According their own account and according to the co-organizer Miriam Eichelbaum Fridays for Future is independent and independent.
Fridays for Future was born out of nothing, is independent and not tied to any organization.
In fact the movement has received a lot of attention within a very short time and not least because of the quality and quantity of its coverage.
In addition Fridays for Future enjoys great support from the press and praise from various politicians.
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
On closer examination however there are several people in the background with their own agenda. This background is the story of company executives whose success is rising parallel to the prominence of Greta Thunberg and her useful children.
In 2010 one million trees were reportedly planted in Germany alone. This is how Felix Finkbeiner became an icon in 2009. [6] [7] [8] [9]
And parallels to Greta Thunberg are already obvious. In addition Frithjof Finkbeiner and the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation are already behind the Fridays for Future demonstrations. [6] [7] [8] [9] See:
Frithjof Finkbeiner , Plant-for-the-Planet
And on August 20, 2018 Greta Thunberg should then have decided to start with her school strike for the climate (Skolstrejk för Klimatet) in front of the Swedish parliament. So Greta Thunberg is officially the founder of the ongoing school strikes with the name Fridays for Future. It has been proven that Greta Thunberg started to demonstrate on her own officially because other students didn't want to participate. [10] [11] [12]
Striking is that participants of the Fridays for Future demonstrations are almost only children. For the organizers it is certainly easier to use children with less life experience for their own purposes and to convince them. That's why one should be careful with every criticism of the children.
In addition Greta Thunberg demands for people to have fear and to panic but press and politicians do not advise against fear and panic as advisors as usual. The usual rules do not seem to apply to either Fridays for Future or Greta Thunberg. Thus it would would be at least naively to assume that there are no merciless opinion makers and influential stakeholders behind it.
Rentzhog is a Swedish entrepreneur, runs the company "We do not have time" and was named Environmental Influencer of the Year in 2018. "We do not have time" is a social network whose goal is to connect environmental activists with each other. With the claim to have discovered Greta Thunberg Rentzhog was successfuly raised around one million euros in new capital. [11] [13] [14] [15] [16]
Rentzhog continued to contact Greta Thunberg after the meeting in the Swedish Parliament. Rentzhog invited her later to become a counselor for the foundation behind "We do not have time". [11] [13] [14] [15] [16]
It must have been a surreal scene when the professional entrepreneur and environmental influencer by chance came to know the future icon of an environmental movement. Both however repeatedly stated that they had no previous contact. And in February 2019 "We do not have time" announced in a press release that Greta Thunberg had left her seat as advisor to the foundation. [11] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
However a special role should go to the press. Especially in the context of the accusation of fake news and manufacturing of consent the press should practice self-criticism. The demonstrations may be the perfect projection for green and left journalists. Especially as half of the journalists choose the green and left parties. The task of the press however is to say what is. [24,S.18]
[1] Fridays For Future - Über uns
https://fridaysforfuture.de/about/
[2] Potsdamer Schüler streiken für besseren Klimaschutz 2019-01-21
https://www.maz-online.de/Lokales/Potsdam/Fridays-for-Future-Potsdamer-Schueler-streiken-fuer-den-Klimaschutz
[3] "Eine Bewegung, die nur uns gehört" - Potsdamer Schüler streiken erneut fürs Klima 2019-02-14
https://www.pnn.de/potsdam/eine-bewegung-die-nur-uns-gehoert-potsdamer-schueler-streiken-erneut-fuers-klima/23989350.html
[4] Fürstenwalde/Spree - Schülerin verteidigt Demos für Klimaschutz 2019-02-23
https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/id_85302306/schuelerin-verteidigt-demos-fuer-klimaschutz.html
[5] Miriam Eichelbaum, Mitorganisatorin "Fridays For Future" in Potsdam 2018-03-11
https://www.antennebrandenburg.de/programm/abendsendungen/antenne-gespraech/2019/miriam-eichelbaum--mitorganisatorin--fridays-for-future--in-pots.html
[6] ENVIRONMENT - Germany's youngest climate campaigner envisions greener future 2009-06-04
https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-youngest-climate-campaigner-envisions-greener-future/a-4300152
[7] Klimaschutz - Klein Finkbeiner rettet die Welt 2009-12-10
https://www.stern.de/wirtschaft/news/klimaschutz-klein-finkbeiner-rettet-die-welt-3150528.html
[8] FELIX FINKBEINER : Ein Junge für eine Million Bäume 2010-01-04
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/beruf-chance/mein-weg/felix-finkbeiner-ein-junge-fuer-eine-million-baeume-1893568-p2.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_1
