Favis 1

Julia Favis

ENGW 1111

Professor Clark

15 October 2020

Profile of Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg delivers a passionate speech at the United Nations (KSBY News)

Our Earth has never been in danger as much as it is now, and it is the fault of man-made

global climate change. As governments and corporations overlook the results of their negligence

regarding the climate, one voice speaks for its protection the loudest, and it is none other than

Greta Thunberg’s. As a young student and an activist in the public eye, she faces mockery and

disregard while fighting for her beliefs, as well as the pressure of representing her generation to

the public. Despite her massive influence from social media and rise in popularity as an

outspoken activist, Thunberg is a still a flawed human being who faces struggles and challenges

beyond the persona that is portrayed of her in the media.

Earth is experiencing global climate change on a magnitude that has made it more

relevant than ever, as our earth is becoming warmer and many ecosystems and aspects of
 Favis 2

survival are being threatened by the quickly warming climate. The entities responsible for the

actions that are causing global climate change are not taking responsibility for the damage that

they have created in the environment. This has caused a movement of activism around the world

to create awareness to this problem, especially in this generation, who takes it into their hands to

create a better future for themselves. As activists get younger due to the influence of social

media, the media’s reaction and acceptance to those who speak out can be harsh and critical no

matter what the background of the speaker is.

Greta Thunberg was born on January 3rd, 2003 and is 17 years old as of 2020. She is from

Stockholm, Sweden, and has been an active climate activist since she was 15 years old. (“Greta

Thunberg.” 4) Along with activism, another part of her identity is having Asperger’s syndrome,

which is a disorder on the autism spectrum that is characterized by having difficulties with social

interaction and non-verbal communication, and repetitive patterns in interests and behavior

(“Asperger’s”. 1); She feels like this does not impede her from pursuing activism, but she notes

that ‘it is her superpower’ which motivates her in her fight for change (“Greta Thunberg.” 2).

Greta quickly rose to popularity through social media, and her main form of activism is through

speech and protest. Initially, she skipped school on Fridays to sit outside of the Swedish

parliament and hand out pamphlets with information about climate change to the members (“On

Greta Thunberg” ). Greta boldly tells those in high positions that "We are in the beginning of a

mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth.

How dare you!" ( “Greta Thunberg.”. 1). Her blunt and straightforward speaking style has

attributed her a notable and recognizable voice, she uses her status and privilege as a well-known

activist to further her message.

 Favis 3

Greta’s main goal is to fight climate change through spreading awareness, but what is

unexpected and surprising are the challenges that activism in the public eye entails. A person

who fights for their beliefs in the eye of the media must be resilient enough bare criticism and

mockery from those who do not share the same beliefs. As much as Greta wants to focus her

public image on the fight against climate change, she must also acknowledge her position has a

young person in the eye pf the media. Some will argue that that “when teenagers like Thunberg

come into the public eye, they sacrifice their privacy and, in a sense, their childhood.” (Stroud.2),

and that is true to the extent that having influence comes with expected criticism of beliefs, but

not to the extent of not allowing her the respect she deserves. Greta must constantly tread the

balance between unbiased activism and personal ambitions in order to create a strong

professional persona of herself. It is important that Greta’s motivations stay unaltered by fame

and success as she becomes a more prominent activist.

Greta continuing her original school strike even after becoming famous and during a global
pandemic (Thunberg)
 Favis 4

Greta’s journey to become one of the most well-known climate activists has not been an

easy one. When Greta was 11 years old, she fell into depression, stopped eating, lost 10 kilos

was diagnosed with Asperger’s, OCD, and selective mutism (Thunberg). Thinking about the

declining state of the climate was too much for her, she could not just stand by and not act, so

she became an activist. This demonstrates the extent by which Greta is motivated by her genuine

passion for change.

