This year, 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist with Asperger's syndrome, Greta Thunberg, was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year. Greta Thunberg has inspired many with her activism and has become a symbol to many young activists around the world. She is the youngest person to have ever received this honor. In doing so, she beat out Nancy Pelosi, the Ukraine whistleblower, Hong Kong protesters, and President Trump.
In response to this, Trump decided to tweet, "Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, the go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!" In retaliation, Greta changed her Twitter bio to "A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend."
I dunno, I just thought it was kind of funny that the President was feeling kind of salty about not receiving the honor, so instead of congratulating Greta for receiving a deserved award, he instead decided to attack the 16-year-old girl on Twitter. The article linked kind of talks about the habit of bullying that Trump seems to have, but despite it, he receives little reprimanding for it.
What's your opinion on this event? Do you think Trump's supporters enable Trump's sort of bullying behavior?
16 comments:
I'm not even sure if Trump's response was out of jealousy. I think he just can't stand another powerful figure advocating for something he doesn't support. Trump has never been too concerned with climate issues and he's always tried to sweep it under the radar. Well now there is a young girl who is getting a lot of media exposure and public attention because of her activism and Trump sees this as a defeat and his only response is to try to insult her. This sort of public insult has been very common for Trump during his presidency. And rather than his supporters enabling him, I think Trump enables his supporters to bully as well. By publicly bashing a person, Trump sets the example that this is okay, which then encourages his supporters to bash this person as well.
I think this is more a move to distract than a move to attack. Anytime the President faces controversy he solves his problem by creating more controversy. The White House bumps out so much news it's hard to have a real, extensive conversation about any of it. When there is too much to talk about, nothing is really talked about. That being said, in the face of impeachment, Trump is attempting to flood the airwaves (with NATO/Trudeau, SNAP, Greta, and more), but he is, this time, simply unable to distract the American people on the eve of something as significant as his impeachment. This is also a move his base will support.
I'm not sure this comment was because he was salty he didn't receive this honor himself. I don't think he even deserves it, lmao. But, I think he made this comment because he, among many other people, is ignorant to her struggles to fight for her beliefs. I'm not sure how he stands on climate change and global warming but I'm sure he doesn't believe it's happening. It is true that he does seem to "bully" people a lot, and it is out of line for him to being do that, especially someone like him with such a high status. And Greta is a 16-year-old. Trump shouldn't be bashing people at all. But, I'm glad Greta didn't take it to heart, and made it a joke, almost. Her bio is pretty funny.
At such a young age Greta Thunberg has brought a lot of awareness to her cause so i definitely believe she deserves the Time Magazines person of the year. Its not like I am surprised with the mannerism and the tone of Trump when dressing a 16 year old girl, however that does not mean that it should just be normalized. Every time Trump makes another one of these degrading comments, the more we get used to when in fact this should not be the way the President of our country which is meant to be inclusive for all should be actin. I find it funny that a leader that acts like a child is attacking a child that acts like more of a leader. Maybe it is jealousy? I just feel like the President should be someone that is respected and respectful towards others and by Trump constantly letting his immature emotions control his social media and bully activist and anyone who disagrees with his opinion, he doesn't live up to that expectation. I also agree with what Benji said about how he likes to divert attention by creating an even bigger controversy so a big part of me wants to ignore this comment he made and give back to Greta the attention she deserves from all of her hard work.
I don't think Trump knew what Greta Thunberg did, and might have just thought that it was another ordinary activist. Trump making these ignorant comments are not necessary, and Trump should just stop making derogatory comments towards people. Someone so young and impacting as Greta Thunberg should not have to tolerate yet deal with this sort of criticism, and should just keep on spreading the word about Climate Change. Trump could have also been commenting on Greta to receive most exposure, and media time as he might just yearn for publicity. Even if it is something Trump doesn't believe in, he should bash people just because they advocate for certain activities.
Mitchell states above that Trump might have thought that Greta Thunberg was only an ordinary activist. However, I feel that Trump is fully aware of who he is going against and doesn’t go as dumb as to not realizing who his opponents are. He is ignorant, but not in an innocent way. Instead, Trump’s response to Greta Thunberg is completely immature yet predictable knowing that Trump is known for being a “bully” and bashing out of people he doesn’t wish to deal with. With this in mind, I agree with Benji that Trump is attempting to distract the public by creating more chaos. Still, this disrespectful behavior should not be a well known trait of the person who represents the US and I feel that Trump’s followers shouldn’t be supporting this behavior. It’s like when parents appease their child whenever they throw a tantrum. Their child ends up being spoiled and uncontrollable.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-greta-thunberg-time-person-of-the-year-2019-a9243726.html
I agree with Savannah that Trump most likely knows who Greta is. I wasn't sure if anyone has seen this yet, but Trump posted on his twitter an edited version of the Time cover, with his face photoshopped over Greta's (link above). I honestly find this kind of disturbing but also really immature. This is a clear example of how he is unable to have any respect for people who do not share his opinion. It was also interesting how Greta changed her Twitter bio, she was publicly called out and yet she doesn't let it get to her. This demonstrates a sense of maturity, one that Trump doesn't appear to have.
