Regardless of your opinions about her specifically, it’s a simple fact that positive societal change doesn’t happen by asking nicely. Look at every civil rights movement ever. Nothing got done until people were inconvenienced and companies lost money.
No change doesn’t happen by asking nicely, but I think some joined up thinking by these groups would get them further than performative protesting and getting arrested. If you want change then you lobby politicians on the positive benefits of change, and businesses on the potential profits to be had from implementing it.
Why do you assume the two are exclusive?
Because they are. Groups like PETA, or Just Stop Oil are clowns who hurt their own cause. Performative protesting might win people a participation prize but to everyone else it’s just “look at meeeeee!”. At a certain point it actually becomes toxic to the cause. I know if I wanted to harm environmental campaigning then I’d invent Just Stop Oil.
Meanwhile big business are sending lobbiests in to change politician’s minds, to make arguments that appeal to their rationality, or self-interest. THAT is what environmental campaigners should be doing - lobbying, extoling the benefits of environmental action, changing minds. Getting arrested in front of cameras over and over just becomes pathetic and performative.
Bad. This girl does more good to the cause than hurt. We need more of her and less silly people to change minds.
Her being portrayed by the media or the memes as the “whiny girl seeking attention” is also worrying as well. It really distracts from the real issue and diminishes her work as well.
Honestly I think she distracts from the real issue. Frankly, I can’t think of a worse person to motivate people to take action.
No offense. Just a genuine question. Where do activists like Greta get income or the money to travel or just for day to day living? Especially considering she has been doing this since a young age.
Pls don’t take my comment as in a bad light. I’m the same age as her so I always wondered. The answer could be NGO’s collecting donations but I’m not sure.
There’s a few large orgs like Extinction Rebellion that are really organised. Greta probably takes the train which isn’t that expensive in Europe and then couch surfs because that’s what being a hippie is all about
I think climate activists would just be better off doing what everyone else does - lobbying. Identify politicians who represent areas who would benefit from pollution controls, or green investment or whatever and push the message. Performative acts in front of cameras might feel good but it’s a blunt tool to change policy. Some protestors such as “just stop oil” campaigners are so stupid that they actually help the causes they supposedly oppose.
Yeah but here’s the problem
They don’t own massive fossil fuel companies that make them trillions of dollars
