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Original poster

Why do old white men hate Greta Thunberg so much?

705 replies

MotherOfDragonite · 21/12/2019 15:57

My 65 year old uncle and friends of a similar age (and also white, though not necessarily all British -- others are American, German and Australian) seem to talk about her an awful lot with great vitriol and hatred.

They seem to have shared views about climate change, but I still can't understand why they hate Greta so much. Not only do they comment on her, but they post unpleasant memes about her. While I understand that they fundamentally disagree with the concept of climate change, I don't really understand why a 16 year old girl with Aspergers, who does not live in the UK and who clearly has good intentions even if they disagree with them, is the focus of so much of their ire.

What is it about Greta that older men find so very "triggering"?

OP posts:
koshkat · 22/12/2019 10:28

Misogyny is alive and kicking. Well done ladies keep yourselves and the young girlies in their places

This. And they cannot even see it. Hmm

JohnMcCainsDeathStare · 22/12/2019 10:29

Mominatrix - In that case why aren't you on her side? If she is calling you out about anything than it is apathy - a well-known but insidious terror tactic used by those in power to keep people in their place.

You can make a difference, talk to people, in particular write to your MP. MPs have 10000s of constituents but how many of them actually write to them or follow them on social media. You can make a change if you engage,

Strongmummy · 22/12/2019 10:29

@moonsandstars yes because on the basis that black people are still oppressed it WOULD be racist. Old white men are the most powerful in society. They really don’t need people fighting their battles and should be called out on their behaviour

koshkat · 22/12/2019 10:29

the racist tribe...

Wow. This really is the thread that keeps on giving.

SourAndSnippy · 22/12/2019 10:35

OP, I think you need to sort out your social media settings. If your 'biggest feeds on Facebook and Twitter' are about or from ranting angry white men then you are just giving them an importance they don't deserve. This thread is the same. It's just people frothing about people frothing. (Like this thread 😅).

The GT is extremely annoying though. It's all sound bites with no substance whatsoever.

EJ96 · 22/12/2019 10:39

I find it really disgusting and offensive that you used the term 'old white men'. If the shoe were on the other foot it would be removed for racism, it's total double standards that you are allowed to post 'old white men' but if a white person said an opposite comment they would be condemned. Disgusting.

koshkat · 22/12/2019 10:43

Yes because old white men (who run the fucking planet) are very discriminated against...Hmm

That said - I would never use the phrase as it is a dog whistle to the wokerati and they are fools.

JohnMcCainsDeathStare · 22/12/2019 10:45

I suppose that this thread is useful in that it gets me out of my bubble and makes me aware about how much of my peer group turns out as when they grow up. There is much that needs to be done.

I will go for now since I do not think I have anything useful to add further but science does not care about feelings. Science, not silence DOES give you the power to act however.

koshkat · 22/12/2019 10:47

Science, not silence DOES give you the power to act however.

THIS.

EJ96 · 22/12/2019 10:48

Racisk goes both ways, believe it or not. If a white person got racial abuse the police wouldn't bat an eyelid, the moment it happens to someone non-white they are on you like flies to a shit. Racism is disgusting both ways and shouldn't be allowed. 'Angry old white men' I personally do find offensive. I'd love to see how you all respond if one word in that sentence was changed...

Tellmetruth4 · 22/12/2019 10:48

Let’s be honest, she would not be attacked at this level if she were a middle aged white man. She really does tend to trigger those who want to protect their position and those with the most to protect tend to be older white men.

They will come for anyone who challenges the ‘natural order’.

StreetwiseHercules · 22/12/2019 10:50

“ Yes because old white men (who run the fucking planet) are very discriminated against...”

Not really the point, is it? When you link use pejorative to perceived characteristics to race, age or sex, you are in a bad position. Do you understand that?

AlexaShutUp · 22/12/2019 10:51

My dad is white and in his eighties, and he thinks she is great. He and my mum are doing their best to reduce their carbon footprint by making changes to their behaviour.

I think a lot of people dislike Greta because she makes them feel guilty. None of us really want to change our lifestyles as much as we really need to, and she is an irritating reminder of the fact that we're shafting the next generation. It would be so much easier if we could bury our heads in the sand while carrying on with life as usual.

I'm 100% convinced that people find her infuriating because, deep down, they know she is right, and that is a very inconvenient and unpalatable truth.