I find the article that Ava found to be super disturbing because, first of all, this entire situation is unnerving that the President of the United States who is in the eyes of the world would choose to bully Greta Thunberg. She is an activist who has received the image of climate activism and is widely supported by liberals with not so much support from conservatives, but her popular opinion within party lines should not be a proper justification for demeaning comments. The President should be a role model for the people within the country, but I would not say that his actions live up to his responsibilities in this circumstance. Going so far as to photoshop Trump's face on top of Greta's displays the aura of disrespect that the President is emanating toward the rest of his team and the party that he is associated with. Even if you disagree with Time Magazine for naming Greta person of the year, don't bash her, at the very least congratulate her for an accomplishment or just stay quiet. This behavior only breeds more like it, and teaching the country that it is socially acceptable to disrespect and bully people in a position where they do not have the power to fully push is absolutely unacceptable.
I saw this article a while back and I honestly find it shocking. Climate change has been a huge issue throughout recent history and to see a young girl try to change something about it only to get bullied by the President of the United States of America is horrible. I believe that this is why so many people do not step on protecting Earth. Trump's response to Greta is just immature. I agree with Cameron that Trump should be a role model, inspiring others to step up and do what they believe is right. Having the president bully is very discouraging. This action done by Trump just shows how Trump is not respectful to others. I strongly think that this type of behavior should be stop because it's unhealthy and rude.
I personally think this whole thing is hilarious. I'm incredibly proud of Greta, and I think she's an inspiration to all of us. She represents everything people like Trump look down on: women, children, and people with disabilities. I'm honestly in awe of her. And the fact that a grown adult feels the need to attack a sixteen year old on social media just shows us what an immature and insecure person we have as our president. The whole situation gives me an "ok boomer" kind of vibe...
Trump obviously does not see the importance of climate change Greta is speaking out about. He finds it ridiculous that a girl could earn this sort of recognition. However, Greta is much more mature and eloquent in her way of expressing and speaking upon issues. From this situation, it is very clear that Trump does not have faith in GenZ and does not believe that a teenager can change the world. The response that Great had was very amusing and like Olivia said, has a very "ok boomer" vibe. I think Trump did this out of jealousy and spite.
I believe that we (high school seniors) ought to take a firm stance against the president's hostility towards Thunberg. It damages his credibility as a leader and the standing of the American presidency in the eyes of the international community (although this may be more of a personal opinion than a professional observation, I believe that the president's conduct towards Thunberg is more than a little immature), detracts from the pressing nature of climate change as a global issue, and most importantly for our particular demographic, detracts from the efficacy of student activism. Greta Thunberg is an international leader in student activism--her work in bringing the issues posed by climate change to the attention of international organizations like the UN proves that young people are able to significantly alter policy--and although our president may not see this, student activism is very relevant to many policy issues in America today. Gun violence, particularly violence in American schools, is a major issue in American politics today, and it disproportionately affects young people. Although the current administration has been unable to accomplish much to address gun violence in the United States compared to other issues like trade deficits and internal development, student-led activism through organizations like March for Our Lives has played a key role in pushing gun violence and other issues that affect younger Americans to the forefront of politics and the media. If a world leader is able to mock a student activist leader (like Thunberg) with impunity, then the efficacy of student activism may diminish as those in power may be encouraged by said world leader's words to disregard student activism and stop treating it seriously. If this happens, then our (students') ability to address issues that affect or will affect us (like climate change and gun violence) will be seriously hindered.
Is anyone surprised at all? This kind of thing is typical of this presidency and the people have become numb to it. Trump doesn't care; he can say things like this because he has no credibility to lose. We can criticize Trump all we want whenever he pulls something like this, but he's likely already reached his end goal, whether it was to rile up his supporters, gain some free media, or distract the public from a bigger issue. One question I would like to bring up is: is this kind of thing newsworthy anymore? Sure, accuracy is a public service, but just as we know Saturday will come, we know Trump'll call someone or something out or do something otherwise stupid. Boomers always tell us to ignore bullies, which I think is awful advice, but I make an exception here.
I think that Greta really deserved an award like this for being able to stand up to everyone in power as someone so young as her, and tell them that they need to make a change. She is powerful and affects many people so I think that in a way, Trump is scared. She represents the opposite from what Trump stands for, so I don't find his actions very surprising. I also don't see them very surprising because this is a normal thing that our president engages in. I think that it wouldn't be that hard for him to even give a little congrats to the amazing honor that Thunberg and I find it a little sad that he doesn't. However, I can understand where he is coming from with this tweet. She is essentially a political opponent as she advocates and supports candidates he runs against. It isn't the first time that we've seen him slander opponents and it isn't the last. And I know that you're probably thinking well she's just a kid but that has never stopped Trump. I think that it, in a way, could be justifiable, however it is very childish of Trump to pull a stunt like this.
I think it's foolish for a president to criticize a teen who is fighting for climate change. Of course, we can agree that Trump said those things out of jealousy. Trump has enough in power as president and he is overreacting something he didn't get for once. She is exactly who she seems to be, a regular school girl who just over one year ago began sitting outside the Swedish Parliament, without the support of even her own parents, because of inaction on an issue that could destroy her future. Her action resonated with enough people that it grew, and she came across so well that it became a global movement. People who portray her in other ways seem to have reason to fear what she is achieving. Trump said foolish and immature things about her, and I hope people can see Trump as an immature human being. He should be noticed more for this action because it was unthoughtful and pointless.
I agree with Justin that sort of thing has lost most of it's effect on me. Which I don't like, but as long as Trump and his base supporters have their symbiotic relationship of tolerating eachother's worst tendencies, this is going to continue being commonplace
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