A Message of Hope is What Greta Thunberg is Missing
Greta Thunberg is impressive. At 17 years of age, she has made an indelible mark on the world.
In only a year, the teenager has gone from lone figure sat outside the Swedish Parliament to galvanising millions of people around the world to stand up against climate change. The combined forces of her School Strikes for Climate and the rise of Extinction Rebellion have captured the world’s attention.
But while these protest seem to have focused attention and spurred some action — there’s is a crucial element missing from the movement.
In his 25th September op-ed, Times columnist David Aaronovich began to explore this issue. He praised Thunberg’s honesty, integrity and her achievements. He also took on her detractors for their lack thereof. But this passage in the article is instructive:
“As the American writer Franklin Foer said this week, her speeches are like Obama’s speeches turned inside out: they contain no lyrical passages and they are couched in accusatory language. There’s no ‘yes we can!’, it’s all ‘just look what you did!’ As a psychoanalyst friend said to me, it’s exactly how therapists are taught not to speak.”
He goes on: yes, some people get off on hellfire, but it can frighten more people than it energises. Political leaders, like Macron…
