Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Greta stopped going to school, and even stopped eating, before her parents “helped” her by convincing her to become a climate activist.
Greta Thunberg’s father: ‘She is happy, but I worry’
Greta Thunberg’s father has said he thought it was “a bad idea” for his daughter to take to the “front line” of the battle against climate change.
Millions of people have been inspired to join the 16-year-old in raising awareness of environmental issues.
But Svante Thunberg told the BBC he was “not supportive” of his daughter skipping school for the climate strike.
Mr Thunberg said Greta was much happier since becoming an activist – but that he worries about the “hate” she faces.
…
Struggle with depression
Speaking to Husain as part of the show, Mr Thunberg said his daughter had struggled with depression for “three or four years” before she began her school strike.
“She stopped talking… she stopped going to school,” he said.
He added that it was the “ultimate nightmare for a parent” when Greta began refusing to eat.
…
Over the next few years they began discussing and researching climate change, with Greta becoming increasingly passionate about tackling the issue.
…
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50901789
What is the plan when Greta realises she has failed?
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It is amazing to me that Greta gets away with saying that irresponsible adults “stole” her childhood. Obviously, as Greta grew up, she had millions of same-age peers whose childhoods were suspiciously unstolen. Greta grew up in an affluent household in Sweden, which is a prosperous, peaceable country that almost certainly has had many children whose grotesquely irresponsible parents refused to tell them that they were destined for early death in the imminent climate catastrophe.
I have known a few people with Asperger’s Syndrome and “socially awkward” doesn’t quite describe what they are like. They are profoundly lonely because they can’t make friends, and no normal person can like them. They’re miserable and, like most miserable people, profoundly desirous that their misery be made universal. Greta has now found a way to infect other people with her misery.
It is not Greta Thunberg who is unusual. The really unusual phenomenon is the way modern mass communication media has been able to propel her and her passion to the point that, for example, she is invited to speak to the highest body in the world, the United Nations Assembly. Lots of human beings have the mental, psychological capacity to get a bee in the bonnet and run with it, make it the centre of their world and make it become the inspiration for all their aims and actions. Psychologist can now point to a syndrome of genes in us which can point to individuals who may develop like that.
Autism and schizophrenia often develop in people with this genetic cluster of genes. And far from being indicators of illness this genetic combination points to what is perhaps the most basic and most important of our human genetic set-up, namely the ability to imagine. This ability is what fundamentally sets Homo Sapiens Sapiens apart from all the rest of creation. We have become like God, able to ken between good and evil (Genesis 2, v. 9).
The really frightening aspect of all this is the way social mass communication has been shown to function to make millions of fanatic adherents to one person, one cause. Mob-psychology, mob-law, used to be only a very local phenomenon – now we see it can be global. We are in uncharted waters.
Beware!
I disagree about the object of your warning Andy, I think there are many far more dangerous characters out there with seriously harmful ideas and there hands on the levers of mass influence. That being said yours is pretty much the only post on this entire thread that has been worth the read.
I agree completely that Greta is in no way dangerous. In fact I quite admire her. I like human beings who fight passionately for what they believe in – they are the people who shape history. I think Greta is quite mistaken, of course – but that is not important. She has every right to speak her mind – and the rest of us have every right to listen to her and agree or disagree. There is no reason to ridicule or mock her – or feel sorry for her – or blame her parents.
No, the really dangerous phenomenon is how easy it now seems to whip up mass hysteria in our world today.
I agree, she isn’t. However, she can, and has, influenced people in positions that could be dangerous. Given the UN is “listening” to her is a concern to me.
What is concerning is that adult representatives in the UN processes are been squawked at by a 16 year old junior-high-school dropout, who was a truant for years prior to dropping out, and who justified her truancy via engineering a mass school ‘strike’, and is talking at the UN forum, to adults, while she has no educated understanding of the topics she is ranting about.
If I was one of the educated adult UN delegates I’d be acutely insulted by the sham and mockery this has made of the UN forum they participate in. Which is an indication how foolish and derailed this UN ‘leadership’ cohort are.
Who was the humorist who said that the only thing that will stop Greta now is a Pony or a Boyfriend.
These days it could be one in the same.
Maybe a good laxative.
“Hans och Greta” is a Grimm story where two kids are dealing with a witch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansel_and_Gretel
First the witch fools them but finally they push the witch in her own trap.
For the CO2 trap this might take another 12 years.
Most western nations have their own Hans, some good looking (t)fool; for Canada it must be Justin Trudeau for example. Who is yours?
I remember people smirked about Jimmy Carter saying he asked for advice from his daughter about Nulclear War (she said it was bad). Now we’ve got adults falling all over a child who obviously has mental issues that have nothing to do with the science of climate change and couldn’t even finish school do to her problems. The so called adults are far worse than that poor deranged child. They’re despicable. Joan of Arc she ain’t. I’m afraid of what other revelations will eventually come out about her parents and handlers.
Perhaps the bill for treatment of Thunberg’s various neurological conditions can be sent directly to Goldman Sachs; the latter’s whipping up of apocalyptic climate fantasies with their ludicrous 30 page “report”comes with their willingness to “invest” 750 billion dollars in the scam of carbon trading and “renewables” over the next 10 years.
