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.

That's frankly conspiracy thinking

Only, I'd suggest, if someone's not looked into the wider issues around funding. There's a useful piece below about the money swilling around the example of scientific publishing and the later bursting of that particular bubble ... hardly surprising if some attach themselves to a new udder, even if that involves the sacrifice of impartiality www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jun/27/profitable-business-scientific-publishing-bad-for-science

In fairness it can equally be said that vast amounts are spent by those who promote wasteful practices, but for many of us this simply illustrates once again that so much is driven by competing financial interests rather than any higher minded ideals

Bang goes nuclear weapon disarmament then

That doesn't follow.

At present 7 nations have both nuclear power stations and nuclear weapons, 24 have nuclear power stations and no nuclear weapons and 2 nuclear weapons but no nuclear power stations.

The two are not intrinsically linked.

I only noticed this week that the Economist's front page was dedicated to climate change.

Using a version of the Climate Stripes created by Ed Hawkins, an academic from University of Reading. That cover wasn't related to Greta Thunberg.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

It's still conspiracy thinking. Your argument is that because there is money in science, then the science should be doubted.

Take the article that you just posted a link to. Yes, there is a lot of money in science publishing. So if on the basis that climate science is shaped by the financing, surely, it must be the same for other sciences. Many people are employed doing genetics research. Perhaps the existence of DNA is also a lie. The accelerators at CERN are pretty expensive. Maybe particle physics is a lie. Why single out climate science from this big scam?

Using a version of the Climate Stripes created by Ed Hawkins, an academic from University of Reading. That cover wasn't related to Greta Thunberg.

??

That wasn't my point - I know the source of the Climate Stripes - I'm not claiming that Greta Thunberg is single-handedly doing all climate science research and communication - but that her protests are raising making climate action newsworthy.

I think Greta is being used and I also think she is being let down by the people who should protect her you need to be very strong mentally to deal with public pressure success young whether in politics academia or football needs very strong guidance to stop is going very awry, whether it is boys playing football at National premier league 1st teams at 16, going to Oxford University at 15/16 girls in modelling at 14 or into the acting world it seems to go very badly wrong for lots the limelight too young is dangerous

whether you agree or disagree with her online hate is bad or even sometimes evil nobody should be dealing with trolling name calling or in some cases threatening violence or rape for having different views even if you hate the views

when it comes to climate change people are very good at telling other people what changes they should make and make changes in their own lives that suit themselves, but people have to walk the talk hypocrisy is not liked , it is not hypocrisy to say I did this when I was younger I now realise this was a bad mistake and I would advise you not to do the same,

it is hypocrisy to say don't do this when you are still doing it or something worse
for me it is easy to limit flying I have no need for wither business or family to fly we have had 2 holidays abroad in 10 years, neither is it hard for me to give up fast fashion as I prefer a few lovely clothes that last and am quite happy to wear the same outfit 50-100 times and the same winter coat for 5 years plus until it wears out, I love antiques and retro stuff so it's no hardship not to update my home style every 5 years, I am quite happy with a serviceable smart phone for 5 years and not update it I will drive my car until no longer economically repairable,, DH can repair most things hoovers, cars, phone screens so we are good at reusing etc etc I have only one child as I married late and was unable to conceive a second, all these help environment but really involve no great sacrifice however I would find it very difficult to give up meat and diary and my car ( I need it for my business and live too rurally for public transport to be a option most of the time )being honest these are things I won't do at present

Now other people might find giving up meat / diary easy but would struggle to give up fast fashion and wear the same coat for 5 years and would hate to have a iphone5 or a nokia lumia

we are all good at justifying our decisions on what we do and not do I can think my using little resources by buying very little new and repairing stuff and not flying offsets my meat eating, someone else thinks their vegetarian lifestyle and use of the tube instead of car easily offsets 2 plane flights a year, we are both probably right but I am not better than the vegetarian because I don't fly and they are not better than me because they don't eat meat it sort of balances out

We as humans tend to justify our own decisions as being better and more thought out than other people's and are quicker to spot hypocrisy in others than we are in ourselves

She started it that’s why she’s the figurehead

No - she was the one noticed and the one the media began to use as a figurehead. She's not the first, and not the only teen to care and to try to make a difference.

Environmentalism is the new religion.

Greta is the figurehead. (Of course you would have to be a terrible person to criticise a child )

Their plan is working.

Thankfully some people are still questioning the narrative.

"The end is nighhhhhh!" (Sandwich board optional)

I think Greta is being used and I also think she is being let down by the people who should protect her you need to be very strong mentally to deal with public pressure success young

Yes!

Your argument is that because there is money in science, then the science should be doubted

Maybe try reading it again; my position isn't that something must automatically be in doubt because of the money involved, but that it's a factor to consider - admittedly a pretty major one - when assessing what's being presented

And yes, that applies to all funding, whether for science or anything else; I singled out climate change on this particular thread because that seems to be Greta's main area of interest

I do believe that climate change is real (but it’s not as black and white as all that).

But keeping the masses happy deflects from what could and should really be done by the people who ought to be doing it.

Lemon where did the Friday strike days start if not Greta 2018?

But keeping the masses happy deflects from what could and should really be done by the people who ought to be doing it

This is frighteningly true!

Googling only gives me her name

Maybe try reading it again; my position isn't that something must automatically be in doubt because of the money involved, but that it's a factor to consider - admittedly a pretty major one - when assessing what's being presented

But unless you have any evidence, it's conspiracy thinking. If you had some evidence that the evidence was being shaped by funding, you can present it and we can assess it. You're still just trying to inject doubt into the science without a scintilla of evidence.

Yabu - she's all hype. I'm a youngish poor woman and worked on eco issues all my life. She and her protests are BS. Sorry.

I have to say i partially agree. I've known many eco activists over the years so I am not sure why GT is seen as the messiah.

to me she is a child prodigy in the same vein as Mozart etc.

^Comparing her to Mozart? That is laughable

Does anyone here have kids who have actually gone on strike?

if you want "the developing world" to raise it's standards to ours, presumably you want everyone to have nuclear?

Yes. Literally more people have died falling off rooftops installing solar panels than have ever died from nuclear. Waste isn’t an issue (it can be stored onsite) but the political barriers really are an issue here.

“Hostile” places like Iran, Russia and China have civilian nuclear power programs; Iran, despite what you hear, doesn’t actually have nuclear weapons.

The developing world needs cheap, effective, reliable energy. Why not nuclear?

wattsupwiththat.com/2019/05/25/overpopulation-the-deadly-myth-behind-the-other-modern-myths/

Ds isn’t allowed but dh’s company closed on Friday and they all went, loads in his sector did.

To be honest, I had never even heard of the strikes until this thread.

I find it shocking how many people think Greta is being used, as if 15 year olds can't possibly do anything.

I'm deeply uneasy after reading that she feels her campaigning has solved her severe mental health issues - as a 'solution' it's too external and precarious and all her eggs are in this basket of saving the world.

Greta is clearly an intelligent and knowledgeable teen, passionate about her cause, who knows her own mind. But no matter how smart or astute, I still think 16 year olds need somebody watching out for their best interests.

Her parents published a book about how troubled her and her sister are with a mixture of OCD, depression and an eating disorder in addition to ADHD and ASD. This has me raising an eyebrow as I feel it compromises their children's privacy.

The hate is ridiculous, the men are just scared of a powerful teen. And probably jealous too that she’s got such a large following.
She’s really a brave young woman who has woken many people up to climate change. I hope the people in power now listen.