Greta Thunberg Is A Victim Of ‘Child Abuse’, Say Critics

Critics responded to a speech given by teenaged far-left climate activist Greta Thunberg at the United Nations on Monday, saying that the apparent level of emotional distress she appears to be dealing with constitutes “child abuse.”

Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old girl selected by the media to be the poster child of climate alarmism, has been formally diagnosed with autism and obsessive compulsive disorder, as the media like to remind us.

This section of a Daily Beast profile gives us a brief outline of her psychological issues:

But thanks to the formal diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome coupled with high-functioning autism and obsessive compulsive disorder, the now-16-year-old Swede has become quite literally the poster child for the generation that will have to deal with the destruction of our planet. Once she started receiving multifaceted treatment, Thunberg was able to channel her anxiety into something we should all be concerned about: the health of the planet and the science behind apocalyptic warnings of its demise.

In October 2018, Thunberg started having anxiety-ridden 3 a.m. nightmares, but unlike before, they were not about her. The recurring nightmares were about the impact of global warming on the planet, according to the book, Scenes From the Heart, she wrote with her parents and sister Beata, who also suffers from many of the same emotional conditions.

This time, instead of holing up in her bedroom as she did before treatment, she decided that her anxiety about the climate needed to become everyone else’s, too. One of the aspects of her complicated diagnosis is obsession. Her family says she just wouldn’t let the idea go that the planet was burning up and there was ample science to prove it.

As Matt Walsh writes, The Daily Beast recounts all of this like we shouldn’t be concerned. But what we’re being told is that an obsessive, mentally troubled young girl came to believe — mistakenly — that the apocalypse is upon us. Rather than calm these terrible fears, and redirect her in a healthier direction, the adults in her life have only encouraged her paranoia. And now the media is only too happy to exploit her fear in order to stoke even more fear. Creating fear with fear. That is the media’s specialty.

DailyWire reports: Critics weighed in on her speech, calling it “child abuse,” “disturbing,” “exceptionally creepy,” “scary,” “insanity,” “fanaticism,” and “propaganda.”

Here is some of the reaction her speech garnered online:

Federalist editor David Harsanyi tweeted: “The idea that they can use a kid as a political shield, give her immense coverage, and then no [one] is allowed to talk about the substance of her arguments because she is a kid … is just silly. It’s the same with the gun-control kid. He says tons of ridiculous things that are then amplified by media. Yet, people get mad when you point it out. Hey, don’t use kids for your political causes. I hate when either side does it.“

Human Events managing editor Ian Miles Cheong tweeted: “Am I a bad person for thinking children shouldn’t be used as political props like Greta Thunberg?”

Federalist co-founder Ben Domenech tweeted: “We need to have a national conversation about the rising problem of arrogant teenage Swedes.”

Republican strategist Chris Barron tweeted: “This is straight up child abuse. I hope the left is proud of the way it treats everyone and everything as disposable pawns in their game for political power.“

Elisha Krauss tweeted: “This is heartbreaking and disturbing to me. Environmental activists and her crappy parents have stolen her childhood, not capitalism and the UN.”

Radio host Jason Rantz tweeted: “This isn’t powerful; it’s insanity.”

David Reaboi tweeted: “All of you ‘climate activists’ are lunatic communists. And if you think your hysteria will result in even the smallest political concession from the people you’re longing to enslave economically, you’re sadly mistaken. Not one f**king inch for your lunatic death cult.“

Conservative commentator Erick Erickson tweeted: “Children of the Corn level scary here. They’re going to move quickly to violence to overthrow democratic governments.”

CNN law enforcement analyst James Gagliano tweeted: “Can’t imagine in ’81, as 16-year old, lecturing my parents, high school teachers, Reagan administration, House Majority under Speaker O’Neill, United Nations General Assembly, other foreign gov’t leaders, or ANY adult, for that matter, that ‘You are still not mature enough … ‘“

Candace Owens tweeted: “One day, #GretaThunberg will realize that she is a victim of child abuse, not climate change. I genuinely find the video circulating of her to be sad. The Left is stooping to new lows with this blatant example of child exploitation.”

Stephen Miller tweeted: “When you hide behind teenage kids like David Hogg and Greta Thunberg and use them for human shields like you are now, what you’re really saying is ‘Hey my political arguments can’t be made by functioning, well-adjusted adults.’“