It is a global disgrace that decent and educated people are going to have to fight.
Mom, Dad, how dare you steal my childhood for several million dollars in redistributive change. How dare you not hold out for the billionaire’s ransom. This is such an empathetic moment. I am so disappointed.
We have possibly reached “Peak Greta”. The chart linked below is based on data from Google trends. 100 on the vertical scale indicates peak popularity. For reference, the results for “fidget spinner” are also included.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dET4CSuwzc913I_1B3KXI86UDHPJULg9/view
That’s hilarious – image linked by Simon;
The fidget spinner has a better profile 🙂
the fidget essentially marketed itself.
the greta marketing will skew the profile.
I have complained to the BBC about the child abuse inherent in her ‘editing’ of the flagship Today programme on Monday and predicted the BBC will have dropped her by next Christmas, with harm to her psyche. Ticked the box requiring reply – we’ll see what comes back
Eric Worrall: “Greta stopped going to school, and even stopped eating, before her parents “helped” her by convincing her to become a climate activist.”
The actual article he even quotes: “Greta’s Father said he thought it was a bad idea for her to for his daughter to take to the “front line”…
Worrall wants to criticise climate scientists but can’t even write a first line with a shred of accuracy.
Another case of GDS – Greta Derangement Syndrome. Never has so many over-confident, entitled, arrogant old men been so well bested by a teenaged girl.
Why do you find is the first sentence inaccurate? Are there reasons for distrusting it other than that it does not jibe with other statements made by her parents? It seems consistent with the reporting of the BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50901789
And a raft of crazy hatred is poured out.
You guys are being had. And it is not by Greta Thunberg.
LdB, Wikipedia has got it wrong for the U.K.. The Children Act defines a child as anyone under 18. The mental capacity act states that anyone 16 or over has capacity to make their own decisions. However, a 16/17 year old who refuses consent for a medical procedure may have that decision overturned by a person with parental responsibility. A person under the age of 18 may get married with consent from someone with parental responsibility. A person under the age of 18 may join the armed forces with consent. I have encountered a 17 year old classified as a looked after child.
This calling a 16 year old a “child” is nonsense, the world is not the UK, and nor is it Greta’s country.
In Australia a 15 year old can leave home as soon as they can provide for themselves. I did so about 6 weeks after turning 15 as I had paid work from the day I turned 15. If parents are being antagonistic or unreasonable and uncooperative with a 15 year old’s requests to set up such things as a bank account, etc., the young person can on their own volition visit a registered social-worker and explain this issue, and ask them to partition the court on their behalf to have the Guardianship status of one or both parents quashed. If the parent has duel-control and guardian access of that bank account they can withdraw the money the 15 year old needs to live on, for instance. Abuse is another reason. The court can prevent parents doing that sort of thing after a 15th birthday.
A court appointed social-worker then mediates as a proxy Guardian in legal and financial matters, as required until they turn 18. The parents have no further legal control, responsibility or say over the young adult at that point, and will not get guardian status back. A 15 year old is entirely capable of rising to the need to live an independent adult life when they have to, and a lot of them do.
Sometimes not having such parents is a massive improvement in the happiness and improved mental state of a 15 or 16 year old, and the way in which years of parent-induced depression is best dealt with and healing to take place.
The more Greta steps away from her deranged parental Guardians the chances for her future peace-of-mind and relief from mental stress can turn into relative happiness, if she’s capable of organizing to sustain living an independent adult life, and providing for herself, 24/7 without assistance.
Having abandoned early education is a bigger problem which will probably stymie her ability to become a fully independent adult and make her life tougher on top of the ignorant angry nonsense she’s involved in now. No doubt she will remain on a financial drip-feed within the green-jabberwocky if she sticks to the script (unlikely) and can attract media coverage.
As defined by Swedish law the age of consent (Sexual) is 15. The age at which someone is considered as “coming of age” or an adult is 18.
Yes, at 15 in Australia, you can leave home *IF* you can provide for yourself. Legally, that still is not considered an adult.
Everyone should read this from
A C Osborn December 31, 2019 at 1:34 am here at WUWT
“I suggest that you all read this investigation in to Greta’s background. It lays out how she got where she is now, what groups back her with cash & support and who her handlers are.
http://www.theartofannihilation.com/the-manufacturing-of-greta-thunberg-for-consent-the-political-economy-of-the-non-profit-industrial-complex/“
From Daddy’s timeline given in the interview ……. well it just doesn’t add up. He’s spouting bullsh*t.
Poor Greta. Her “activism” is clearly a newfound compensation behavior for some serious condition. It won’t last forever; and then, what will happen?
The interview clearly kills dead the argument I’ve seen here numerous times: that her parents put her up to it/pushed her into it…
You’re not really worth the comment but since I’m already here ….. Do you believe her or her Daddy or your own lying eyes and ears?
Last Sunday, The Sunday Times carried a charming picture of Greta Thunberg relaxing in the snow with her Labrador, Roxy….
Clearly, no-one has explained to her that, due to the amount of meat they eat, a big dog has the same ‘carbon footprint’ as a Toyota Landcruiser….
