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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU Greta Thunberg?

999 replies

onalongsabbatical · 22/09/2019 10:34

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.

OP posts:
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5
Puzzledandpissedoff · 23/09/2019 23:40

she looks like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders and if her parents should be taking her out of the firing line if they care for her welfare. It’s time for others to put the work in rather than rely on a vulnerable youngster

Quite

It's hard to credit that someone should ask "why would she need support?" when you consider how often we're told about her numerous MH issues, or that wondering what effect the role she's taken on might have on these somehow becomes "hate", but there you go

QualCheckBot · 23/09/2019 23:43

I am honestly a bit of a fan. But she is a child. And I did find it somewhat ironic today that she was talking of leaders stealing her generation's future. Its less than a hundred years ago that Swedes were still emigrating to the US to escape the grinding famine in Sweden. For countless previous generations other than the most recent, crop failures, blight and religious and political persecution was the norm in Sweden. Working class people couldn't better their lives and even lack of hunger was avoidable.

How those generations, still within living memory, would envy the luxury of Greta's perspective.

But now Sweden, having lost millions of its own people not so long ago, is held up as the beacon on how other countries should be, producing messiahs like Greta, fostered on the Swedish approach to life philosophy.

I say all this as someone who is a bit of a fan of Sweden and all things Swedish!

Trewser · 23/09/2019 23:46

I wish someone would step up and take the responsibility off her for a bit.

PigletJohn · 24/09/2019 00:03

That twat Piers Morgan seeems to have shifted from outright attacks to slimily undermining, perhaps in an attempt to discourage viwers from paying attention to the points Greta makes.

I suppose that's easier than trying to concoct a convincing argument.

sweetiepie1979 · 24/09/2019 00:20

I just watched her speech - I get what her cause is, what she’s fighting for and commend her for it, but there’s something about the delivery of the speech that’s a bit odd - the crying seems a bit odd and put me off a little, though the message is a good one.

I agree with this the crying felt artificial today and took away from her message......

compulsiveliar2019 · 24/09/2019 01:25

Wow this thread is scary!!!

Do people seriously think that there right to a luxurious lifestyle trumps that of the rights to life of our future generations? Our children our grandchildren? Not to mention the millions of other species that also inhabit this planet.

We are polluting the planet and our atmosphere at an alarming rate. We are all responsible for making changes and we in the west are going to be forced to rethink our way of life whether we like it or not.

Greta is an amazing young woman who has focused attention to environmental issues in a way that nobody else has achieved. She deserves support not criticism even if you do not agree with everything she says. She was emotional today- to me she came across as angry not upset (I know only too well how when I'm angry I often get tearful despite not being sad). I think she was quite justified in being angry with the way she was treated by Trump today.

Tilltheendoftheline · 24/09/2019 01:46

As the parent of child diagnosed with Aspergers, I find calling her strange quite nasty.

But also as that parent I am fully aware how easy it is to manipulate someone with aspergers into focusing on one subject completely to the point they are obsessed and terrified of what will happen in the future. Not everyone with aspergers, granted.

And this what happened with Greta. She saw a film and couldnt get it out of her head. Her obsession has been fuelled. Which I think is doing her mental health damage. Especially when she has already suffered depression over this issue.

I agree with her sentiment. That doesnt mean I have to totally be on board with what's, possibly, happening.

People ignoring the fact that she is vulnerable and holding her up as some sort of hero because they agree with hee message, may not actually be doing her any favours.

As an aside, what mode of transport is she using to travel? And how many people are with hee when she does?

I do think people are missing some obvious issues, for Greta herself.

I dont really think being concerned for Greta is sneering or an attack on Hermione you can agree and be concerned.

MarshaBradyo · 24/09/2019 04:12

Didn’t mn run a campaign once, This is My Child, or something like that. To mitigate against these posts like a very strange little person re a child with autism.

She’s single-minded so what. Obviously most on here are too distracted by their inferior traits to act or change when faced with stark facts.

And stop it with the hero worship messiah stuff. She’s done well. She inspired people. Great. And her message is getting through, it’s front of the news. No detractors could claim they had inspired anyone. If it’s so easy have a go.

This arrogant thickness is fucking it up for the next generation.

malificent7 · 24/09/2019 04:33

She's amazing...and people are listening. About time too.

PineapplePower · 24/09/2019 04:41

You think a population of billions can grow exponentially, industry can grow exponentially with no severely detrimental effects?

Global population is set to peak and decline by 2050 according to most estimates. As the population gets richer it declines in number. This is a well-known fact. Most developed countries would be under the replacement rate if not for immigration.

I don’t know where you are getting these wild scenarios, certainly not from the IPCC report.

PineapplePower · 24/09/2019 04:49

For countless previous generations other than the most recent, crop failures, blight and religious and political persecution was the norm in Sweden. Working class people couldn't better their lives and even lack of hunger was avoidable

This was normal life for the peasantry just two or three generations ago; how have we forgotten so quickly? Greta is taking the piss by saying we’ve stolen her childhood; she really doesn’t appreciate how good she has it. There has never been a generation in Europe as healthy, wealthy, educated as this one. Largely thanks to fossil fuels I might add ...

BeardedMum · 24/09/2019 05:32

yes but soon that might change. Greta is talking about the future.

She is not alone as we have seen with the recent marches. Lots of people are joining her yet those people are also undermined and patronised. Spoilt kids who just want a day off and have no idea what they are talking about....

