Greta Thunberg Is NOT A Government Puppet

The climate change issue* would be moving a lot faster if people were willing to accept the possibility that teenagers are capable of doing... well... just about anything without being 'controlled' by the Swedish government. Or any government for that matter. Would you like some examples to mull over? Of course you would! Well here's a few...

• Louis Braille - Invented a system of reading for the blind in 1824 at age 15. No government control.
• Barbara Johns - Led a strike against substandard facilities in a segregated school in 1951 at age 16 attracting the attention of two NAACP lawyers leading to a verdict that rendered segregated education unconstitutional. No government control.
• Laura Dekker - Sailed around the world on her own in 2010 at age 14, setting a time record which is yet to be beaten. No government control (although it's worth noting that the Dutch government shut down her first attempt the previous year).
• Jordan Romero - Climbed Everest in 2009 at age 13 and had climbed the highest mountain on each continent (The Seven Summits) by age 15. No government control.
• Wayne Gretzky - Started his pro hockey career at 17. Signed the NHL's first ever 10 year contract and went on to become the single greatest hockey player of all time. Not sure about government control, just had to put this one in because I love Wayne Gretzky.
• Malala Yousafzai - Pakistani activist who made her first public speech against the Taliban at age 11. Spent the next few years encouraging young girls in the middle east to pursue an education. Attracted the world's attention at age 15 after the Taliban attempted to assassinate her. Won the Nobel at 17. No government control.
• Mary Shelley - Wrote Frankenstein in 1815 at age 18. No government control.
• Joan of Arc - Led an army against the English invaders at the castle of Chinon in 1429 at age 19. Was burned at the stake at age 21. Pretty much was the French government. (Admittedly did succumb to government control a bit shortly before she was violently executed).
• Alexander the Great - Founded his first colony at age 16 before conquering just about every major landmass surrounding the Mediterranean sea. Was the government, controlled everyone else.
• Mark Zuckerberg - Created Facebook at age 19. Couldn't even be controlled by a tribunal of Harvard professors, never mind the government. 
• Gavrilo Princip - Assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 at age 19 starting the chain reaction which led to World War I. Sent Austro-Hungarian invaders out of Bosnia at gun point... with no government control.
• Frank Abagnale - Began a career as a con artist in the 60's at age 15. Successfully upheld fake jobs as an airline pilot, a school teacher, a doctor and even a lawyer after successfully passing the Louisiana bar exam (without cheating), all before turning 20. Cashed tens of millions of dollars in forged cheques across his career and escaped from Federal prison in 1971 using a false business card claiming he was an undercover FBI agent. Spent most of his early years trying to stay as far away from government control as possible.

Intelligent, driven teenagers have a long, well documented history of acting in their own interests to change the face of the planet. Don't trivialise them. Don't laugh at them. Don't bully them. Most importantly DO NOT underestimate them.

Misjudging the angry youth is, in hindsight, invariably a mistake and in some cases, the last mistake any civilisation makes before collapsing.

*I refuse to call climate change a debate. If you think it's not happening or it's not our fault, you haven't read enough. Sorry.

Thanks for reading!