because we all know in reality these movements don't do jack shit.