To wonder if school children understand the concept of a (climate) strike

[lemonsandlimes123]

Watching the news coverage of the climate strike today I can't help but think a couple of major points are not being addressed.

Firstly it is not exactly difficult to motivate thousands of children to effectively take a day off school! I have seen journalists pondering why it has been so well supported and I can't help thinking the answer is somewhat obvious, most kids like a day off school.

Secondly i understand the concept of a strike as a political action to be one of removing your labour to effect those who may profit from your labour. The accompanying loss of wages also means that there is cost to the striker that shows a certain commitment to the cause. The idea of school children striking when in fact in a school they are the beneficiaries of the labours of others strikes me as somewhat backwards. By not attending school they are only reducing their own education which seems rather self defeating IMO.

So whilst I think it's great that people are engaged I do feel the whole walking out of school business probably has more impact on the numbers participating than the actual cause.

I went to the protest today and I'm glad I did. This thread has really saddened me. The fact is that these protests are making a difference. Addressing climate change is now mainstream and recent polls have shown that it's the number one issue for a majority of people. I know exactly what I was protesting about and it's not wishy washy. Reforestation in the UK. Pressure from our government to other countries government to stop deforestation. Stop fossil fuel subsidies. Invest in green technology. Better public transport, including international train travel. And lots of other things. There are a number of concrete measures that governments can take that would make a difference. Whether or not the people on the march never do anything to harm the environment is irrelevant. Are people not allowed to protest about poverty if they've ever bought something they didn't need? It's stupid and illogical.
I'm not virtue signalling and I'm not going to justify my concerns about the environment by listing the measures that I have taken. I went because I want my voice heard by our government and by international governments. Have some respect for people who genuinely care about others.

All the people saying it's "silly", crikey. Look at venus for what we could potentially turn into. Thick as fuck doesn't even cover it

'virtue signaling'

Oh fuck off

There are well spoken and well educated kids in all classes. Why the inference that because they were articulate they had to be middle class? And what is it with this country’s class obsession. It’s so depressing. Other countries don’t have our class obsession and it’s so much healthier.

I can't believe people are downplaying/discounting this.

This is the single biggest gathering to strike that's ever happened. It's millions of people all over the world. People from every continent. It's utterly incredible

How do you charge your electric car if you don't have your own driveway?

We aren't at a point yet where it is feasible for everybody. That's something the government/local councils could help with though by invreasing the availability of charging points. Developers could be required to include them in new properties for eg or carparks could be required to have a charging point for every x number of spaces.

See

There are hundreds of posts like this

No one is saying the issue is not that important. What people are saying is that lots of young people are just seeing it as a day 'off' and would not be happy to make changes if it meant giving up things they actually enjoy

I am sure that they thought they were doing the right thing, but I wonder how many could manage without a mobile phone? Wouldn't it have been an idea for them to protest, but leave their mobile phones at home?Hmmm.....

Organize a beach and city clean up every weekend for some time and see how many of the same young people still turn up

What people are saying is that lots of young people are just seeing it as a day 'off' and would not be happy to make changes if it meant giving up things they actually enjoy

They can't know that, so it's just petty imagining.

I wonder how many could manage without a mobile phone

So not the point.

@echt it is a point though. Every amount of energy we use is important. Why not demonstrate by using less and giving up a item they enjoy?

The fact that they are not willing to give up the majority of their luxuries to help in a more effective way of change right now what they can do is telling

OK, it's a stupid point, might as well criticise them for using fossil fuel to get to the rally.

To all the naysayers YABU. This generation of youngsters will achieve more for the environment than we have in 30 years. So they might be a bit naive, so they might not be perfect in their principles. If we all wait until we’re perfect we will never achieve anything. What are you doing?

It started with Greta thunberg who starred striking , on her own, off school every Friday and sitting outside the political buildings instead, the raise awareness of climate change.

Her point of it was 'I go to school for my future - but I will have no future if climate change continues. So thus I shall protest climate change for my future because it is equally, if not more important than my education, to actually have an earth to live on.'

Everyone ended up joining in and thus the protests today. I think ita about making the point of how important climate change actually is.

I’m very much in favour of environmental measures I just wanted to understand the background a bit more before letting my DC’s take part and was surprised at what I found
www.newscientist.com/article/2213787-extinction-rebellion-founder-calls-for-mass-psychedelic-disobedience/

www.rogerhallam.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Common-Sense-for-the-21st-Century_by-Roger-Hallam-Download-version.pdf

This thread is so depressing. Really down on the young. How do you know they are not willing to give up luxuries or make changes? For a lot or most this might be the beginning of their “awakening” and engagement. It’s really sad to read this thread and also lots of similar crap from adults on my Facebook tonight.

Wow how depressing and mean spirited.

This is why our planet is doomed unless there is massive change politically and economically forcing huge companies to make significant changes in their carbon footprint.

There could be big changes if people made changes to their lifestyle. But most people choose to shove their heads in the sand and do nothing that might inconvenience themselves. Then attack people who are trying.

We have made significant changes. My kids are home educated and them and many of their friends were there today - not missing school. Missing social groups, special interest clubs and groups.

Those kids that do want to just have a day off school - surely it would be more fun saying you’re off to strike and then not bothering. Most of the kids I saw had home made placards and were very much part of the strike.

This was a GLOBAL strike. Not everyone was ‘middle class’. How ridiculous. Look at any news coverage and children were striking all over the world. They weren’t all privileged middle class kids.

The first people suffering from climate change are the poorer people in poorer countries, the kids today were striking for them. They will be displaced first. They already are being displaced now.

But hey, you be miserable about these kids being proactive. Does it make you feel better for doing nothing yourself?

I think there are a lot of threads on here underestimating young people. The majority of 15+ teenagers are perfectly capable of understanding the issue of climate change and are at an age when they want to be able to express their opinions. Personally, I think it's encouraging that they feel passionately enough about an issue that they want to get out there and engage in activism.

I don't think it is inappropriate, at all, Catherine, so long as the point about belief and protest and not just passively watching things happen is being made.

Also, the strikes have managed to push climate change right back onto the political agenda. Very empowering for young people to feel they are making a difference and it might encourage them to continue to engage in public/political life.

Many people complain of young people's apathy, but when they do sit up and take an interest, they are dismissed as not understanding the issue or just taking advantage of a day off school. It's not as if they stayed in their bedroom playing x-box.

Yes of course. Because all children are stupid, don’t follow current affairs and aren’t at all worried that the planet has been ruined over the last couple of hundred years and they are the ones who will have to live with the consequences. Nope, they just wanted to skip double maths..

Nobody suggests teachers strikes are well supported because they just want a term time day off, despite the fact that the last strike day here I was in our local shopping mall and it was unusually mobbed for a week day.

The reason people berate and infantilise the youths taking part in this is, it means they don’t have to listen, to pay attention or do anything about it. Same way as republicans claimed Soros forced millions of children to march for their lives against gun control.

If you have such a low opinion of this generation, consider this. Who is raising them? Who is shaping their futures? If you are raising yours to ignore this stuff and just want to skive, that’s the problem. I guarantee if DDs school had been involved in this, she would have been involved, and she hates missing school.

All the people criticising the youth strike on here are telling themselves it's shit and pointless middle class virtue signalling in an attempt to assuage their guilt over doing fuck all to stop the climate crisis themselves. Cognitive dissonance.