Time Magazine's Person of the Year: Greta Thunberg

O-Trap Chief Shenanigans Officer

18,909 posts 140 reps Joined Nov 2009

Fri, Dec 13, 2019 5:06 PM

Can someone explain why anyone on any side GAF about this girl?

First, I still don't understand why she's being heralded as a champion. Certainly not to the degree that she would even be considered by Time Magazine.

This is effectively an adolescent, with an adolescent understanding of the argument (whether right or wrong, which I'm not arguing here) who was given a platform and essentially ranted. She didn't make some profound case for anything. Most of it could be summed up as emotional appeals and Rush Limbaugh Fallacies.

Moreover, she's refraining from furthering her education ... a place where she might be able to further her understanding of a variety of areas that would help her further this particular cause (rhetoric, political history, political science, geography, meteorology, etc.) ... until her desires are met.

More or less, it's like a hostage situation, except the demands are impossible, and nobody actually cares about the hostages.

Out of the sum total of what she's done or said, what about any of it took any special amount of character, fortitude, or bravery?

Make no mistake, I'm not holding any of this against her. At 16, I would have likely behaved much in the same way on topics I'd been passionate about, particularly if my parents had green-lighted and supported an embargo on school.

There's nothing wrong with her. She's all good for a 16-year-old. But I don't get why we're treating her as special.

On the reverse side, it puzzles me why anyone treats her as anything more than a punchline. The visceral responses to her, even going so far as to call her names and try to disparage her character, seem out of place.

Can someone explain this to me?

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Fri, Dec 13, 2019 5:40 PM

It's like giving Obama the Nobel Peace Prize before he'd accomplished anything, and ultimately his only lasting claim on the international stage is he got Bin Laden.

The award is a lot less about Greta and more about what Time is trying to signal by choosing her. Could have gone to David Hoge, but he just doesn't have Greta's acting chops!

The intent behind making her a spokesperson is to squash debate - you're going to dismiss a woman? How about a teenage girl? But, LOL, Trump don't give a shit. Based on all the memes I've seen floating around, it seems like most people's response is "I don't need this ignorant teenager lecturing me".

Dr Winston O'Boogie Senior Member

3,345 posts 36 reps Joined Oct 2010

Fri, Dec 13, 2019 5:53 PM

I'm sorry to repeat myself from another thread, but conservatives complaining about this topic has given it exponentially more attention than it would otherwise have gotten. I defy 99% of the population to even name the last few "Time Person of the Years". Time magazine is supposed to be a dying rag. So why pump it up by giving 2 poops about picking this girl? And then of course the friggin President of the United States determines that he too needs to get involved.

Conservatives think the mainstream media is liberally biased. WE GET IT. You've made the same point for 30 years, but still seem to feel it necessary to point out every single last example on a day-to-day basis.

Automatik Senior Member

15,737 posts 99 reps Joined Nov 2009

Fri, Dec 13, 2019 5:57 PM

Her message REALLY enrages sensitive repubs. There’s your answer. This isn’t complicated.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Fri, Dec 13, 2019 6:32 PM

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie
I'm sorry to repeat myself from another thread, but conservatives complaining about this topic has given it exponentially more attention than it would otherwise have gotten.

That's the point of giving her the award. And it's not even about Conservatives, it's so people go "who the hell is that", and look it up and make the connection to Climate Change. Essentially marketing for the cause of the moment.

Other times it goes to a political leader dominating the headlines. I think most Presidents have won at least once, and I think people like Stalin and Putin have also won.

BRF Senior Member

11,621 posts 111 reps Joined Nov 2009

Fri, Dec 13, 2019 7:59 PM

I disagree with the Time’s choice.

BTW, Hitler also got this award in 1938.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Fri, Dec 13, 2019 8:34 PM

posted by BRF
I disagree with the Time’s choice.

She did kind of dominate the news cycle for the better part of a month.

But it's the fact that she's a manufactured celebrity to promote hysteria that turns most people off.

iclfan2 Reppin' the 330/216/843

9,465 posts 100 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 7:37 AM

Regardless of the Times thing, and oh conservatives hate lit blah blah, there are people on the left who worship this girl. She’s literally mentally unstable, and autistic, and is being brainwashed from her parents. Yet all over my shitty social media there are people heralding her as being some climate change genius. That’s what annoys me is that our country is so full of morons, people actually think she should be newsworthy.

Spock Senior Member

5,271 posts 9 reps Joined Jul 2013

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 9:00 AM

posted by gut
She did kind of dominate the news cycle for the better part of a month.

But it's the fact that she's a manufactured celebrity to promote hysteria that turns most people off.

If dominating the news cycle is the criteria then Jeffery Epstein should have got it

Dr Winston O'Boogie Senior Member

3,345 posts 36 reps Joined Oct 2010

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 11:06 AM

posted by iclfan2
Regardless of the Times thing, and oh conservatives hate lit blah blah, there are people on the left who worship this girl. She’s literally mentally unstable, and autistic, and is being brainwashed from her parents. Yet all over my shitty social media there are people heralding her as being some climate change genius. That’s what annoys me is that our country is so full of morons, people actually think she should be newsworthy.

It is the conservative media / talk show circuit that gives this whole thing the momentum it has. People would not sit up and take notice just because Time named her person of the year. The vast majority don't read and pay any attention to Time magazine. It's the same predictable conservative commentators that give this thing 99% of the attention it is getting. It's manufactured outrage. Nothing more.

