Don’t Shoot the Messenger!
We have all seen or at least heard about Greta Thunberg’s recent speech at the United Nations in New York City. Social media and the news has been flooded with content and debate regarding her message with many in agreement and many in outrage. Thunberg’s exposure, however, has shifted from the discussion of climate policy and activism to attacks on her personal character. Why is the focus on Thunberg herself, and not the message she is sharing? Detractors have dismissed her as “mentally ill”, “hysterical”, and a “millennial weirdo” due to expressing her strong passion for addressing the very real climate crisis. Donald Trump has even joked, sarcastically describing her as ‘a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future’; while others have agreed they want her to be the victim of a ‘freak yachting accident’.
So what is it about Thunberg that has triggered such criticism? Many influential men such as Leonardo DiCaprio and David Attenborough have conveyed similar messages regarding environmental concerns; yet have received barely a fraction of the backlash and hatred compared to Thunberg. This is a complex issue and there are a number of reasons this speech and Thunberg, in particular, have been a victim to such condemnation. Is this an old-fashioned case of shooting the messenger? Is she receiving this kind of response because of her age, gender and appearance, or is it because she is forcing the public to face a threatening and inevitable truth? I think it’s a combination of both.
When I myself see DiCaprio and other celebrities talk about this issue, I don’t feel the immediate threat of climate change in the same way as I do watch Greta’s speech. It was confronting and sparked real fear for this planet and my own future. It’s different seeing it come from a young girl as opposed to a famous celebrity. We are used to seeing DiCaprio acting on the big screen taking us into a world of fiction. While he advocates for real issues, it can be easy to categorize what he is saying as fiction also. Thunberg’s passion for climate change is certainly non-fiction and is having a big impact on people’s understanding of the issue. While we have all heard at least some of the frightening statistics and scientific evidence to support the threat, Greta has delivered the message with intensity and passion in a way we have not yet seen. She is a young girl part of the generation who will be directly impacted by the effects of climate change.
There are a few other cases in which young females have received this kind of backlash for speaking out. Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of a US mass school shooting was labelled a ‘skinhead lesbian’ by pro-gun lobbyists due to her position on gun control. Isra Hersi, a founder of the US climate strike was demoted, as she was deemed too ‘unattractive’ for anyone to take notice of.
These reactions and comments have nothing to do with the actual issues at hand. Author Suzanne Moore suggests this is a case of “upsetting the patriarchy”. This may be why so much of the online conversation regarding Greta’s speech has strayed towards her appearance, age and a mental state away from her important message.
We are at a critical moment in human history, as we are aware of the dangers of climate change and still have the opportunity and resources to address it. Right-wing media personalities, elected officials and climate change sceptics, in particular, are the ones rejecting the scientific consensus on climate change.
Climate change denial occurs when science contradicts the popular belief. Instead of making people want to address the issue, it makes them resist the very idea of it, due to personal, economic and political motivations. Sigmund Freud and Austrian neurologist described this negation of reality as an active mental process, meaning that climate change denial involves envisioning the horrific reality, but then resisting oneself against it. In Thunberg’s case, this resistance has turned into attacks on her personal character and life.
Overall, denial is repressed knowledge. Some studies have shown that if the threats and facts of the climate crisis are presented as opportunities for social development and communal relationship building, then those who resist the climate change truth may shift their views. While Thunberg’s current approach has garnered her plenty of positive and negative attention, maybe in future her message will be better received by those who oppose her if she reframes her views as an opportunity for growth, rather than her current style of hard-hitting, inconvenient facts. However, many will still soften and dismiss climate change, as they are aware the low-emissions changeover will negatively affect their interests. As Al Gore put it, it really is an inconvenient truth.
Climate change is a real and incredibly complex issue. Reducing our emissions and the impact we are having on the environment will cause severe economic implications. Jobs could be lost and many individuals impacted. We have created a world in which drastic and fast change is near impossible. This problem will take intense planning, time and effort to solve. So why not focus on this, the issue at hand. Activists like Greta are simply trying to say that more aggressive action on climate change is necessary and that this issue needs to be prioritized.
It is clear that Thunberg is a victim of climate change denial. She has expressed her views in a confronting way that has made a lot of people in positions of power uncomfortable. Rather than dealing with this issue head-on, these individuals take to social media and other platforms to discredit Thunberg in an attempt to turn the public against her. They do this in hopes to bury the climate change issue behind the controversy regarding her character. In today’s day and age, this type of response is incredibly juvenile, but thankfully there are many who support her. She is a young girl with the planets best interests at heart, so let’s stop shooting the messenger and focus on how we can act instead.
