About Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg is a fascinating girl and I fundamentally agree with her message.

I also agree with the beginning of a text that anonymously circulated on social media platforms in 2019 (my source):

To all the school kids going on strike for climate change, you’re the first generation who’s required air conditioning in every classroom. You want a TV in every room and your classes are all computerised. You spend all day and night on electronic devices.

More than ever you don’t walk or ride bikes to school, but you arrive in caravans of private cars that choke suburban roads and worsen rush-hour traffic. You’re the biggest consumers of manufactured goods, ever. And update perfectly good, expensive, luxury items to stay trendy. Your entertainment comes from electric devices.

(I deliberately removed the remaining paragraphs of my source because I classify them as hate speech.)

Yes, Greta’s words are those of a angry furious youngster, she happens to exaggerate or to simplify the facts. But I know some adult managers who do that when they are furious.

Maybe she got famous only because her shouting at respectable politicians is so entertaining.

But I perceive her message as follows : members of the parliaments get a big salary for doing an important job. Their job is to represent us, the citizens of their country. But they sometimes fail to do their job. Sometimes –maybe far too often– they represent only a very small part of us, namely those who are wealthy enough to pay others to fight for their interests. This is a flagrant offense against democracy, and as such it deserves reproach and rebuke.

Of course it is an individual judgment whether you say “far too often” or “at least sometimes”. Do they just fail sometimes to do their job? Or do they completely fail to do it?

My message to her: Hey, Greta, thanks for your work so far. You are not alone. Go on and get constructive.