Apparently, she has TWO dogs…
How DARE she..!
Both Greta’s dogs have chosen to be vegans. Totally voluntarily. Please applaud their choice.
From the article: “Millions of people have been inspired to join the 16-year-old in raising awareness of environmental issues.”
How do we know this? Has anyone talked to all these supposed millions of people about their motivations? Methinks this is just more media human-caused climate change hype.
And have “millions” of people been out protesting a lack of action from government over CO2 reduction? Not that I can tell. Anyone have any actual numbers? Jane Fonda is still getting arrested every Friday, but that doesn’t amount to millions of people.
Dear Greta,
This one is for you: Bobby McFerrin – Don’t Worry Be Happy
Happy new year!
Kind regards,
Scarface
What doesn’t add up is the fact that both Greta and her sister have been diagnosed with Asperger’s, although it has a genetic component, the estimated number of people worldwide is 37.2 million, with the ratio of male to female about 3:1. 37.2 million represents a rate of 0.5%, of which females form 0.15%. The risk of a sibling also having Asperger’s is around 19%., but the risk of a younger female sibling is 9%.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2011/08/15/139587398/younger-siblings-of-autistic-kids-their-risk-greater-than-thought
There are other syndromes that can cause autistic type behaviour.
I looked up “gaslighting”; this is worth reading:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201701/11-warning-signs-gaslighting
The technique sure sounds familiar……
In another 12 years Greta will be in her late 20’s, and the amount of man made CO2 in the air will be much higher than today. At about that time it will become obvious that her childhood doom porn was false, no climate disaster, no significant temperature rise, maybe even colder. It will be interesting to hear what she has to say about it as an adult, assuming she still wants to talk with the press. My suspicion is she will be permanently silenced by her NGO backers before that happens.
Discussions about child abuse are not baseless, when you consider a father who outright admits that he is worried, and yet he allows Greta to continue in the very course of action that causes his worry.
If a parent is worried that a child will be harmed by a gun, then the parent does what? — continue to allow access to the gun and merely say, “I’m worried”? Come on! A truly worried father would take some sort of protective action, and so by NOT taking action, he is enforcing the very thing he claims is a worry, which is somewhat negligent in my view, hence abuse by inaction.
Greta is allowed to foster hate in herself towards others, and she is allowed to foster hate towards her by others. What would a responsible parent do about this?
The words, “liar”, and “hypocrite” come to mind, once again.
There’s a lot less a father (or mother) can do once a girl gets age 16 within most countries in Europe. All she has to do is demonstrate an ability to pay her own way, via whatever means, and she can do basically almost anything she wants to from there, as effectively an independent adult.
The truth is her father and mother were parental train-wrecks for her, and Greta would be much better off trying to build her own independent life (and mind) away from their control or damaging close influences from here. She would then at least have a chance for finding relative peace of mind and happiness.
Her parents represent to her a whole bunch of very, very unhappy memories and times, and those memories have terrible emotions and scars attached with them. The past thing she needs right now is to be reminded of and to re-‘live’ of her miserable younger years and feelings, or her parent’s deranged doom BS. Being under the control of her parents clearly did her no good, and she’s much too old now (17 within days) for the State to have a reason to be involved (as long as she’s more or less functionally Independent).
It’s time for her to become financially independent and grow up, and spend several years away from her parents, seeing them almost not at all until she’s prepared to engage with her family again as an independent adult, with a much more mature and settled mind.
I hope she gets to that.
“The past thing she needs right now …”
Should read, “… the last thing …”.
Just for interest I googled “16 year old girls” on duck duck go and then googled “16 year old women and clicked on images. Guess what? Practically all the same pictures but I did not find Greta any place. So what is she, a girl child or a childish woman or something else altogether?
In many countries she would be married by now. In others she would be working. In yet others she would have very little chance of gaining an education.
In many, including Sweden, she should be in the first year of high school and looking forward to a bright future.
That is, if climate alarmists had not frightened her half to death.
But she’s so happy in her misguided angst and hatred.
Playing with fire makes some children very happy, and that’s reason enough NOT to steer them towards a more balanced perspective of combustion, right?
Some of my experience has shown me that emotionally troubled people seek out sanctuaries in fanatical discipline. I had a friend who was a serious drug addict — he eventually turned to God and to fitness to sublimate his deeper issues. Sadly, he failed repeatedly, and I watched a gifted, highly intelligent person destroy himself in his desperation and failure to overcome it by more rational means. I had another friend — similar scenario, except he just destroyed himself without any attempt even at sublimating his addiction.
I get the impression that some people (more than we might expect) turn to religion as an alternative to confronting their problem head on, trying to seek happiness outside themselves where it ultimately does not exist. They find momentary intense purpose in this, either one day crashing or living a life of continual avoidance of their own deeper misery.
For Greta, climate activism seems to take on such an appearance of religion. She has found momentary intense purpose, and this intensity is enabled, supported, and encouraged, either actively or passively by doing nothing to alter her approach.
So, my question would be, “Are all claims in the article below lies?”
Can one young girl inspire mass followings alone, without coaching, without some sort of financing?