[9] ENVIRONMENT - A million trees and counting - German boy activist fights climate change 2010-06-21
https://www.dw.com/en/a-million-trees-and-counting-german-boy-activist-fights-climate-change/a-5695447
[10] GRETA THUNBERG : Die Welt, wie sie ihr gefällt 2019-02-12
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/klimaaktivistin-greta-thunberg-mit-16-jahren-schon-ein-phaenomen-16036155.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_0
[11] Interview - Greta Thunberg, schoolgirl climate change warrior: ‘Some people can let things go. I can’t’ 2019-03-11
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/11/greta-thunberg-schoolgirl-climate-change-warrior-some-people-can-let-things-go-i-cant
[12] School Strike for Climate: Meet 15-Year-Old Activist Greta Thunberg, Who Inspired a Global Movement 2018-12-11
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/12/11/meet_the_15_year_old_swedish
[13] In English: Swedish start-up used Greta Thunberg to bring in millions 2019-02-09
https://www.svd.se/english-version-swedish-start-up-used-greta-thunberg-to-bring-in-millions
[14] Auslandsjournal - Die Sendung vom 6. Februar 2019
https://www.zdf.de/politik/auslandsjournal/die-sendung-vom-6-februar-2019-100.html
[15] Start-up used teen climate activist to raise millions: Swedish paper 2019-02-09
https://www.thelocal.se/20190209/start-up-used-child-climate-activist-to-raise-millions
[16] Greta Thunberg kommerziell ausgenutzt - Aktivistin als Werbefigur 2019-02-10
http://www.taz.de/!5571776/
[17] We Don’t Have Time rejects accusations of exploiting Greta Thunberg but apologizes for miscommunication 2019-02-10
https://docs.wedonthavetime.org/wdht/2019-02-10-press-release-english.pdf
[18] Interview - "Es müsste höchste Priorität haben!" 2018-12-02
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/interview-es-muesste-hoechste-prioritaet-haben-1.4235645
[19] GRETA THUNBERG : Die Welt, wie sie ihr gefällt 2018-12-02
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/klimaaktivistin-greta-thunberg-mit-16-jahren-schon-ein-phaenomen-16036155.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_0
[20] Sie ist 15 und spricht Klartext in Sachen Klimawandel: Wer ist Greta Thunberg? 2018-12-17
https://www.watson.de/international/klima/310197703-sie-ist-15-und-spricht-klartext-in-sachen-klimawandel-wer-ist-greta-thunberg
[21] Merinfo: Svante Thunberg
https://www.merinfo.se/person/Stockholm/Svante-Fritz-Vilhelm-Thunberg-1969/bq1de-2p664/bolagsengagemang
[22] VORABDRUCK AUS THUNBERG-BUCH: Diese Thunbergs
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/menschen/klimaaktivistin-greta-vorabdruck-aus-dem-buch-der-thunbergs-16160815.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_0
[23] POLITIKJOURNALISTINNEN UND -JOURNALISTEN 2010-05
https://www.dfjv.de/documents/10180/178294/DFJV_Studie_Politikjournalistinnen_und_Journalisten.pdf
[24] Cool bleiben, nicht kalt 1995-03-27
http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-9176410.html
On closer examination however there are several people in the background with their own agenda. This background is the story of company executives whose success is rising parallel to the prominence of Greta Thunberg and her useful children.
Felix Finkbeiner
Felix Finkbeiner was just 12 years old when he promoted the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation with great support from his father Frithjof Finkbeiner. Felix Finkbeiner traveled around the world and kept talking in which he advertised the planting of trees. The idea is that trees bind CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. [6] [7] [8] [9]In 2010 one million trees were reportedly planted in Germany alone. This is how Felix Finkbeiner became an icon in 2009. [6] [7] [8] [9]
And parallels to Greta Thunberg are already obvious. In addition Frithjof Finkbeiner and the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation are already behind the Fridays for Future demonstrations. [6] [7] [8] [9] See:
Frithjof Finkbeiner , Plant-for-the-Planet
The Dynamic
And just as Felix Finkbeiner became famous as a child as skillfully Greta Thunberg is currently in the media coverage. In May 2018 Greta Thunberg won a competition on environmental policy articles by the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. And after her text was published several people contacted her and then at least one person proposed a school strike. [10] [11] [12]And on August 20, 2018 Greta Thunberg should then have decided to start with her school strike for the climate (Skolstrejk för Klimatet) in front of the Swedish parliament. So Greta Thunberg is officially the founder of the ongoing school strikes with the name Fridays for Future. It has been proven that Greta Thunberg started to demonstrate on her own officially because other students didn't want to participate. [10] [11] [12]
Striking is that participants of the Fridays for Future demonstrations are almost only children. For the organizers it is certainly easier to use children with less life experience for their own purposes and to convince them. That's why one should be careful with every criticism of the children.
