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Jason Gagliardi

‘Will Greta heal the sick and lame in America then walk back home?’

Jason Gagliardi
Messiah or naughty girl: Greta’s excellent adventure in search of the climate grail.
Messiah or naughty girl: Greta’s excellent adventure in search of the climate grail.

Welcome to the column where you provide the content. The Mocker likened pint-sized climate warrior Greta Thunberg’s pig-tailed pilgrimage to America on a yacht as something straight out of a Monty Python movie.Rodger C wondered:

“Will Greta heal the lame and the sick while in the Americas? Then walk back home?”

Mr T tittered:

“This girl going to America in that yacht … All that carbon fibre! How much carbon emissions are involved there?

“We all laughed along with the Monty Python skits. We need more of them now than ever to poke fun at these hypocritical self-elected holier than thou virtue signallers. Problem is that Monty Python will never get off the ground in these PC days. All the poorer for us all.”

Greg pointed out:

“The carbon fibre is held together by epoxy resin-petrochemicals. The sails and running rigging are petrochemical, the standing rigging is stainless steel. The generators and solar panels use rare earth metals. A 747 is paragon of climate virtue compared to a modern yacht!”

Linda was lost for words:

“There are more holes than an onion bag in Thunberg’s theories, but the green/left/woke lemmings are prostrating themselves at her feet. The world has indeed gone mad.”

Another Peter spluttered:

“Comedy gold. That sentence ‘Even King Kong on a baked beans and cabbage-eating binge could not leave a carbon footprint this big’ made coffee come out of my nose.

“Trouble is adults are listening to every piece of nonsense that comes out of her mouth and treating it like pearls of wisdom. The world has gone mad.

“Seriously, any adult who pays any attention to the opinions of a teenager with zero life experience, who is unlikely to be widely read, but who has been brainwashed from an early age is truly a fool who probably struggles to do up their shoelaces. Anyone who makes policy decisions based on a teenager’s thoughts shouldn’t be in politics.”

Carbon crisis: A footprint bigger than King Kong on a baked beans bender. Picture: AFP
Carbon crisis: A footprint bigger than King Kong on a baked beans bender. Picture: AFP

Sarah suggested:

“Blessed are the cheesemakers and other purveyors of vegetarian goods. No, no, damned are the non-vegans and consumers of eggy things. Should you partake if any food but spinach you will be thrown into the pits of sufferings.

“By the way, the yacht has a bloody great 270hp diesel motor for making a breeze on calm days.”

Jason said:

“The way she’s leading all these adults around by the nose it wouldn’t surprise me if they cut holes in the sides of the thing and offered themselves up as galley slaves to row it.”

Eric was amazed:

“Thunberg’s mother stated at the end of last year her daughter can see CO2.”

Stephen said:

“I disagree profoundly with this kid but it’s not her fault — it’s ours. We are meant to be the adults in the room and if we indulge a kid’s naivety then it’s our fault for not being mature enough to tell this kid in no uncertain terms that at her age she has neither the experience or maturity to tell adults how to live — and more fool us if we let her get away with it.”

Kon’s contribution:

“Monty Python have truly turned out to be modern day prophets. If only they had included skits about climate change in their vast repertoire of contentious topics.”

Ken grabbed his pen:

“Those who fall at the feet of Saint Greta

Are adults and they ought to know better

But sadly they don’t and what fools they appear

believing her tale that the end is now near

We’ll be burnt to a crisp or possibly drowned

No crops will survive, no food to be found

No water to drink — there’ll be no more rain

and The Eiffel Tower will be under Seine

Greta, they say, is a Prophet. No less.

Accusing us all of leaving a mess

But I must admit I am not so beguiled

by the fears and the fancies of this Nordic child.”

Can’t touch this: Briggs takes the rap. Picture: Mark Stewart
Can’t touch this: Briggs takes the rap. Picture: Mark Stewart

Indigenous students at a Can­berra school screened controversial footage of popular Aboriginal rapper Adam Briggs denouncing the Australian ­national anthem and declaring “the song sucks” as part of their NAIDOC Week celebrations. Euan wasn’t taking it lying down:

“The anthem represents two world wars to keep Australia free. Perhaps the rapper should dwell on that, and consider what life would have been like if Japan had gained control of Australia. Consider the very same approach by a Japanese appointed military government that had little or no respect in the last Century to ethnic populations in Manchuria, China etc. This is what the national anthem sings about to me.

“America gets it with their anthem and they are as multicultural as you can get. The anthem is sacred, and action against it should land by American standards a quick road trip to jail as it represents freedom and the blood sweat and tears of thousands of dead defending that freedom. So I say I am appalled by this article. The Aboriginal community should condemn it as it does much damage to their cause.”

Eric opined:

“Hand wringing seems to be very fashionable at the moment and why not as you don’t actually have to know much but you can feel all warm and fuzzy inside by engaging in public acts of hand-wringing.

“The true facts are that ignorant hand-wringing leads to nothing in particular but a feeling of being hard done by which could make you act out in irrational ways and wind up doing things you will come to be arrested for.

