Hastur wrote: ↑Thu Sep 26, 2019 7:36 am
I'm not attacking Greta. I'm making fun of the surrounding cult. Not the same thing. I think she is the victim of severe child abuse. It's not her fault.
Alright then, but by turning her, a 16 year old girl from a culture that has a tradition of youth politics, into a victim of "abuse", you are turning disagreement into pathology. Do you seriously, honestly, believe she is the victim of child abuse? Even if true, that logically cannot be true for all the kids who demonstrated last week.
I think it best to treat kids about to enter adulthood seriously without having to believe them. In my experience, young people are possibly even more respectful of authority than my own generation. (And no, that's not neccesarily a good thing, they have be skeptical and do the due research). If you treat them with respect, I've found that they are willing to listen. They are still too black and white in their thinking, too uninformed but that's how they learn: By debating with their elders.
But treat a teenager at 16 like they are child that can't understand anything, can't take an independent stand on an issue, just reinforces a low expectation of kids.. and thus of them as adults. And those kids with low expectations grow up to become adult politicians with low expectations. And those politicians suddenly find themselves with a Yellow Vest revolt on their hands...
Fame is not flattery. Respect is not agreement.