Trolls Are Swarming Young Climate Activists Online • Hacker News Board

Re: Trolls Are Swarming Young Climate Activists Online

#31

Post by scarmig » Thu, Sep 26, 2019, 3:42 PM UTC

AlexB138 wrote: post #14

Using children as political tools is disgusting. It's blatantly manipulative. Throwing them into the cess-pool of public politics and then acting as if you're shocked they're in a cess-pool, and using that shock to try to score political points, is one of the more reprehensible tactics in the modern play book.

Even if it's wrong for parents to expose kids to toxic online environments like Twitter, surely you'd agree that someone trolling kids online (like with "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!") should be ashamed of themselves and driven out of polite society, yes?

Re: Trolls Are Swarming Young Climate Activists Online

#32

Post by pistoriusp » Thu, Sep 26, 2019, 3:43 PM UTC

StreamBright wrote: post #19

crazynick4 wrote: post #10

Sad to see. Although, honestly, the parents shouldn't have allowed their kids to put themselves in these 'activist' positions to begin with. What did they expect? And also, a 16 year old girl speaking at the UN? Is that a joke? I fully support protecting the environment but this is child exploitation for political purposes. These movements should be led by scientists, not children. Is it any wonder people are still s…

[flagged]

Who are "they" here?

Re: Trolls Are Swarming Young Climate Activists Online

#33

Post by sieabahlpark » Thu, Sep 26, 2019, 3:43 PM UTC

scarmig wrote: post #16

crazynick4 wrote: post #10

Sad to see. Although, honestly, the parents shouldn't have allowed their kids to put themselves in these 'activist' positions to begin with. What did they expect? And also, a 16 year old girl speaking at the UN? Is that a joke? I fully support protecting the environment but this is child exploitation for political purposes. These movements should be led by scientists, not children. Is it any wonder people are still s…

The movement has been led by scientists for decades. They have been ignored. If it's shameful that a 16 year old is being forced to lead a movement, the shame is on society and the older generations for not doing anything about climate change despite manifest urgency.

The girl is autistic (no really, she is) and they're just taking advantage of her. It's just the new David Hogg.

Re: Trolls Are Swarming Young Climate Activists Online

#34

Post by crazynick4 » Thu, Sep 26, 2019, 3:43 PM UTC

scarmig wrote: post #16

crazynick4 wrote: post #10

Sad to see. Although, honestly, the parents shouldn't have allowed their kids to put themselves in these 'activist' positions to begin with. What did they expect? And also, a 16 year old girl speaking at the UN? Is that a joke? I fully support protecting the environment but this is child exploitation for political purposes. These movements should be led by scientists, not children. Is it any wonder people are still s…

The movement has been led by scientists for decades. They have been ignored. If it's shameful that a 16 year old is being forced to lead a movement, the shame is on society and the older generations for not doing anything about climate change despite manifest urgency.

So the idea is that children will succeed where the scientists have failed? It certainly doesn't seem to say much for the scientists.

Re: Trolls Are Swarming Young Climate Activists Online

#35

Post by anarchy8 » Thu, Sep 26, 2019, 3:43 PM UTC

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #11

>mom of 8-year-old climate activist Havana Chapman-Edwards Is it just me, or is there something disturbing about an 8 year old activist for anything? I cannot see anything good coming from turning young children into activists. Kids that age need love and stability, not the fear that the world is going to end unless they do something.

Except, that fear is well founded and they know that it's ultimately up to their generation to do something about it.

Re: Trolls Are Swarming Young Climate Activists Online

#36

Post by anarchy8 » Thu, Sep 26, 2019, 3:44 PM UTC

AlexB138 wrote: post #14

Using children as political tools is disgusting. It's blatantly manipulative. Throwing them into the cess-pool of public politics and then acting as if you're shocked they're in a cess-pool, and using that shock to try to score political points, is one of the more reprehensible tactics in the modern play book.

This isn't about politics, it's about survival.

Re: Trolls Are Swarming Young Climate Activists Online

#37

Post by mizzack » Thu, Sep 26, 2019, 3:44 PM UTC

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #11

>mom of 8-year-old climate activist Havana Chapman-Edwards Is it just me, or is there something disturbing about an 8 year old activist for anything? I cannot see anything good coming from turning young children into activists. Kids that age need love and stability, not the fear that the world is going to end unless they do something.

Gotta start the indoctrination while they're young!

https://www.amazon.com/Activist-Innosanto-Nagara/dp/16098053...

Yes, that's an activism board book for 3 year olds. Yes, there's an entire genre of these.

Re: Trolls Are Swarming Young Climate Activists Online

#38

Post by makerofspoons » Thu, Sep 26, 2019, 3:44 PM UTC

crazynick4 wrote: post #10

Sad to see. Although, honestly, the parents shouldn't have allowed their kids to put themselves in these 'activist' positions to begin with. What did they expect? And also, a 16 year old girl speaking at the UN? Is that a joke? I fully support protecting the environment but this is child exploitation for political purposes. These movements should be led by scientists, not children. Is it any wonder people are still s…

People didn't listen to Carl Sagan, James Hansen, or other big-name scientists who spoke up. Putting another scientist up there will just get them dismissed like all the others, because at the core of the issue is that we have a huge voting block that doesn't want to change and doesn't want to listen, and will contort whatever any movement leader says so that they can ignore it.

Re: Trolls Are Swarming Young Climate Activists Online

#39

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Sep 26, 2019, 3:44 PM UTC

AlexB138 wrote: post #14

Using children as political tools is disgusting. It's blatantly manipulative. Throwing them into the cess-pool of public politics and then acting as if you're shocked they're in a cess-pool, and using that shock to try to score political points, is one of the more reprehensible tactics in the modern play book.

[deleted]

Re: Trolls Are Swarming Young Climate Activists Online

#40

Post by iron0013 » Thu, Sep 26, 2019, 3:44 PM UTC

buboard wrote: post #20

neogodless wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is the solution to suppress their voices, rather than protect them from trolls and suppress the voices of the trolls?

No just dont amplify them so incredibly much. They are children in the end, they deserve protection Trolling is a fundamental right , not being trolled is not

They would be protected by meaningful government action on climate change. A comfortable childhood will mean nothing to these kids if their adulthoods are ruined by the consequences of the inaction of older generations, and the kids know it and want to do something about it.