“I would have thought that there were enough intelligent folk in Canberra who could explain to the children what our national anthem really means.

“Unfortunately Mr Briggs’s interpretation of our national anthem is exceedingly shallow.

Maybe he already has a closed mind which tends to see problems where none actually exists.

Our national anthem is all about the coming together of our separate states into a Commonwealth for the very first time in 1901. We are a fair-minded people who believe in a fair go for everyone and is nothing whatever to do with skin colour!”

Ivan was irate:

“Briggs doesn’t see the irony in being a proud Aboriginal and a rapper. Rapping is American originating from African American culture. Briggs uses their culture, not his own, to bag our culture. Yer mate that’s something to be proud of. I’d call it hypocrisy.”

Andrew suggested:

“Play Briggs’ music all you like. But balance it out with some of Jacinta Price’s work describing the violence, sexual violence and misogyny at play in remote indigenous communities.”

Gary growled:

“My grandson attends the school. The video was aired without any warning or introduction at the school assembly except ‘Please stand for the national anthem’.

“Many students thought it, first and foremost, as an insult to our national anthem and secondly were appalled by the divisive and racist message it portrayed, with it calling for ‘fighting racism with racism’.

“Is this divisive approach the way the school is doing ‘significant work on cultural understanding’ as the Principal claims?

“Insulting our national anthem and promoting division is not the way to achieve cultural understanding. Promoting mutual respect is, and the school has gone a long way towards destroying that mutual respect.”

Keneally mouthed: ‘When I say the magic words ‘Raheem Kassam’ all far right neo Nazis will disappear in a puff of smoke.” Picture: AAP
Keneally mouthed: ‘When I say the magic words ‘Raheem Kassam’ all far right neo Nazis will disappear in a puff of smoke.” Picture: AAP

Don Trump Jr accused Labor and its home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally of trying to stifle conservative views by trying to block former Breitbart editor-in-chief Raheem Kassam visiting Australia. Tess took issue:

“We should stop banning people from having an alternative view. If you don’t want to listen to them, don’t. I do not want to be a sheep thank you, told what to think, say and do.”

Ditto Dennis:

“I’m sure he’s no worse than an ABC love fest attacking a Christian or a conservative! Let him in!”

Barry T barked:

“There are a lot of ‘left wingers’ that I wouldn’t let into this country. How did KK get in BTW?”

Graeme wondered:

“Why does this paper continue to use the Left’s definitions of conservative views and the people that express them, ‘Far Right’.

“I believe a good journal should be conservative in its use of identifiers because the terms mean different things to conservatives and Leftists. When I see the term ‘Far Right’ I expect to read about someone with fascistic views, authoritarian types like Nazis who believe in suppression of another’s viewpoint.

“Donald Trump Jr is spot on: ‘We have Big Tech constantly trying to silence conservatives and now one of the major political parties in Australia is trying to silence @RaheemKassam because of his conservative views. The insanity needs to stop!’”

Kevin pointed out:

“Labor didn’t mind Tariq Ramadan speaking here: ‘Controversial Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan, who was refused entry into the US over alleged links to terror networks, is due to deliver a lecture on Islam at a conference sponsored by the Queensland Government on Monday.’”

John joined in:

“Alistair Campbell, UK far-Left activist allowed into Australia recently, compared Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. Not only was he accepted, he was lauded by his left wing buddies on Q&A. Guess KK is only worried when the speaker is a conservative.”

Paul’s point:

“And what of the harsh, expletive ridden, foul mouthed, degrading and offensive language used by union bosses against their targets? If that’s ok to sustain for their right to speak in the manner they do, then so are others in their right to speak likewise.”

Last word to Edmund:

“A debate can’t be had without an intellect. A debate won’t be watched without a sharp wit and without the participants demonstrating a moral authority. Keneally strikes out on all three. “If you can’t engage in a real dialogue and exchange of ideas, just add meaningless words to legitimate concepts. Examples from the dimwits: ‘far’ right, ‘social’ justice, ‘climate’ justice. However, there are some legitimate and accurate additions. The most obvious one; ‘totalitarian, socialist, Marxist left’. So, leave him be, let him speak and if you don’t agree, persuade. Otherwise, go away.”

Each Friday the cream of your views on the news rises and we honour the voices that made the debate great. To boost your chances of being featured, please be pertinent, pithy and preferably make a point. Solid arguments, original ideas, sparkling prose, rapier wit and rhetorical flourishes may count in your favour. Civility is essential. Comments may be edited for length.

Read related topics:Climate Change
Jason Gagliardi

Jason Gagliardi is the engagement editor and a columnist at The Australian, who got his start at The Courier-Mail in Brisbane. He was based for 25 years in Hong Kong and Bangkok. His work has been featured in publications including Time, the Sunday Telegraph Magazine (UK), Colors, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Harpers Bazaar and Roads & Kingdoms, and his travel writing won Best Asean Travel Article twice at the ASEANTA Awards.

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/will-greta-heal-the-sick-and-lame-in-america-then-walk-back-home/news-story/ea6a7179a59c83cd557ded3ed1491b6a