Except, she is constantly being belittled and not taken seriously because of her age by the

very people that she is trying to influence. Most notably, she has been mocked by the elected

president of the United States, Donald Trump after becoming Time’s person of the year (Donald

J. Trump).

Greta changes her Twitter bio after being mocked by Donald Trump (Lim)

As seen in the image, Greta responded to this instance of criticism in a lighthearted

manner, but there are more complex forms of criticism against her which do not have

opportunities to be regarded like this. Greta has been criticized for her intense and

straightforward perception of the climate situation, as it goes against the image of the hopeful
 Favis 5

young activist that they want to see her as, but as Greta herself says, “instead of looking for

hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come.”(Thungerg). A deep condemnation

against Greta is that she is described as “an indoctrinated child being coerced by adults to make

their political arguments with her youth as a shield from any criticism” (Novac, 2), this argument

undermines the initial premise of her activism, but it is hard to dispute to those who refuse to

take her seriously due to her age.

The impact of being skyrocketed to fame through the media has seen great successes for

Greta, She has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, Honored as Time’s Person of the year

and been acknowledged by many important organizations such as the United Nations, where she

has spoken on the importance of taking action against climate change.(“Greta Thunberg”, 7 )

Along with these fancy titles and recognitions, being in the media has created a persona of her

that is strong and powerful but does not totally encompass who she is as a person; Greta has

great admission, but she is not perfect, and there are shortcomings to her activism that are not

acknowledged by those who do not look at her holistically.

In conclusion, Greta Thunberg is an influential activist whose efforts have been

recognized globally, and she is also a person who faces valid criticism and is different from how

she is portrayed in that she must face conflict so that her morals are not corrupted by the status

she has received, and must find motivation to continue her activism in the face of criticism

despite being so young. It is good to look up to her, but we must also look at her and recognize

her flaws and shortcomings in order to fully understand her impact and message.
 Favis 6

Works Cited

“Asperger's Syndrome.” Autism Society, Autism Society, www.autism-society.org/what-

is/aspergers-syndrome/.

“Donald J. Trump and Greta Thunberg at Davos.” Population and Development Review, vol. 46,
no. 1, 2020, pp. 207–209., doi:10.1111/padr.12325.

“Greta Thunberg.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 4 May 2020,

www.biography.com/activist/greta-thunberg.

“KSBY News: Greta Thunberg at the United Nations.” KSBY News, 4 Sept. 2019,
www.ksby.com/news/national-news/teen-climate-activist-greta-thunberg-delivers-
scathing-speech-at-u-n. (for image 1)

Lim, Clarissa-Jan. “Greta Thunberg Changed Her Twitter Bio After Trump Mocked Her For
Being Time's Person Of The Year.” Buzzfeednews.com, Buzzfeed, 12 Dec. 2019,
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/clarissajanlim/trump-greta-thunberg-time-person-of-the-
year-2019. (for image 3)

Stroud, Scott. “Greta Thunberg and Her Harsh Critics.” Center for Media Engagement, 30 Jan.
2020, mediaengagement.org/research/greta-thunberg-and-her-harsh-critics/.

Novac, Jake. “How 16-Year-Old Greta Thunberg's Rise Could Backfire on Environmentalists.”
CNBC, CNBC, 24 Sept. 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/09/24/how-greta-thunbergs-rise-
could-backfire-on-environmentalists.html.

“On Greta Thunberg and the protesting students.” Down To Earth, 20 Mar. 2019. Gale General
OneFile,https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A579391908/ITOF?
u=mlin_b_northest&sid=ITOF&xid=5a4f8295 Accessed 8 Oct. 2020.

Thunberg, Greta. “Instagram Post.” Instagram.com, Instagram, 2 Oct. 2020,

www.instagram.com/p/CF1LlDDp3II/. (for image 2)

----.. “The Disarming Case to Act Right Now on Climate Change.” TED, 2018,
www.ted.com/talks/greta_thunberg_the_disarming_case_to_act_right_now_on_climate_ch
ange/reading-list.
Favis 7