Teacher22 · 24/09/2019 05:42

One cannot blame Greta Thunberg for being hysterical as she is a sixteen year old, autistic pawn of her parents and the climate change lobby. One can pity her and think, ‘shame on them’, however. If she is breaking down in tears she is clearly distressed and needs to be taken to a place of safety and looked after.

No, the blame is to be reserved for those who collude in her exploitation either deliberately or through credulity and irrationality which is inexcusable in educated adults.

Thunberg supporters need to question whether they participate in any of the following and whether they would actually be prepared to give them up before they blame others for what they are calling ‘climate change:-
Holidays whether long or short haul, by plane, train or car
Festivals
The night time economy
Keeping pets
Having more than two, perhaps even one child
Commuting
Eating more than staple food
Drinking alcohol
Taking drugs
Visiting the theatre or concerts
Keeping clean by bathing or showering
Participating in a sophisticated society beyond subsistence farming
And so on.

I observe from my direct acquaintance and room my reading in the media that the biggest climate change supporters are the biggest consumers of the planets’ resources in their own lives.

The current hysteria over the climate change issue is very akin to religious controversies in the past. The Inquisition tortured and burned innocents and countries were ravaged by war over whether wine in a cup with words spoken over it was actually Christ’s blood or merely symbolic of it. We can see that their fervour and belief were unjustified from our perspective now and so will this current issue be judged in the future.

Someone likened Thunberg to St Joan of Arc in a complimentary way and the comparison is apt. They were both disturbed, hysterical young women with mental health issues who, yet, managed to persuade others to their cause.

Teacher22 · 24/09/2019 05:46

Sorry, predictive text fail.
‘Room’ should be ‘from’ and ‘planets’ ‘ should read ‘planet’s’ singular.

Sarcelle · 24/09/2019 05:47

She's clearly an exceptionally bright and committed girl who believes passionately about this important issue.

However, she is being treated as the coming of the second messiah. I did not find her speech impassioned, she looked like a teenager in a strop. Nobody has stolen her childhood, she has had a childhood,and she still has a few years of it to go. That kind of statement and the tears of frustration were like a daughter being denied something by their parents. She is intelligent but the speech felt written by somebody elsewhere. And I went from being impressed to, whatever.

She is being pushed by somebody, she does not look well. Her currency in this debate is that she is a teenager who looks a lot younger than her years so people are lauding her as a deity but at some point (coming soon I think especially after this speech) people are going to move onto the next thing.

The subject matter is very relevant, and she is a great hook to garner support and a movement, but I am not buying the second coming.

MarshaBradyo · 24/09/2019 06:06

Teacher22 Don’t call her an ‘autistic pawn’ ffs how awful is your language modify it.

MarshaBradyo · 24/09/2019 06:08

Adults here are the problem. You are the problem. Get off your lazy arses and engage with change. Even if you dislike her many don’t. Use that platform for a conversation about what to do differently.

BeardedMum · 24/09/2019 06:11

@Teacher22 it’s your post which is hysterical and disturbing.

Sarcelle · 24/09/2019 06:12

Just watching Good Morning Britain and Piers Morgan is clearly on a mission to discredit her. He is talking to their weather person (their expert) and was trying to get her to admit that Greta was being over dramatic about the speed of climate change. But the weather person said that Greta was right!

Trewser · 24/09/2019 06:15

As the parent of child diagnosed with Aspergers, I find calling her strange quite nasty

Then I apologise, although please note I was not talking about your child.

Tilltheendoftheline · 24/09/2019 06:18

Trewser no you werent.

But parents of children with asda hear this all the time. Or its said straight to the child. Especially by other children.

So yes, it's not nice to hear and its nasty and we are fed up of hearing how strange and weird our children are.

Solitarycaddis · 24/09/2019 06:19

No problem with her personally, but will these protesting teenagers be giving up their smartphones and washing machines...or indeed ANYTHING to 'save the planet'?

I think you do our teens a disservice by saying that.

My 16 yr old DD joined a climate change march earlier this year.
(School gave permission as long as they came in one day at the weekend to do the work they missed.) Since then, she has encouraged us all in our household to ban single use plastic and conserve heat and consume less generally, she is cooking us all veggie food, she has helped me to start a compost heap, she is buying second hand clothing, she has got us involved in a local excess food sharing site, she has joined groups who clean beaches and parks, she helps in the school's eco garden, every weekend she sets out her energy saving goals for the week ahead (ie using public transport instead of asking for lifts etc) and we are discussing how to consume less this Christmas and make the celebration more eco-friendly . OK, so much of this may not make a huge difference individually, but if lots of households are influenced by their teens and make small changes in the same way, then it could add up to something. I am sure we are not the only ones who have an environmentally aware teen in their midst! Judging by DD and her friends, they are genuinely committed to change.

Trewser · 24/09/2019 06:24

we are fed up of hearing how strange and weird our children are

I didn't say your child is strange and I certainly didn't use the word weird.

ChickenyChick · 24/09/2019 06:26

It’s not about teens willing to give up luxuries (lots if them are)

It’s about the baby boomers and generation X (and maybe Millenials too) who have often lived lives of luxury and comfort (compared yo pre war generations)

The 2 car, 2 holidays, takeaway eating, fashion loving, long haul flying generations!

We are the ones that have been consuming the planet

We can’t exactly blame the current teens...

Trewser · 24/09/2019 06:27

The definition of the word strange is
"unusual or surprising; difficult to understand or explain"

I think GT is very unusual and surprising. Not difficult to understand, I admit.

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