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Comment by ocschwar | Hacker News Reader

> He said the industry needs to dig up embarrassing tidbits about environmentalists and liberal celebrities, exploit

No wonder they freaked out over Greta Thunberg. She started too young to have a past, and she's too set in her ways to really get one.

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I don't know they seem to have really latched onto her ASD. Conservative commentators routinely dismiss her as a mentally-ill child.

Which says more about them than about the girl they are afraid of.

Conservatives either dismiss her over her ASD, or make nauseating comments about her sexuality and particularly age

Yeah, that is the strategy advised by Berman. The argument if stated formally would go:

> Thunberg has <unfavorable characterization>

> Therefore, we can ignore climate change.

More typically, it would go (e.g.):

> <Environmental activist / celebrity> has taken a plane flight.

> Therefore, we should ignore scientific data about climate change. [1]

That is why the argument is never stated formally, of course.

1: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9006353/emma-thompson-gas-guzz...

Yeah, I guess I was wrong to call it a "freak out." They did however seemingly decide to forget about votes from anyone in an aspie-heavy profession, it seems.

She was given a speaking position in many events and fora, including the UN, where, correct me if my memory is weak, no other environmental activist has set foot. She has rich parents who sponsored and organized her "career". Something does not smell right here. Someone is taking advantage of her to let the steam about the environment out, by concentrating all the spotlight on that regard to a little girl who speaks big and innocently, but ultimately failing to point fingers to the people responsible - undirected shaming has been proven to have no effect anywhere ever. That someone might as well be her own parents who let her live the dream and maybe make some money out of the situation while she's at it - ASP together with her age maybe does play a role here as Greta herself is unable to understand what role she may be actually playing, taking the social "mission" given to her seriously and at face value. In time, the world's biggest climate change advocate will be a little girl that briefly made headlines, elegantly kept in check by the ones who brought her up to speak in the first place. And the rest will be given no attention - and no one will notice, if we want to learn how things are going we got Greta, after all!

So far she got legislation passed in several EU member states, influenced in the EU parliament, increased the Greens representation in parliaments all around the world, sparked an expansion of night train service in Europe, and caused cancellations of fossil fuel projects around the world. None. Too. Shabby. Nobody can really accuse her of just being an outlet for people wanting to vent.

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