Caroline Overington
Trump, Greta Thunberg at the Time cover: chill, Greta, things are better than ever
Donald Trump is doing his thing with Greta Thunberg this morning, by which I mean, he’s mocking her, for going on about climate change.
“Chill, Greta, chill,” he said, on Twitter.
Never one to take a backward step, she responded, changing her Twitter profile to read, in part: “Currently chilling.”
It sounds like good-natured ribbing, but the US President actually isn’t happy about Time magazine naming Ms Thunberg as Person of the Year.
“So ridiculous,” he said.
Like so many others, he’s making a basic mistake here.
Time’s Person of the Year tends to be read — especially on Twitter — as some kind of award, or prize, for greatness.
As The Daily Telegraph’s Tim Blair said, it’s treated like the “Nobel, minus the cash prize”.
It’s not.
Time’s Person of the Year is for the person who had the greatest impact, or influence, on events across the globe.
In 2016, they gave it to … Donald Trump.
So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill! https://t.co/M8ZtS8okzE
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2019
So, Mr Trump and Ms Thunberg each now have a Time cover. As far as anyone can tell, though, they agree on only one thing.
In a somewhat theatrical address in New York earlier this year, Ms Thunberg thundered: ‘I shouldn’t be here. I should be in school!’
Mr Trump wholeheartedly agrees. She shouldn’t be out and about, shouting at people. She should be back in school.
It’s probably possible to be on both their sides.
Ms Thunberg is sincere in her desire to improve the planet for future generations.
Like so many young people, she tends to carry on as if this has occurred, as an idea, only to her.
“You look to young people for hope,” she cried, during her speech. “How dare you!”
In fact, the world looks to science, and to new industries, and to people and governments of good will, and especially to philanthropists, to tackle any and all of the seemingly-intractable problems that beset the world, every day.
Progress has this decade been extraordinary.
“People are suffering, people are dying,” Ms Thunberg cried.
Don’t forget the successes
Not so much, actually.
The World Health Organisation was this year able to announce that Africa — yes, the entire continent — is on verge of being declared polio free, after three years without any recorded cases of the disease.
The UN has praised the “monumental effort” of health workers “on an unprecedented scale.”
We can thank also governments, and philanthropists, and people on the ground, co-operating and funding the effort.
Malaria is next. We’re coming for that, too.
Ms Thunberg cried out in her speech: “All you can talk about is money and fairy tales of endless economic growth!”
There are indeed be billions of children across the globe — girls in particular – dreaming this Christmas of a world in which they can enjoy the fruits of endless economic growth.
Economic growth has been marvellous for human beings.
Hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty this past decade.
Girls are going to school and learning to read.
Access to clean water has become more common.
Infant mortality is in decline.
Economic growth means jobs. It means education, and opportunity. It doesn’t have to mean trashing the planet. Adults do actually understand this, which is why life for human being is better now than it’s ever been.
We can afford, as the grown-ups who achieved this, to be a bit proud of ourselves. To put that another way: you’re doing okay, Boomer. Or else: chill.
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