By Rob Roper
The events of this week’s Climate Strike demonstrate that we do have a real and serious crisis on our hands. No, it’s not impending environmental catastrophe; it is the evident psychological damage being systematically inflicted on our children.
Scott McKay, writing in The American Spectator, sums up the problem very well:
What we know about this And A Child Shall Lead Them fraud is that it’s the product of a widespread, persistent, and highly destructive indoctrination effort by the global Left in our schools and pop culture, so much so that it has caused mass hysteria among kids. A Rasmussen poll recently found that half of Americans under 35 believe the “mass extinction” Thunberg prattled on about is coming within 10 or 15 years, despite zero evidence anything like it is coming. And what do you get when you’re that successful in selling the (Earth’s) sizzle? Jon Gabriel at Ricochet delivers the bill:
According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly one-third of all 13- to 18-year olds will experience an anxiety disorder. The numbers continue to go up; between 2007 and 2012, anxiety in children and teens rose 20 percent.
The suicide rate for young Americans is now the highest ever recorded. Between 2000 and 2017, the number of suicides has doubled for females aged 15 to 24. Males between 15 and 19 killed themselves at a rate of 17.9 per 100,000, up from 13 per 100,000 in 2000.
Is that all from global warming hysteria? No, but it’s part of an abusive environment created within education and pop culture — worse in Europe than here, to be sure — that is targeted, relentlessly, toward wearing down to the nub the people who should be grateful for the bounty a market economy has delivered, and thus making them, in the words of Ming the Merciless, “satisfied with less.”
The worst case scientifically based scenarios (as opposed to totally made up doomsday predictions) put forward by the most alarmist activists indicate that by the turn of the next century Vermont will have a climate similar to somewhere between Pennsylvania and North Carolina. That would be different, for sure, but not a recipe for “mass extinction.” No sane, educated person thinks that the earth will literally be on fire in 12 years. (Or is it 11 now?) But lots of our kids do believe these things — and, as we just witnessed, are being terrified by them!
Actively keeping children in a constant state of fear, paranoia, and hopelessness is not education, it is not an expression of concern, it is a manipulative tactic to control. It is cruel. It is destructive.
This mass case of child abuse should not be allowed to continue. The people doing this to our kids — activists, teachers, politicians, the media (both entertainment and news) — need to be stopped. That is the challenge the adults need to pick up and carry out if we want to leave the next generation with a genuinely healthy, happy and bright future.
Rob Roper is president of the Ethan Allen Institute. Reprinted with permission from the Ethan Allen Institute Blog.
“Fear not.” Jesus Christ.
Here is the same kind of predictions the “Educated Ones” predicted in the 70’s:
https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/18-spectacularly-wrong-apocalyptic-predictions-made-around-the-time-of-the-first-earth-day-in-1970-expect-more-this-year-2/
a brief history of earths climate hoaxes starting in 1895 can be seen here: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/07/29/a-brief-history-of-climate-panic-and-crisis-both-warming-and-cooling/
” How Dare You ” use these children for your agenda, what a disgusting display of using
an indoctrinated child, a child………………. no shame Liberals !!
Using today’s children to try and fuel a debate that you know has little or no substance
all for an agenda ……………… ‘ How Dare You ” ……. Is an understatement.
Listening to this kid only makes me despise liberal even more…….shameless.
What puzzles me is this kid shows up out of nowhere and she gets sainted by the hysterical vocal minority. If a bright youngster took the opposite position, he or she would be ignored. Giving her center stage at the UN? Give me break.
Thank you Rob. We need school choice to make this go away. If enough parents determine that they do not want their children exposed to this story then they could send a message by moving their children to a different school. This hypocrisy is terrible.
Mary Daly, More important than the state “give” school choice, is for parents to realize they currently have school choice. There are many options. Waiting on those beholden to the education union makes no sense and at the end of the day the only way any parent can control how their child is educated is to pay for it themselves. And we who understand this problem can certainly help. It is truly more of a priority problem, than a legislative problem. Millions of parents, from a wide spectrum of incomes, educate their children.
If the state can “give”, then it still controls. This is a very important mindset for self-governing system to survive. We each need to do everything we can and not relinquish our duties or rights to the state. The state has no right to control education. The state controls education only because most people have given that task to the state. We never did. We paid for all of the education our four boys have had because in our mind it was not the state’s place. We did this even in a year after all my customers left Vermont and our family income was only $22K! It can be done.
In the case of Pipi Warminmonger (greta thorninbutt) it isn’t so much about abuse as it is about money. “People with Money” reports the little climate whiner pulled in a cool 46 million in the last year…. 20 million over any other activist..The one world order (soros, bono, gates etc) pay very well if you can be a bleeding hart and draw the crowds. Sorry for the kid not being a kid but seems it’s as much her fault as her pantyfa actor/ress parents.
What Liberal Media Did Not Tell You: Screaming Green Teen Greta Thunberg Linked to Antifa Terrorists – Recorded Song for Antifa-Supporting Org
Jim Hoft by Jim Hoft September 24, 2019 450 Comments
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/09/what-liberal-media-did-not-tell-you-screaming-green-teen-greta-thunberg-an-antifa-terrorist-supporter-recorded-song-for-antifa-supporting-org/
– Antifa is Soros-backed btw…
Her ‘mother’ should be in jail for pimping out her deeply disturbed daughter and sacrificing her on the alter of the Climate Hysteria religious cult…who wouldn’t be angry:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/09/ka-ching-angry-teen-environmentalist-wins-100000-in-alternative-nobel-prize-award/
At least it pays well…
Right on the money, Rob. And I think we have seen enough to know that there is no answer if our answer is waiting on government to give parents education options with tax dollars. The real answer is for parents to find or create an alternative to public schools, without taxpayer money. Create a movement and on the backside vote to shrink public school budgets and lower school taxes. There will be some pain on the front end when paying school taxes and getting nothing in return, but in time this is also the most likely path to getting control on the taxes. But it is either pull them from the monopoly public-school indoctrination system or lose our nation. If could not be clearer. Keep in mind that free education is not at all free. It could cost your children their nation!
If residents had more idea(s) on how to flesh this out…including examples from districts who have succeeded – perhaps less clueless and more imterest.
Big changes are daunting to those of us who simply do not have the needed wherewithal or know how to find it.
That said…greatly appreciate the informatve positions of contributers here on TNR who do. – thanks muchly.
Stardust, You are very correct. It is a huge task. But there is no other way to preserve liberty. The framers all agree with you. But I do think working for real change outside of the state is a lot more fulfilling and inspiring than trying to work to accomplish something within the state. The first step is to decide and set a goal. Find others that pretty much agree with you. Then just focus on your little world while encouraging others to do the same. I would think a mix of homeschooling and coop would be about the best option. There are many options for curriculum. Rent a church building that is largely empty all week for the cost of the electricity, etc. and create a school.