For some reason, some adults just can’t bear the thought of an intelligent, determined child having any sort of say in the events of the world. Even if those events are literally threatening her future.
An extremely disheartening amount of people have been slinging hateful comments at Greta Thunberg since she expressed her concern for the planet in a powerful speech at the United Nations Climate Summit earlier this week, including, of course, Donald Trump.
But rather than leaving the trolls and haters to shout their unfounded comments into the void of the internet, a group of comedians have come up with the Greta Thunberg Helpline For Adults Angry At A Child.
Check it out below:
Though the 16-year-old did take the time to respond to the president’s patronising comments, there are only so many times you can display your superior maturity to stubborn adults. I mean Greta’s trying to save the world, she has much more productive and life-changing things she needs to be getting on with.
An advert for the service was shared on Twitter by TV personality Mark Humphries and it has since been viewed over 10 million times.
It opens with a man speaking to the camera, saying:
Hi, I’m a middle-aged man with an embarrassing problem. I get irrationally angry at a Swedish girl who wants to save the planet. Luckily, there’s now a number I can call.
PAThe ad goes on to advise haters to call the helpline ‘before you go full caps lock in an article comment section’, explaining the helpline is there to ‘tolerate’ grown adults who ‘needs to yell at a child for some reason’.
It calls out people who choose to ignore the warnings of experts, as well as those who claim the teenager is overreacting.
I shouldn’t have to tell you that the helpline is fake – not that you should want to use it anyway – but understandably it has taken Twitter, and Greta’s amused supporters, by storm.
Great stuff. Nice to see the people who would yell at a child over doing the right thing get called out in the funniest way possible.
Seriously, do yourselves a favour and help out with the movement if you can.
— SSBATT (@SSBATT_) September 26, 2019
One of the teen’s backers responded:
Just brilliant! So amazing! Let us all give Greta the support she needs and the protection she deserves! Thank you @GretaThunberg for all your efforts and courage to make a better world!
My son and my future generations will have a slightly better place to live thanks to you!
Just brilliant! So amazing! Let us all give Greta the support she needs and the protection she deserves! Thank you @GretaThunberg for all your efforts and courage to make a better world! My son and my future generations will have a slightly better place to live thanks to you!
— @IglesiasPlata (@iglesiasplata) September 26, 2019
Well done, to you and your talented team, good sir!👏#IStandWithGretaThunberg pic.twitter.com/WUeAmTIDYr
— Peter Murphy (@PeterWMurphy1) September 27, 2019
The video perfectly mocks the idiotic arguments of her protesters, not least in its closing line which states ‘because when it comes to climate change, we all know she’s the real problem’.
Greta herself also shared the video, addressing the trolls as she wrote:
Hang in there! Help is available.
GretaThunberg/TwitterUnsurprisingly, there were some people who chose to respond to the video by spouting hurtful and dismissive comments about Greta.
Though many users were quick to defend her, I’m starting to think the Greta Thunberg helpline would be a good idea after all.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.