Bon Voyage, Greta: A flotilla of performative moral grandstanding - opinion
Performance activism is described as “activism done to increase one’s social capital rather than the devotion to one’s cause.”
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg should have known that she would not be able to pull off her fantasy flotilla stunt.
Imagining herself coming to the rescue of Gazans, whom she views as the oppressed, Thunberg just failed to get one critical piece of information right. It was their own leadership who did them in, not the Israelis.
But, to quote Hillary Clinton, “What difference does it make?”
Performance activism, which is not dependent upon facts, documentation, or any other corroborating evidence, is described as “activism done to increase one’s social capital rather than the devotion to one’s cause.”
But for Thunberg, known for her activism in the field of climate change, it wasn’t a stretch to switch gears to a topic she probably knows even less about than the weather. Taking up where the great heroes of society left off, Thunberg fancies herself as the Oskar Schindler of the Palestinian people – ready to do her bit to save as many as humanly possible.
Jerusalem Post writer Herb Keinon says that Thunberg is “good at drama,” and this latest shenanigan would prove him right. But the truth is that she’s good at self-promotion for the sake of imaginary causes, at which she has become adept, bringing an impassioned voice to her fight for the wrong side.
Deadpan warning
Thunberg, in a clip aired on Sky News Australia, warned in her deadpan voice: “In Palestine and all over the world, the fight against colonialism and corporations’ destruction of the planet are intrinsically linked, as Israel bombs hospitals, homes, and schools in Gaza.” She claimed that the ensuing loss of energy supplies is equally a climate concern, thereby necessitating an end to Israel’s “genocide and apartheid” practices.She’s managed to connect all the Woke buzzwords: genocide, climate, apartheid, and colonialism, attributing them to the Jewish state. Who knew? But it’s all an easy lift when no facts or supporting data are required. In this case, it’s just enough to import the renowned commodity of an ignorant but impassioned 22-year-old who made her name while still a hapless teen, recruited to spew her outrage over her perceptions of what was being done to the planet by others.
As an individual who admittedly struggles with serious emotional issues, such as depression and Asperger’s syndrome, Thunberg qualifies as the perfect spokesperson for progressive activists. Their view of the world has been constructed in defiance and rejection of all accepted societal norms, seeing them as inherently evil and desperately in need of replacement.
In the event of inadequate attention or delayed results, nothing is too radical or controversial when fighting the inequities of an unjust world, where the compassionate are seen as the criminals and terrorists are rebranded as the virtuous warriors who are worth supporting.
Trying to control a twisted narrative
THIS IS THE lopsided perch from which Thunberg sits in judgment of a failing planet, whose residents have let her down. For most of us, it’s hard to come to terms with such a loose cannon whose limitations know no bounds, as she’s not above telling world leaders to “shut up and do something.”Maintaining her public figure status seems to propel her to push the envelope each time, and if that’s not the classic definition of performance activism, what is? Ironically, Thunberg, without the cause of a “world threat,” would have to resort to the dull, uneventful life of an ordinary young adult who is still figuring out life and career.
But why choose that path when you can stand tall, draped with the checkered cloth of hate on the bow of a ship, feeling like the characters of the Titanic film?
When it comes to her capsizing flotilla rescue, that ship hit the iceberg of the IDF, which prevented it from achieving its aim of “rescuing the suffering.”
Instead of her desired photo op, we saw the same uniformed soldiers, whom she holds in contempt, handing her, along with the crew, complimentary sandwiches and bottled water, in case they were hungry or thirsty.
It was the perfect juxtaposition of unearned mercy, and upended the image she has tried to portray of our military as vile and cruel monsters.
Forced to sail to Ashdod’s port, Thunberg’s ship, the Madleen, took an unexpected turn, preempting the cause for which she hoped to raise awareness. Instead, the pathetic attempt to control a twisted narrative, which only serves the purpose of elevating the status of narcissists, has been exposed.
Obtaining fame by defaming fighters of evil
Too lazy, uninspired, and uncreative to come up with beneficial solutions for themselves and their fellow world sojourners, they are the sad victims of an empty life, filled with defeat and lack of purpose, where lies and manufactured causes must be concocted in order to give them meaning.Obtaining fame by simultaneously delegitimizing and defaming those who are working day and night to rid the world of the real threats, notably terrorism, they end up hurting their own credibility.
This is the work of Thunberg and those who are exploiting her emotional, mental, and cognitive handicaps, by egging on a troubled young woman, who would best be served by volunteering her time to help the truly oppressed, if that’s what she desires.
If she wants to be useful to anyone, she might consider getting her own life in order by receiving the help she so desperately needs.
In the meantime, Thunberg needn’t worry. Those same Israeli soldiers who came to her rescue with food and water will be there to do the same for Gazans fleeing the oppressive hand of the leaders they foolishly elected to power.
Bon voyage, Greta!
The writer, a former Jerusalem elementary and middle school principal, is the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.
