Climate activist Greta Thunberg, center, joins a coalition of youth climate leaders and environmental groups during a climate strike outside the United Nations, Friday Aug. 30, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
For those of you who were upset at 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, you can relax: She’s apologized.
On Friday, the teenager socked it to the adult world by telling a group of climate protestors in Turin, Italy, that she and other activists will “put world leaders against the wall” if they “run away from their responsibilities” with regard to global warming.
Here are her comments in context:
“Unfortunately, we probably already know the outcome. World leaders are still trying to run away from their responsibilities but we have to make sure they cannot do that. We will make sure that we put them against the wall and they will have to do their job to protect our futures.
“It is not fair that the older generation are handing over the responsibility to solve this crisis to us young people who have not started this crisis. It’s not fair that we have to do all this. The adults are behaving as if there is no tomorrow but there is a tomorrow, it is the tomorrow where our young people will live and we have to fight for that tomorrow. We can no longer take that tomorrow for granted.”
If I may, I’d like to point out that adults aren’t handing over anything to young people, or looking to young people for hope — as she suggested previously. Outside of family members, most adults wouldn’t trust a young person with the keys to their car, much less something more substantial.
Anyway, on Saturday, Greta took to Twitter to explain herself:
“Yesterday I said we must hold our leaders accountable and unfortunately said “put them against the wall”. That’s Swenglish: ‘att ställa någon mot väggen’ (to put someone against the wall) means to hold someone accountable. That’s what happens when you improvise speeches in a second language. But of course I apologise if anyone misunderstood this. I can not enough express the fact that I – as well as the entire school strike movement- are against any possible form of violence. It goes without saying but I say it anyway.”
… improvise speeches in a second language.
But of course I apologise if anyone misunderstood this. I can not enough express the fact that I – as well as the entire school strike movement- are against any possible form of violence. It goes without saying but I say it anyway.— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 14, 2019
Good thing she’s against violence — in case you didn’t hear, she’s Time’s “Person of the Year.”
But if you think that’s an honor, you’ll really flip over her accolades from the Church of Sweden — it declared her Jesus’s successor.
Donald Trump hasn’t been nearly as impressed — on Thursday, he suggested she has “anger management” issues.
So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill! https://t.co/M8ZtS8okzE
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2019
She certainly doesn’t seem happy-go-lucky:
'How dare you – you have stolen my dreams and my childhood'
Watch Greta Thunberg's powerful speech to world leaders at the UN pic.twitter.com/gYRkIdI2gL
— Guardian US (@GuardianUS) September 23, 2019
Personally, I don’t understand the teen’s positioning in the cacophony of politics. Those who support her appear to simultaneously insist we adhere to her words of truth while at the same time demanding she’s an aberrated child who therefore cannot be criticized.
But beyond that, I still haven’t figured out why there are any people debating climate change who aren’t scientists. Why is an actor or a politician getting up in front of people and talking about things on which they are so far from experts?
Either way, it’s nice to know Greta doesn’t intend on heading up a firing squad. Putting world leaders against the wall is tough business.
I hope she finds more time to just enjoy life. Maybe sit back this Christmas and have a Ho-Ho. Or, since she’s Swedish, a Yodel.
Our Yodel fans are just as sweet as the snack cake! pic.twitter.com/uDrTkEamw4
— webster (@drakes) March 31, 2014
Enjoy your youth, Greta. Chow down on some snack cakes this holiday season, and while you’re considering the climate implications of a partridge in a pear tree, discover old reruns of The Partridge Family. And “Get Happy.”
-ALEX
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