AIBU Greta Thunberg?

[onalongsabbatical]

AIBU to ask everyone who can to get behind Greta Thunberg, even if only online, as she's now getting a lot a lot a lot of hate. She clearly threatens people - especially her polar opposites, men, rich old men, powerful men (did I mention men?). Let's all give her the lurve and support she needs.
So on FB I challenged one just now - Why are you attacking a young woman? - and he disappeared. Funny, that.

I have yet to see any proof that awareness has actually increased.

Well I've been campaigning in climate change for over 10 years, and attended my first climate march ahead of the Copenhagen summit in 2009.

I can tell you there is a huge increase in awareness now. Climate change on the front cover of the Economist - unthinkable 10 years ago.

And it's now part of every UK mainstream political party's manifestos. The UK government has declared a climate emergency and made the net zero 2050 target legally binding. Couldn't have happened 10 years ago.

Admittedly this thread is doing a spectacular job at attracting them -see pp

Trump is that you?

@MarshaBradyo
“it’s precisely due to people like posters on this thread and their stubborn I’m not changing views that this is needed.

People are so shit even when the evidence is staring at them in the face.”

Exactly. There is no evidence that protesting increases awareness or changes the minds of people who disagree. In fact, past studies of the impact of protests show that they can be counter productive by hardening opponent’s opinions against whatever the cause may be.
The student protests in London over the tuition fee increases in 2011 is an illustrative example of that. Parliament was majority in agreement with the students up to the moment the protests broke out & laws were broken. Sentiment switched from in favor of the students to against.

I’d still love to know what precisely you want the government to do as a result of these protests, Marsha. You avoided the question last time I asked. Could it possibly be that you don’t actually know what you’re asking for?

Nope not buying that. It might harden your steely heart but others are changing off the back of it.

Peaceful protests is an important part of a functional democracy.

Jilly I outlined what was good.

Change at home brought about by interest.

Conversations. People talking and acting.

Why don’t you see that as a good thing?

Changed consumer behaviour influencing demand

@MarshaBradyo
Petitions are actually more effective for getting new laws and progress than protests. They are electronic now and so have a net zero carbon footprint too.

Protests do not achieve the objectives they claim to achieve and are de facto environmentally unfriendly in their execution.

Increased mandate for government to listen to specific information

It's a myth that electronic communications are zero carbon.

The servers that they rely on use huge amounts of energy.

You’re all too depressing for me.

Stubborn it’s like ten / twenty years ago when climate change deniers were even more rife and all we had was ‘eco warriors’.

But it’s mass, it’s popular. It’s talked about. Try to embrace it.

I see you listed things like talking, changes at home...where is your evidence that people who were unaware are now aware? That people who didn’t give a shit now do?
Look at the economy....there has been no decline in consumer demand after adjustment for other known factors like inflation, wage stagnation, unemployment. In fact, it’s gone up...

Well not all not posters like Grumio

That gives me some hope

I can see it from the people I know. Where’s your proof you’re the only one being so good with litter picking and no one else has changed behaviour off the back if this?

@grumiosmum
“It's a myth that electronic communications are zero carbon.

The servers that they rely on use huge amounts of energy.“

Yes having any electronic communications as a tool is not net zero. But we have them...namely the WWW anyway. It is up and running and using that energy anyway- whether we do a petition or not. Adding the facility to do online petitions does not add to the carbon footprint. It is a net zero addition.

It’s like trying to turn the Titanic some people like you and Jilly think you’re doing better than everyone else, but it takes masses to make changes. Take the good from wherever it comes

@MarshaBradyo
Since you are the one claiming that protests increase awareness and have changed consumer behavior, the burden of proof is on you.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

I watched Greta's address in full earlier, grumiosmum, and even allowing for her undoubted passion for the subject I found the delivery pretty disturbing

Remembering the many MH issues she's said to have, I find myself wondering what the pressure and possible exploitation may be doing to so young a lass, and hoping that those close to her are keeping her interests in mind

It amazes me that people hold themselves in such high regard while everyone else is obviously crap and doing nothing.

It will go towards doing so. More so than if they isn’t exist. It’s not easy humans are selfish consumers.

Seen @grumiosmum

Greta and her backers do not need to create a war between generations. That is not smart. That is not in our world's interest. A destructive boy Greta's age in Brazil could hide behind that message.

Our world needs sacrifices. We need to seize rainforests with the same fervour we exercised seizing oilfields in 1991 and 2003. We need to stop renewing passports. We need not to walk to the shop rather than drive, we need to stop shopping. Enjoy less.

Above all we need to stop blaming people based on gender, race, colour, and age and identify and recognise what every individual is doing now.

@MarshaBradyo
Neither Jilly nor I have said we are “doing better than anyone else”