I Am Greta

[Merlin5]

I just watched this BBC documentary following Greta Thunberg and her father travelling from Sweden to around the world. It's like watching a Hollywood hero movie.

Whatever you think of her, she's an extraordinary and remarkable person. It's on iplayer for a year and on YouTube too. Definitely worth watching.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p090xz9z

 

[Merlin5]

She really isn't incredible by any stretch of the imagination. I have no hatred for the girl but she's literally just a mouthpiece saying what other much more qualified people have been saying for a very long time now

But she's making people really take notice. She's created a global movement to bring real awareness that might actually bring about change. How many 15 year olds do you know with her passion and determination? She's like a.much older and wiser head on a young body. Watch the documentary, it might change your mind if all you've seen is her speeches.

 

[Merlin5]

Gotta love all the cynical armchair critics saying she's nothing special. How many on here have done something like striking outside their school for a cause they believe in and not long after find themselves being invited to meet Arnie, the UN secretary general and the Pope.

She's not being pushed and pulled like a media puppet, she's doing this of her own free will.

Like her or not, you can't deny what she's done is extraordinary for a 15 year old.

Has she been to China and other parts of Asia where the bulk of the issues that are creating climate change come from?

She might go there soon, who knows.

 

[Merlin5]

Aye, agreed. But it's also the one place she won't be able to get any traction. So her ideological crusade is basically dead in the water. If the key player you need to change isn't going to do as you say, your goal of whatever is never going to come to fruition. But she won't admit that, and then there's people egging her on like she can make a difference, when clearly she can't. But her financial crusade is going to keep on going. We've all seen similar ones pop up here and there before.

She may or may not make any difference, that is true. But you can't deny her tenacity and the fresh awareness she's brought into the world of the need for fixing climate change. Most kids of her age don't want to be bothered with being activists for political and global matters. She's not doing it for money or to be famous. That's evident from watching the documentary.

 

[Merlin5]

This I agree with, she is definitely tenacious. I dont think she (or anyone on this planet, either in the capacity of an individual or the capacity as a nation) will make any difference but you are correct she certainly has tenacity.

To be fair, you, unless you are much closer to her than we would think, 100% cannot possibly know that. You just can't. You can have a feeling of it, you can come to that conclusion based upon what you have seen of her in the media and read in articles, but unless you literally know her and the people around her in real life, you cannot possibly know it for sure.

Have you watched the documentary? I recommend you do and then make your mind up whether you still think she's a puppet or not. I do not believe she is. The emotions and anger she displays says to me this is coming directly from her.

 

[Merlin5]

It's her Dad who is the pawn, I feel so sorry for him and she's definitely not a puppet.
Great documentary and shows autism in action.

Knowing all the autistic kids I've worked with in the past, knowing many parents of autistic kids and my wife working with autistic kids, my belief is none of them are being pushed or pulled, you play to their tune and hope something gets through.

Well said. Yes, I've taught autistic kids too and I agree with you.

 

[Merlin5]

For one, its a documentary, documentaries by their very nature are edited and filmed to present a specific message. Unless the documentary is 24/7 live, unedited.
For two, I quite literally just said "based upon what you have seen of her in the media and read in articles" and you just mention yet another piece of media.
And for three...whether I "think" she is a puppet or not, is utterly irrelevant. I cannot know that she is or isnt because I do not know her in reality, only what is portrayed or allowed to be portrayed in media and that was exactly my point, you stated quite assuredly that "She's not being pushed and pulled like a media puppet, she's doing this of her own free will." , my whole point was that you cannot know that. What impression you form because of a documentary is not fact, its an impression.

Your adjusted sentence that you "do not believe she is", is much more accurate but thats all it is, a belief.

I'll not be watching the documentary though anyway because she is irrelevant to me, I'm just not interested in her enough to bother sitting and watching a documentary about her, as I say, she's just another human not a new messiah.

The other piece of media I mentioned is this fly on the wall behind the scenes documentary where one can get a far better perspective of her than just the headline grabbing pieces. You don't care about her. I get that. I don't particularly care about her either believe it or not. But I really admire people who are do'ers and not just talkers, and even more so when they're just a child. Imo, you and Meddling-Monk need to watch the documentary before making such negative judgements, and if you still think that she's being manipulated and not doing this all of her own volition, then fair enough.

 

[Merlin5]

But thats the thing isnt it, I havent made a negative judgement. If I have, you'll have to show me, because I dont think I've stated anywhere that I think she is being manipulated.

I'm with Malevolence on this one, I find her no more extraordinary or remarkable than I find Kermit the magical talking frog.

No you haven't said she's being manipulated in so many words, but you've been suggesting it's likely because of the nature of documentaries and media in general. Whilst I agree with you that media tends to do this, and whilst I agree that no-one knows 100% about if she's being pushed and pulled, I still feel you should watch this documentary to make a better informed and educated opinion.

I think you have made a fairly negative judgement overall, as most people in this thread have. To say she's ordinary is extraordinary! The pope wanted to meet her. Arnie wanted to meet. Everyone in the world wanted to meet her. I'm sorry, you don't get those kind of things happening to you by being unremarkable.