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What makes star quality?
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Greta Thunberg's passion makes star quality

Greta Thunberg has dedicated her life to the world's most pressing problem - climate change. She was devastated about the crucial state of the Earth as a child and has devoted herself fully to doing everything she can to help, becoming the poster child of the cause.

The Argument

Greta Thunberg is only 17 years old but has become one of the most influential individuals on the planet due to her dedication as a climate activist. According to Thunberg, when she first learned about climate change at the age of 8, she became so depressed that she stopped talking and eating[1]. In August 2018, she began her school climate strikes, demanding that the Swedish government reduce their carbon emissions; on the first day she protested alone, claiming that while she did try to persuade other young people to join her, nobody was interested[2]. After Thunberg’s lone protests gained traction on social media, thousands of students across at least 270 cities were inspired to participate in the movement[3]. Thunberg then began to be invited to give speeches at parliaments and forums, as well as the 2018 UN Climate Change Conference[4]. Thunberg has been diagnosed with several mental health issues; “I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, OCD, and selective mutism, [which] means I only speak when I think it’s necessary,” she said during a TEDx Talk in 2018. “Now is one of those moments.”[5] Despite the potential negative impact on her mental health, Thunberg has continued to travel to give speeches and inspire a generation full of youth activists across the globe. She has continued to be vocal about the climate change crisis - even though it has resulted in negative criticism from public figures - and has successfully pressured various politicians into acknowledging the severity of climate change[6]. She has also been named as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People[7]. Thunberg's extreme passion for climate change has contributed to her massive social media following and gaining momentum on changing our impact on the Earth.

Counter arguments

There are plenty of climate change activists around the world - why have none of them received international media attention or made such an impact on the public as Greta Thunberg? At age 17, Thunberg has already accomplished far more than most of us ever will - and that is what makes her a star. Her development of a mission to combat climate change at such a young age makes her passion that much more impactful; she has become a leader for Generation Z and has motivated other young people like herself to join the movement. Additionally, while Greta Thunberg's undeniable passion for climate change has contributed to her star quality today, it is the privilege she has had since birth that set the foundation for such prominence to be achieved. Thunberg comes from a massively rich family that allows her to uphold a costly, eco-friendly lifestyle that most of the world, unfortunately, can't, and it is such wealth as this that has enabled her to become the forefront speaker for the climate change cause. There are many obstacles that Thunberg has not had to overcome in her quest to advocate for the global climate movement. And this lifelong privilege-- be it through family connections or simply money-- has made it easy for Greta to become the leading voice on climate change activism. While Greta has a passion for the global climate movement, her privileged background streamlined the process for Greta to become an activist star on the global stage.

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/12/19/depressed-and-then-diagnosed-autism-greta-thunberg-explains-why-hope-cannot-save
  2. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/12/11/meet_the_15_year_old_swedish
  3. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/04/leaders-like-children-school-strike-founder-greta-thunberg-tells-un-climate-summit
  4. https://www.npr.org/2019/06/07/730383662/greta-thunberg-are-we-running-out-of-time-to-save-our-planet
  5. https://www.npr.org/2019/08/28/754818342/teen-climate-activist-greta-thunberg-arrives-in-new-york-after-sailing-the-atlan
  6. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/23/greta-thunberg
  7. https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/5567758/greta-thunberg/
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 22 Sep 2020 at 13:45 UTC

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