As the beginning of a new decade approaches, it is
pertinent to look back to learn from past mistakes before moving forward. This
year, one of the main figures that has caught the public eye was Greta
Thunberg. Famously known for unapologetically fighting to stop climate change
with strong speeches and symbolic trips, she has started a conversation in many
households. Yet, with time, the impact of her message got diluted because people
were looking for reasons to discredit her. By focusing on her missteps, society
annihilated what could have been a wake-up call and an opportunity to make up
for lost times.
Greta first appeared in people’s TV screens as the
young girl who boycotted school to go on the street with a poster that said, “School
Strike for Climate”. She was later seen with a microphone talking about her
worries, her vision of the planet’s current state and her ideals. Her unfazed
face and her monotone voice as she shared her wisdom were surprising for a 16-year-old.
She had created a media platform for herself. People wanted to know what the
“teenage old soul” (CNN, 2019) had to say about the climate crisis. She had
wind beneath her wings for a while, until her unapologetic personality began to
irritate.
Her young age doesn’t stop her from speaking her mind.
In fact, Greta Thunberg often makes passive threats to people who don’t share
her opinion. Instead of demonstrating her force of character and inspiring
others, phrases like “This is only the beginning” and “We will make them hear
us” gave viewers the impression of a violent and stubborn child who didn’t know
her place in society. She was associated with extremism and mental illness everywhere,
including in the open-minded-and-pro-green country that Canada is supposed to
be.
Her message slowly took second place, while her
appearance, her glance and her unshaken voice caught the eye. The public forgot
how much courage it takes for a 16-year-old to speak about the sensitive topic
of environment protection in front of diplomats at the United Nations, to be
interviewed by the US Congress in front of elected officials and scrutinized by
every journalist on the planet. It takes guts to address Congressmen and women
who are much older and convince them they’re wrong or not doing enough. It takes
guts to confront the fossil fuel industry and governments and strongly argue
your point. It takes guts to be a leader and the voice of a generation
desperately asking for change. Yet, it was as if Greta’s image perpetuated the
“crazy angry lady” stereotype. Her strength has become her weakness.
It seems that it is easier to shut her down than to
process and digest her ideas. What she
proposes is far from radical. Parties involved with the climate crisis— corporations
and politicians to only name a few— joining forces, regardless of how little
they have in common. Media coverage that doesn’t downplay the state of
emergency the planet is in and that takes environment protection seriously. A
society freed from illusions on the planet’s health and freed from the its
obsession with money. A society that doesn’t give up easily.
It’s important to mention that Greta has always been
open about how it pains her to be far from her family to fight the environmental
battle, how she wants the students’ strike to stop so that she and others can
go back to school, even if the public perception is that she enjoys being loud
about the issue and getting her frustrations out of her system.
-Nicki Esfehani
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