StreetwiseHercules · 22/12/2019 10:53

“ Let’s be honest, she would not be attacked at this level if she were a middle aged white man.”

Yes, because white males are never made into hate figures in the media. 🙄

Mominatrix · 22/12/2019 10:57

Mominatrix - In that case why aren't you on her side? If she is calling you out about anything than it is apathy - a well-known but insidious terror tactic used by those in power to keep people in their place.

Oh, please. You obviously did not read my full message and how dare you accuse me of apathy? In which way is the method I choose to live my life showing indifference, lack of concern, or enthusiasm? Just because I don’t have a bull horn screaming at others that they are environment killers who just don’t care does not make me apathetic. And you wonder why people are irritated by Greta?

BoneyBackJefferson · 22/12/2019 10:57

Tellmetruth4

Let’s be honest, she would not be attacked at this level if she were a middle aged white man.

Lets be honest, a middle aged white scientist would never have made it this far in to the news.

BoneyBackJefferson · 22/12/2019 10:59

JohnMcCainsDeathStare

Science, not silence DOES give you the power to act however.

If it was all science and facts, and not some soundbites and fear, and people were allowed to argue this. It might make a difference.

Legomadx2 · 22/12/2019 11:01

Do old black men love Greta?

Skinnychip · 22/12/2019 11:01

Not really the point if the thread but interested how/when/why we became so environmentally unfriendly. There are examples of lots of things being more eco in the 1950s but would all if those still work in the modern world? Of course I'm not saying we shouldn't be drastically rethinking how we shop/travel etc but there are so many factors at play.
In a town near me is a refill shop where you can buy loose rice/pasta/dried fruit /cereal etc and fill up on washing liquid and liquid soap. All good although at least twice the price of conventionally buying bit .....but that's not all my shopping.i still need to buy all manner of stuff not sold there.so is it more eco to get my stuff delivered by tesco (1 can, multiple deliveries....but a lot of packaging) than for me to drive 6 miles to said shop and then drive to another market for fruit and veg, then somewhere else for pet food etc...?

Original poster
MotherOfDragonite · 22/12/2019 11:03

There are actually quite a lot of well known climate change activists who get a lot of attention, and scientists who bring climate change to the public eye -- for example David Suzuki in Canada, David Attenborough in the UK.

Although Greta isn't a scientist herself, her message is very much in keeping with what they say. Yet I don't see the level of abuse directed at them. In fact both are seen rather as 'national treasures'.

I'm hearing that there's something about Greta's manner that annoys people, that people don't warm to. Some of you have suggested that this might be due to her Aspergers and how she presents herself.

Could there also be a level of ageism and sexism in the reaction to her?

OP posts:
Original poster
MotherOfDragonite · 22/12/2019 11:05

@Legomadx2 I would be very interested to know. I follow quite a few Instagram and Twitter feeds run by people of colour, including black men of various ages, but haven't seen any comments either negative or positive about her.

In one of the communities where I have worked in North America, Greta and her message certainly has a strong level of support from indigenous elders.

OP posts:
FaveNumberIs2 · 22/12/2019 11:10

There are tons of people who don't like her. Maybe it's because there are a lot of people who WORK hard on climate change, who pay to CAMPAIGN against planet destroying things, and ENGINEERS who design and build machines to collect plastic waste from our oceans who get NO HELP AND SUPPORT from anywhere, yet this slip of a CHILD can stand on a stage and spout words and suddenly becomes the saviour of our world.

She needs to shut up and sit down or DO something rather than just talking, and the rest of us need to fully support those who are actually making a physical change to help our planet cos this is the ONLY one we have!

And no, I'm not an activist but I'm doing my bit to help where I can.

koshkat · 22/12/2019 11:10

I have already explained that I do not use the term as it is very Owen Jones/Ash Sarkur type language and a whistle to the woke.

My point that these men run the world still stands though does it not?

Strongmummy · 22/12/2019 11:11

@EJ96 “on you like flies on shit”? How many times have you been arrested for acts of racism ?

BoneyBackJefferson · 22/12/2019 11:11

MotherOfDragonite

I'm hearing

You are hearing what you want to hear.

and of your examples of climate change activists only one is an old white man. neither are middle aged white scientists as was the pp point.