Greta Thunberg: Exploited?
Some view young climate activist Greta Thunberg as a victim, others as a heroine. For example, according to Quillette (Neuding, April 23, 2019), some adults are enthralled, like former US ambassador and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who said: “You go, girl”. Others see Greta as a victim of exploitation, with one commentator saying: “It is time we stopped to ask if we are using her, failing her, and even sacrificing her, for what we perceive to be a greater good” (Quillette, Neuding, April 23, 2019). Both The Atlantic (Meyer, 23/09/19) and VOX (North, 12/12/19 Dec 12) report that Greta’s parents have been blamed by some for exploiting her. Such reactions pose questions. To put the theory of whether Greta is being ‘exploited by her parents’ to the test, I examine this assumption via one common parental exploitation concept: adultification (Burton, 2007).
Was Greta exposed to childhood adultification?
Just as the child star Shirley Temple may have been victim to a ‘stage mum’ or ‘stage dad’ or any other hugely ambitious parental figure, this phenomenon of “a performing child” (Hatch, 2015) may apply. The classic Hollywood stage mom or dad arrests or prematurely pushes the natural development of their child by turning them into little adult-like figures who adopt or mimic adult roles before they are developmentally mature enough. So some might assume Greta’s fame and stature on the world stage is orchestrated by her parents, thus making up part of what could be termed ‘adultification’. Burton’s (2007) definition of adultification implies Greta was exposed to adult knowledge (via her parents) while assuming extensive adult roles and responsibilities involving inappropriate and premature social, contextual or developmental processes. If this were the case, we need to ask, could Greta’s parents be adultifying their child?
Understandably, some might think Greta is fulfilling the emotional and psychological needs of her parents who would have liked themselves to have been on the world stage and be internationally known. But Greta’s father is already an accomplished actor, author and producer, her mother a well-known opera singer (Burke, Heavy.com 24/09/19) and Sweden’s once contestant for Eurovision. Greta’s younger and only sibling, is also a famous singer in Sweden. Videos of Greta show she is not made up to look like a ‘little adult’. Moreover, any fears that Greta’s climate activism would interfere with her developmental processes seems unfounded. The Atlantic (Myer, 23/09/19) notes that despite having the power to influence adults as well as children, in private she is known to be “a lot like … a teenager”. There appears little evidence indicating that Greta’s parents were foisting adult roles or appearances onto their daughter or thrusting her onto the world stage to push their own agenda. Greta was not only very determined to become a climate activist, but is also having fun. The Guardian (Watts, 11/03/19) reports Greta’s parents knew that her role, as climate activist, was not socially premature as she was “too busy trying to make a difference [while] enjoying herself”. Being a famous climate activist did not appear to hinder their daughter’s academic development. Greta’s academic performance never suffered. She was not behind in homework and sits within the top five in her class.
Regarding ‘adult knowledge’ as part of the adultification process, this greater “Greta effect” (Johnson, Big Think, 01/10/19), would not have happened so fast without the extensive reach of the internet. Today’s children no longer depend wholly on adults for adult knowledge, but rather it seems to be the other way around. For example, The Guardian (Watts, 11/03/19), reports that Greta’s father’s efforts to dissuade his daughter from becoming a climate activist dwindled as he “ran out of arguments”.
Nevertheless, we may wonder if Greta is appearing on the world stage to basically fulfil the needs of her parents rather than her own. At this point, it may be worth offering readers a brief historical overview. The evolution of Greta as climate activist indicates that her parents are likely protective, not exploitative, of her. According to the BBC News (30/12/19), her parents were against their daughter’s climate activism. Her father tried to persuade her not to go on to the world stage thinking it was “a bad idea” for his daughter to take to the “front line” of the battle against climate change. Both parents were worried about the abuse, fake news, criticism, hate mail, etc., she would be exposed to. Fighting for her right to choose, Greta challenged her parents. According to a BBC interview (30/12/19), she accused them of being “huge hypocrites”. Angry, she questioned them saying: “Whose human rights are you standing up for?” In exercising her choice, it seems Greta rapidly outpaced her family system’s ability to hold her back to protect her from the media or prevent her from doing what she was propelled to do, such was her independent mind and self determination.
Being on the world’s stage appears to be entirely Greta’s choice. The Guardian (Watts, 11/03/19) reports that for Greta, taking action may be ultimately medicinal as Greta suffered from various psychological issues which began to disappear as her political efforts grew. For instance, Greta’s selective mutism was gone; she no longer lived in quiet despair; she stopped remaining socially alone or silently depressed; and she resumed normal eating habits. Washed over with relief, her parents attributed this transformation of their daughter’s mental state to her climate change activism. Whereas most kids in Greta’s situation would have received some form of therapy, for Greta, climate activism was perhaps “therapy”. In fact, her dismayed parents observed: “She changed us and now she is changing a great many other people. There was no hint of this in her childhood. It’s unbelievable. If this can happen, anything can happen”. It seems Greta is acting out of her own needs, fully supported by her parents, who she states “took care of me”. Thus rather than being adultified, Greta’s personal fulfilment in exercising her choice as a climate activist, as well as her success in school, may be enhancing rather than compromising her development.
It doesn’t look like Greta’s parents are imposing their ambitions, whether artistic or professional, on to Greta. Rather than suffering, it appears that Greta might be viewing her role on the world stage as a bit of a self-created game where the rules for ‘winning’ are tied directly to the goals of ethical climate science and action. According to The Guardian (Watts, 11/03/19) her father said: “Quite frankly, I don’t know how she does it, but she laughs most of the time. She finds it hilarious”.
This article was originally published in Mind Cafe, Nov/Dec, 2019, Issue 56.
Suzette Misrachi, Master of AdvSW (Research), MBSW (Acc — Medicare). Consultant, therapist and professional supervisor specialising in trauma and grief, international presenter. Research: “Lives Unseen: Unacknowledged Trauma of Non-Disordered, Competent Adult Children of Parents with a Severe Mental Illness”.
REFERENCES
BBC News (2019). Greta Thunberg’s father: ‘She is happy, but I worry’. Dec 30.
Burton, L. (2007). Childhood Adultification in Economically Disadvantaged Families: A Conceptual Model. Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science, 56(4), 329–345.
Burke, C. (2019). Greta Thunberg’s Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Heavy.com News, Sept 24.
Hatch, K. (2015). Shirley Temple and the Performance of Girlhood. Rutgers University Press.
Johnson, S. (2019). “The ‘Greta effect’: Can Thunberg’s activism actually change policy?” Big Think, Oct 1.
Meyer, R. (2019). “Why Greta Makes Adults Uncomfortable. Especially in private, she sounds a lot like … a teenager”. The Atlantic, Sept 23.
Neuding, P. (2019). “Self-Harm Versus the Greater Good: Greta Thunberg and Child Activism” Quillette, April 23.
North, A., (2019). Attacks on Greta Thunberg expose the stigma autistic girls face. Trump’s tweets about the climate activist are part of a pattern. VOX, Dec 12.
Watts, J. (2019). Greta Thunberg, schoolgirl climate change warrior: ‘Some people can let things go. I can’t. The Guardian, Australian Edition, Mar 11.
