Remember Greta Thunberg? The 16 year old who made a fiery speech in the UN about climate change; causing a bunch of powerful old men all over the world to get their knickers all in a twist? Well Time Magazine has now named Greta Thunberg Person of the Year and those old men – including a few world leaders on social media now really have their noses put out of joint!
Time Magazine tweeted this picture and announced that Greta Thunberg its Person of the Year. The tagline the power of youth is a nod to Thunberg having gained worldwide recognition for a vital cause at just 16 years of age.
Thunberg had criticised the killing of indigenous people protecting the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. The far-right leader of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro was not pleased and called Thunberg a "pirralha" (brat). So she promptly changed her Twitter bio to reflect this.
President of the United States Donald Trump had mocked her earlier when her UN speech made headlines. This time he put out this tweet when she was named person of the year. “So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!”
Even as op-eds and other political leaders criciticised Trump for his peevish tweet and what was seen as the bullying of a young girl by a powerful old man, Thunberg responded thus. She promptly changed her Twitter bio to troll Trump.
Trump’s team then photo-shopped Trump’s head on to Thunberg's body on the Time Cover and substituted the tagline with the power of promises kept. It was way creepy.
Trump had been Person of the Year in 2016. In 2017 he announced that he would be Person of the Year that year again. That didn’t happen and he tweeted this.
This is a fake image that hangs in Donald Trump Golf Clubs. There was no such cover ever; no March 1, 2009 issue at all! Many have pointed out several details that point to this being fake as well and yet it hangs, bold as brass, at several Trump properties.
The slightest hint of criticism usually has Trump respond in a flurry of furious tweets. His staff scurries around fire-fighting and insulating him from news that may prick his fragile ego and cause yet another meltdown. Having a sixteen-year-old female achieve that which he thinks he is entitled to, had to have stung terribly.
Thunberg has called out numerous powerful world leaders for their inaction on climate change; for choosing economic expediency over what is good for the environment in the long term.
Donald Trump, Jair Bolsanaro and their ilk's resentment can be explained if not excused. These are immensely powerful men used to ordering others around. They are now being told some home truths by a mere 16 year old – a 16 year old female at that! These are men with well-known misogynistic views so this has to rankle terribly.
They are unable to counter what Greta Thunberg says because this is supported by research and the scientific community at large. So they do the next best thing – they mock her, they belittle her and they discredit her. They impute motives and say she is misguided and manipulated by a lobby with a nefarious agenda. She is doing what she is doing only because others are controlling her and poisoning her mind. Because surely a mere woman cannot formulate her own views or take a stand that is her own!
How dare she tell all these old men that they are wrong and be right about it! How dare you, Greta!
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