Feminist writer Clementine Ford and Instagram blogger Constance Hall have called out Karl Stefanovic and the ‘dirty old men’ who criticised teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Ford blasted the former Today show host after he said the 16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl was simply a prop for radical climate activists who want to appeal to a young audience on Sydney talk back station, 2GB.
‘But really, should we be surprised that Karl has no moral compass and will literally say whatever he thinks best please his employer? What a toady c**t,’ she tweeted on Thursday.
Greta made international headlines last week after inspiring millions of people across 150 countries to take to the streets for the Global Strike 4 Climate on Friday.
Clementine Ford blasted the former Today Show host after he said Greta Thunberg was simply a prop for radical climate activists who want to appeal to a young audience
Stefanovic, 45, said the 16-year-old was simply a prop for radical climate activists who want to appeal to a young audience
The 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist went head-to-head with President Donald Trump on social media after berating global leaders at the UN summit in New York on Tuesday
She then made a passionate speech berating world leaders for climate inaction at the UN summit in New York on Tuesday.
Ford’s choice words were in response to sports journalist Richard Hinds’ condemnation of 45-year-old TV personality Stefanovic.
‘What shames my fellow old white guys attacking this young girl is that none of them are willing to engage on an intellectual basis,’ Hinds tweeted.
‘Just puerile mockery and ‘go to your room!’ lectures. It’s as if they can’t mount a credible argument.’
The outspoken writer had already taken aim at Stefanovic on Wednesday after he said Greta was ‘being managed and her stance is being used by activists.’
Ford’s choice words were in response to sports journalist Richard Hinds’ condemnation of 45-year-old TV personality Stefanovic
‘She’s being managed and her stance is being used by activists,’ Stefanovic said while hosting 2GB radio station on Tuesday afternoon.
‘She was very fired up wasn’t she? I thought ‘what are my kids doing on school holidays next week?’ Not doing that.’
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd backed the activist, telling the ABC the way Greta spoke may incense ‘a whole lot of middle aged white guys’.
Stefanovic said on air: ‘I’ll tell you what, I’m an incensed middle aged white guy this afternoon.’
‘Kevin Rudd, give it a rest. There’s anger out there – but there’s anger at this kind of activism as well.’
The outspoken writer had already taken aim at Stefanovic on Wednesday after he said Greta is ‘being managed and her stance is being used by activists’
Meanwhile Instagram-famous blogger Constance Hall shared a letter to Greta online, urging her to ignore ‘dirty old men who don’t like having their bad behaviour made public.’
‘In fact there is literally nothing they hate more then being confronted by their own actions.’
Hall said Greta’s critics were on a ‘smear campaign’ against her, and accused them of bullying the autistic teenager over her mannerisms and mental health.
‘Make no mistake that their are women partaking loudly in this smear campaign too, but their actions stem from the top and at the top sits the dirty old men, terrified of being knocked off their thrones.
‘Be proud of yourself, it takes a lot to scare the Dirty Old Men Of our world and you now sit in the same category as some of our worlds greats, who ironically were all abused and trolled and discredited in their times too.’
‘Let them puff their chests my girl, let them continue to slander your powerful name. And every time they put pen to paper or mouth to mic in order to slander you, discredit your mission or your mental health, see that fear and desperation in their eyes.
Hall went on to call out the men who ‘attacked’ Greta’s mental health.
‘Hot tip, they ain’t concerned about your mental health at all, in fact the only thing they are concerned about is your growing power, your unwavering strength and your complete disregard for their scare tactics.’
Instagram-famous blogger Constance Hall shared a letter to Greta online, urging her to ignore ‘dirty old men who don’t like having their bad behaviour made public’
Hall said Greta’s critics are on a ‘smear campaign’ against her, and accused them of bullying the autistic teenager over her mannerisms and mental health
Hall appeared to call out psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, said he fears for Greta’s mental wellbeing on Wednesday
Hall’s reference to the teen’s mental health comes a day after a leading Australian psychologist voiced his concern about the mental well-being of the autistic teen.
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg compared Greta’s position in the spotlight to the fame of a child TV star who could ‘burn out’ after being thrust into the spotlight.
‘I worry about her going the same as child TV stars, that they just burn out and potentially have a disastrous psychological outcome,’ he told 3AW on Wednesday.
‘Can I make it clear, I am not a climate change denier. I actually think that we do need to do more about saving the planet.’
Dr Carr-Gregg said he was wary of Greta’s Asperger’s and history of mental health in his analysis of the teenager, who he believes has a ‘sense of entitlement’.
‘I am worried that we use a kid like this, who arguably should be getting treatment because she’s said she’s had anorexia, said she’s got Asperger’s and said she’s battled depression,’ he said.
‘As a parent, if this was my child, I’m not sure I’d be putting them on the world stage.’
Dr Carr-Gregg said he was worried about Greta’s future, her current psychological health and how it would impact other young people.
‘It sends a message to other teenagers that they can speak to adults in this very, very dismissive way’,’ he said.
‘She seems to be caught up in a doomsday scenario where she’s massively exaggerating the threats posed by climate change and that has a flow-on effect because it causes all this existential anxiety in our children, hence the climate strikes,’ he said.
He said kids should be in school but are instead rallying because ‘they’ve been convinced the end of the world is nigh’.
‘She’s now put herself at the centre of worldwide either Greta-phobia or Greta-mania and I don’t think any 16-year-old girl should be,’ he said.
Donald Trump sarcastically mocked Greta Thunberg in a tweet after her impassioned plea for climate action at the UN Climate Summit
Trump had already enraged the 16-year-old by upstaging her when he arrived at the UN Climate Summit on Monday
Dr Carr-Gregg mentioned the ‘Twitter war’ between Greta and Donald Trump where the president appeared to mock the teenager.
The U.S. President wrote that Thunberg ‘seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future’, clearly meant as a mocking response to her emotionally charged speech.
The climate activist swiftly responded by changing her Twitter bio to ‘A very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.’
Trump had already enraged the 16-year-old by upstaging her when he arrived at the UN Climate Summit on Monday.
But appearing on a Swedish talk show from New York today, the teenage climate activist said Trump’s ridicule ‘doesn’t make a difference’.