Not sure what autism has to do with it.

iclfan2 Reppin' the 330/216/843

9,465 posts 100 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 11:31 AM

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie
It is the conservative media / talk show circuit that gives this whole thing the momentum it has. People would not sit up and take notice just because Time named her person of the year. The vast majority don't read and pay any attention to Time magazine. It's the same predictable conservative commentators that give this thing 99% of the attention it is getting. It's manufactured outrage. Nothing more.

Not sure what autism has to do with it.

That’s ridiculous. Before the Time thing she was being praised all over the shitty media and social media. The left has this weird obsession with making dumb teens matter more than they do. The autistic thing is that she has asbergers and has been brainwashed by her parents bc she doesn’t know any better. It’s actually really sad that her life is going to be shit once people stop caring about her.

Automatik Senior Member

15,737 posts 99 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 1:13 PM

Why is her life going to be shit?

O-Trap Chief Shenanigans Officer

18,909 posts 140 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 2:51 PM

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie
I'm sorry to repeat myself from another thread, but conservatives complaining about this topic has given it exponentially more attention than it would otherwise have gotten. I defy 99% of the population to even name the last few "Time Person of the Years". Time magazine is supposed to be a dying rag. So why pump it up by giving 2 poops about picking this girl? And then of course the friggin President of the United States determines that he too needs to get involved.

Conservatives think the mainstream media is liberally biased. WE GET IT. You've made the same point for 30 years, but still seem to feel it necessary to point out every single last example on a day-to-day basis.

I'm not really upset or offended by her getting it. I don't care that much, and as you said in the previous iteration of this reply, I couldn't name any of the last five Time Magazine Person of the Year winners.

My question really doesn't just have to do with her winning the award. It's more about her popularity overall. There are people calling her a hero, a brave young woman, a leader, etc.

Then, there are people calling her spoiled, vile, entitled, etc.

One side wants to hand her the nation's car keys. The other wants to lock her in the trunk.

I'm curious where the justification is for either position. By what criteria are people calling her vile, brave, heroic, or spoiled?

posted by Automatik
Her message REALLY enrages sensitive repubs. There’s your answer. This isn’t complicated.

I'm not just talking about Republicans, though. She's literally being referred to as brave and heroic by supporters. I'm curious why that's happening as well.

posted by BRF
I disagree with the Time’s choice.

I honestly DGAF about Time Magazine, so I'm mostly apathetic about their choice.

iclfan2 Reppin' the 330/216/843

9,465 posts 100 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 3:17 PM

posted by Automatik
Why is her life going to be shit?

Because she doesn’t even have a high school education. What is she gonna do when the left throws her aside for the next hot thing? She has no idea how to cope with real life. She lives in a leftist bubble with no actual facts, just emotions, to prove her point.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 3:51 PM

posted by iclfan2
Because she doesn’t even have a high school education. What is she gonna do when the left throws her aside for the next hot thing? She has no idea how to cope with real life. She lives in a leftist bubble with no actual facts, just emotions, to prove her point.

Don't kid yourself. She's already made more money than you and I will in our entire lives, combined.

Of course, her parents will probably steal all that money. It will perhaps be ironic that "climate change" actually does ruin her life.

Heretic Son of the Sun

20,517 posts 204 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 4:15 PM

I really don't know what is funnier: that a weird kid won Person of the Year for blurting out talking points or that an alleged adult world leader ranted on social media about a weird kid winning Person of the Year.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 4:27 PM

posted by Heretic
I really don't know what is funnier: that a weird kid won Person of the Year for blurting out talking points or that an alleged adult world leader ranted on social media about a weird kid winning Person of the Year.

It's really quite fascinating. The Left will bait Trump. Then Trump responds by trolling them. And then the Left has a meltdown.

Dr Winston O'Boogie Senior Member

3,345 posts 36 reps Joined Oct 2010

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 4:41 PM

posted by gut
It's really quite fascinating. The Left will bait Trump. Then Trump responds by trolling them. And then the Left has a meltdown.

There are meltdowns on both sides as always. TDS on the left and the perpetual outrage about liberals on the right.

O-Trap Chief Shenanigans Officer

18,909 posts 140 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 5:14 PM

posted by Heretic
I really don't know what is funnier: that a weird kid won Person of the Year for blurting out talking points or that an alleged adult world leader ranted on social media about a weird kid winning Person of the Year.

Right??? It's fucking mind-blowing.

posted by gut
It's really quite fascinating. The Left will bait Trump. Then Trump responds by trolling them. And then the Left has a meltdown.

This didn't feel like a troll, though. Frankly, her response to his tweet was more of a troll, but that's one thing I'd probably give a 16-year-old the edge on in general, anyway.

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie
There are meltdowns on both sides as always. TDS on the left and the perpetual outrage about liberals on the right.

And somehow, when an under-educated (speaking literally, since she's not attending school anymore) teen sides one way and is given a pulpit to do it, everyone suddenly treats her like a major player in the political arena.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 5:24 PM

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie
There are meltdowns on both sides as always. TDS on the left and the perpetual outrage about liberals on the right.

I've not heard of panic and anxiety attacks, or seeking pyschiatric treatment, for anyone due to outrage about liberals.

gut Senior Member

18,369 posts 117 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sat, Dec 14, 2019 5:29 PM

posted by O-Trap
And somehow, when an under-educated (speaking literally, since she's not attending school anymore) teen sides one way and is given a pulpit to do it, everyone suddenly treats her like a major player in the political arena.

It's funny how everyone mostly ignores she clearly didn't write that speech....Kind of ruins the authenticity when she's coached to read a speech some adults wrote.

Time Magazine's Person of the Year: Greta Thunberg

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