Tomi Lahren has unleashed one of her trademark vile tweets, calling Greta Thunberg a “little [word that almost rhymes with merde but means the same thing].” Liberal (and non-fascist) Twitter is correctly disgusted. Lahren is an idiot given a platform to mindlessly attack without the vaguest knowledge of anything except Fox News disinformation. She should be repudiated, especially for climate change denial and attacks on Greta, Gore and scientists. Every day this propaganda hastens the destruction of species and spread of global misery.
But much of the disgust centers on “She’s just a child,” or “How can you attack a kid like that?”
I strongly disagree. Greta has become an international symbol of courage and righteous fury. She may be a teenager, but she is making an appeal better and more effectively than most adults ever could. It diminishes her to call out even the worst criticism of her based on her age. Defending her because she’s a kid actually transmits the opposite message: If she’s immune from criticism because of her age, doesn’t that diminish the power of her message? Doesn’t it accept that her opinions are less valuable because she’s a teen.
I felt the same way about the attacks on the Parkland kids when they became leaders of the anti-gun movement, for example, when David Hogg (initially) was rejected by colleges and attacked by Laura Ingraham. Like with Greta today, many of us used the “He’s just a kid,” defense. It was effective, because Ingrahm was forced to apologize. But Hogg was even older at 18, old enough to vote, and old enough to spearhead an national campaign against gun violence. He and his fellow classmates showed “adult” courage and strength by, for example, making Marco Rubio look like the weakling who cannot stand up to the NRA. that he is.
And by the way, young people like Greta and the Parkland kids are a living, continuing repudiation of people like Bill Maher who see Gen Z as entitled, spoiled, “Participation Trophy” recipients. I mean Maher had the Parkland kids on his show and has praised Greta — Why aren’t they more representative of Gen Z than the stereotype? Maybe I’m biased because I have two Gen Z kids, but their actual participation and mature expression of views only makes my point. And if they became prominent enough to be attacked, I would want them defended not based on age, but on the merits of their positions and the ignorance and viciousness of their critics.