![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2019\/12\/ThunbergGreta.png\")
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[see a video of Thunberg<\/a> at the\u00a0UN Climate Action Summit]<\/p>\n This was a spontaneous discussion<\/a> on my Facebook page, after I posted a Babylon Bee<\/em> satire, featuring Thunberg<\/a>. The words of\u00a0Kristina Johnson<\/a>\u00a0will be in blue<\/span>, those of\u00a0Julie Ann Monzi<\/a>\u00a0in green<\/span>, and\u00a0Danielle Brown<\/a>\u2018s in purple<\/span>.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n I see a connection to Temple Grandin. Good documentary to watch sometime. Very eye-opening to how someone on the Autism spectrum\u2019s mind works. Temple Grandin was a great mind and inventor; her inventions are still at work today in the slaughter industry.<\/span><\/p>\n Yeah, saw that one.<\/p>\n At least Temple\u2019s parents didn\u2019t turn her into an angry young woman. I have three kids on the spectrum, by the way.<\/span><\/p>\n And that\u2019s a good point. But why isn\u2019t on the focus on the adults in the room then? Why is the negativity focused on a child?<\/span><\/p>\n People are sick of the sanctimonious liberal lectures: including now from 16 year-olds and brainless twits like AOC (and of politically motivated [agenda-driven], dishonest junk science).<\/p>\n AOC is an adult, she can handle it. Greta isn\u2019t. The ridicule should be focused in right place \u2013 on the adults in her life.<\/span><\/p>\n She\u2019ll be 17 in less than a month. I think that\u2019s old enough to be subject to criticism, since she has become a famous figure. If she puts herself out there, she has to be subject to criticism like everyone else. 17 is old enough to drive and to, for example, serve in the Israeli military.<\/p>\n And on the spectrum? I\u2019m not even sure most people know that fact about her. Is this really a precedent to be in place?<\/span><\/p>\n She has Asperger\u2019s and OCD both. As a parent of children with both conditions, I know that they have a strong tendency to create stark contrasts: evil people and good people \/ very black-and-white and polarized<\/a> thinking.<\/p>\n That fits in well with the [very\u00a0often] divisive \/ self-important \/ condescending liberal outlook and also the sanctimonious climate change lecturing.\u00a0I\u2019m not saying this is a disproof of climate change radicalism; just noting that it is a factor in play here.<\/p>\n The Bee<\/em> satire didn\u2019t mention these things. I didn\u2019t know it about Thunberg (I knew nothing about her), until it was brought up here.<\/p>\n I agree 100%.\u00a0That\u2019s why I think as adults we can keep that in mind when reacting to her. Teens are idealistic enough as it is in general. If a stand and argument can be made, it\u2019s better to be directed at the adults in her life providing her such a public platform.<\/span><\/p>\n They should be criticized, but so should she, if she wants to lecture everyone. If not now, then in January 2021, when she becomes 18.<\/p>\n I think the polarization \/ black-and-white thinking ought to be criticized, because it is just about the worst tendency going on now. It\u2019s everywhere, including in the Catholic Church. Everyone is demonizing others who disagree with them.<\/p>\n If one can\u2019t help it (to whatever degree), as part of a condition, that\u2019s one thing, and we ought to be aware of it, and compassionate, but that doesn\u2019t make the thing itself right. We have to fight against divisiveness and demonization.<\/p>\n Yes, compassion > than ridicule. We don\u2019t have to agree with what she is saying or lecturing about, but we can also do that in a compassionate way.<\/span><\/p>\n I think satire is a legitimate response to the usual liberal sanctimonious lecturing. I stand by it. Autism and OCD were never mentioned in the satire. But since it has been brought up here, I\u2019m happy to talk about it.<\/p>\n Again, I think\u00a0we have to abstractly separate the wrongness and harmfulness of liberal \u201cholier-than-thou\u201d lecturing from psychological factors (which is a different issue). It can be criticized in and of itself. And that\u2019s what the Babylon Bee<\/em> did (and with its usual brilliance).<\/p>\n Do you dislike satire and sarcasm in general? That\u2019s usually the case with people who criticize it. They simply dislike it or don\u2019t grasp its nature. I\u2019ve been through the discussion many many times (as a great lover of satire), noting that Jesus, Paul, the prophets, and God the Father in the OT often utilized it.<\/p>\n The discussion also gets into the societal tendency now to assume that any criticism of anyone whatever has to be motivated by personal contempt or even hatred, rather than principle with regard to opinions on the subject at hand.