Boy, what a racket this is. Not only are grown adults swindling millions from investors for green energy, school children are now convincing their parents that they simply need to skip classes in order to bring attention to climate change.
MSNBC's Velshi & Ruhle ran a segment Friday highlighting dozens, if not hundreds, of students in New York City ditching school on Friday as part of a movement called "Fridays for Future." According to the group's website, "#FridaysForFuture is a movement that began in August 2018, after 15 years old Greta Thunberg sat in front of the Swedish parliament every school day for three weeks, to protest against the lack of action on the climate crisis."
Confused as to how to not going to school could help climate change? You're not alone.
MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle started the segment off quoting Fridays For Future's website, saying, "with the worsening Climate Destruction this goal of going to school begins to be pointless." Perhaps from a technical error or pure disbelief, Ruhle then pauses and says, "Okay, I can't read it then we're just gonna bring Savannah Sellers in because I don't actually follow what this is saying whatsoever. Savannah help me understand this."
Had Ruhle kept reading, she would have continued quoting the website, "Why study for a future, which may not be there? Why spend a lot of effort to become educated, when our governments are not listening to the educated?"
To answer those questions, MSNBC interviewed three girls around ages 12 and 13. One of the students had been skipping Friday attendance for the past 11 weeks. "So I've been skipping school for 11 weeks now," said the first interviewee. "And it is a sacrifice that we have to make because we are missing important things but we realized that if we don't skip this school we might not have a future so we need to."
The second girl relayed her fears that nobody is taking global warming seriously enough for the 2020 presidential election. "So it kind of makes me think that in the 2020 election I'm scared for my future I'm scared that the politicians won't be declaring a climate emergency," she said. "That's why, because I can't personally vote, I'm begging my parents to vote for the candidate that wants climate action...I want change and I hope my parents do, too."
The trio went on to say that they are also making a difference by using less plastic, avoiding waste, and recycling. MSNBC ended by saying, "Well, it's amazing that you guys are doing this at your ages. Thank you so much for talking to us."
To think, growing up I could have just played hooky by quoting Al Gore saying, "The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever you go to the doctor," and have been praised on national TV. Instead, I faked sick by heating up a thermometer by touching it to a turned on light bulb and claiming I had a fever.
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