<\/p>\n Liberals especially\u00a0don\u2019t seem to be able to handle the slightest criticism without slinging the usual accusations towards anyone who dares differ with them. Everything is personal and subjective today. And it drives me nuts<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Now, I realize your main point is to dislike people criticizing a 16-year-old rather than her parents. I think it is valid to a point, but that she still is not immune from criticism, as now a world-famous figure who chose to be in the limelight.<\/p>\n I certainly take the opinions of a 16-year-old seriously (while noting that it is still a very young age, and that someone this age greatly lacks in life experience, that helps form views).<\/p>\n Actually as a moderate, I see both sides doing this. And it drives me<\/strong><\/em> nuts! Lol!! But to your point, it\u2019s because people don\u2019t know how to discuss the actual topics anymore, it\u2019s just jockeying for position and mindless talking points, and eventually insults, ridicule, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n This is the problem, though. The parents can put a disabled girl out into the limelight and then complain when she gets attacked for her lecturing. \u201cBut she\u2019s disabled!\u201d Then she shouldn\u2019t be out there then! You can\u2019t have it both ways. If you are going\u00a0to give your opinion about something, then be ready for pushback. Should anyone<\/em><\/strong> be personally attacked? No. It\u2019s the opinions<\/strong><\/em> that should be \u201cattacked\u201d or debated. But we don\u2019t debate anymore. If I say global warming is a hoax, then I\u2019m labeled a denier. If I say that Greta is wrong, then I\u2019m a hater. If I say that Ilhan Omar is wrong, then I\u2019m called a racist and an Islamophobe.<\/span><\/p>\n If you put yourself out there in the media with an opinion, expect there to be those who will disagree and possibly be rude. If you can\u2019t handle that, then don\u2019t sit in the limelight. And certainly don\u2019t hide behind your disability, race, religion, sex, age, etc., etc.<\/span><\/p>\n Agree, except I think \u201cdisabled\u201d is too strong of a term. These are neurological conditions, causing or influencing outlooks different from the \u201cnorm.\u201d<\/p>\n I have three kids on the spectrum and I myself have OCD. I prefer \u201cspecial needs\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yeah; much better than \u201cdisabled.\u201d<\/p>\n Exactly. Then why are we seeing her ridiculed and not her parents? That is my whole argument. Focus on the facts. Debate her points. Criticize the choices of the parents. Let go of the ridicule and mockery of the 16 year old with autism, that is not going to change anything. Am I wrong to want this?<\/span><\/p>\n I asked you a question about satire. Are you one of those who think it is always wrong, or that it is something that should only rarely be done?<\/p>\n I love the Bee<\/em>. And I apologize. My comment was off topic give the post.<\/span><\/p>\n A little, but it led to a great and stimulating discussion, which I will be posting on my blog!<\/p>\n Kristina Johnson:\u00a0no, you aren\u2019t wrong to want people to stick to the facts, but reread what I said. It\u2019s sadly the way of the world now in many instances. If I say I don\u2019t like Obama, I\u2019m told it\u2019s because I\u2019m a racist. Any facts I present to the contrary be damned.\u00a0<\/span>And by the way, I don\u2019t let my kids or myself for that matter hide behind their autism or my OCD.<\/span><\/p>\n *<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Photo credit:\u00a0<\/strong>On 16 April 2019, Greta Thunberg is invited by the European Parliament to close the sessions of the Committee on the Environment.<\/span> [Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/\u00a0Creative Commons<\/a>\u00a0Attribution 2.0 Generic<\/a>\u00a0license]<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" + 16-year-old public figures, parental responsibilities, liberal sanctimoniousness, Asperger\u2019s Syndrome, and Babylon Bee satire [see a video of Thunberg at the\u00a0UN Climate Action Summit] This was a spontaneous discussion on my Facebook page, after I posted a Babylon Bee satire, featuring Thunberg. The words of\u00a0Kristina Johnson\u00a0will be in blue, those of\u00a0Julie Ann Monzi\u00a0in green, and\u00a0Danielle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":41994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[112,289],"tags":[9960,9972,9969,9975,296,293,9954,9984,9981,9987,9957,9963,9966,1566,9978,271,268],"class_list":["post-41991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philosophy-science","category-political-ethical-moral-issues","tag-aspergers-syndrome","tag-babylon-bee","tag-black-and-white-thinking","tag-bleeding-heart-liberals","tag-climate-change","tag-global-warming","tag-greta-thunberg","tag-junk-science","tag-liberal-lecturing","tag-obsessive-compulsive","tag-ocd","tag-parental-responsibility","tag-polarization","tag-postmodernism","tag-sanctimonious-liberals","tag-sarcasm","tag-satire"],"yoast_head":"\n