In addition Greta Thunberg demands for people to have fear and to panic but press and politicians do not advise against fear and panic as advisors as usual. The usual rules do not seem to apply to either Fridays for Future or Greta Thunberg. Thus it would would be at least naively to assume that there are no merciless opinion makers and influential stakeholders behind it.
Ingmar Rentzhog
After Greta Thunberg won the competition for environmental policy articles of the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet in May 2018 she was contacted by Ingmar Rentzhog. After Greta Thunberg demonstrated just a week before the Swedish parliament Rentzhog photographed them and spread the image via Facebook. Thus Rentzhog Greta Thunberg has helped to raise awareness. [11] [13] [14] [15] [16]Rentzhog is a Swedish entrepreneur, runs the company "We do not have time" and was named Environmental Influencer of the Year in 2018. "We do not have time" is a social network whose goal is to connect environmental activists with each other. With the claim to have discovered Greta Thunberg Rentzhog was successfuly raised around one million euros in new capital. [11] [13] [14] [15] [16]
Rentzhog continued to contact Greta Thunberg after the meeting in the Swedish Parliament. Rentzhog invited her later to become a counselor for the foundation behind "We do not have time". [11] [13] [14] [15] [16]
It must have been a surreal scene when the professional entrepreneur and environmental influencer by chance came to know the future icon of an environmental movement. Both however repeatedly stated that they had no previous contact. And in February 2019 "We do not have time" announced in a press release that Greta Thunberg had left her seat as advisor to the foundation. [11] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
The Thunbergs and the Money
With her behavior Greta Thunberg became prominent and has found at least thousands of imitators. But she also has prominent parents herself. Her mother is the opera singer Malena Ernman. Malena Ernman also published the book "Scener ur hjärtat" (Scenes from the Heart) in which she describes the situation with her two daughters with autism diagnosis and is selling increasingly better. Greta Thunberg herself says that she can devote hours and days to a special interest and in her case is called man-made climate change. [11] [18] [19] [20] Her father is the entrepreneur actor and producer Svante Thunberg. Svante Thunberg is chairman of the two joint stock companies Ernman Production AB and Northern Grace AB. Interestingly share prices of the two companies are skyrocketing parallel to the prominence of Greta Thunberg. [18] [19] [20] [21]Fazit
It turns out that at least several people are in the background and have their own agenda. So one should be careful before binding one to the fate of Fridays for Future or Greta Thunberg or falling into the commanded fear or panic. Greta Thunberg plays the intended role almost perfectly. How much she herself understands about the scientific background can be observed by listening to her talk about the transparent and colorless gas carbon dioxide (CO2) that is more dense than air.Greta gehört zu den wenigen, die unsere Kohlendioxide mit bloßem Auge erkennen können. Sie sieht, wie die Treibhausgase aus unseren Schornsteinen strömen, mit dem Wind in den Himmel steigen und die Atmosphäre in eine gigantische unsichtbare Müllhalde verwandeln. Sie ist das Kind, wir sind der Kaiser. Und wir sind alle nackt. [22]Furthermore one should not ignore the special dynamics. The special dynamics of a movement full of children and adolescents with overwhelming media support. The participants deserve different degrees of compassion for their fear and panic. And they deserve to be treated according to their parental care.
Greta is one of the few who can detect our carbon dioxide with the naked eye. She sees the greenhouse gases pouring out of our chimneys, rising to the sky with the wind and transforming the atmosphere into a gigantic invisible rubbish dump. She is the child, we are the emperor. And we are all naked.
However a special role should go to the press. Especially in the context of the accusation of fake news and manufacturing of consent the press should practice self-criticism. The demonstrations may be the perfect projection for green and left journalists. Especially as half of the journalists choose the green and left parties. The task of the press however is to say what is. [24,S.18]
Das hab’ ich in meinen fünf Jahren bei der BBC in London gelernt: Distanz halten, sich nicht gemein machen mit einer Sache, auch nicht mit einer guten, nicht in öffentliche Betroffenheit versinken, im Umgang mit Katastrophen cool bleiben, ohne kalt zu sein. Nur so schaffst du es, dass die Zuschauer dir vertrauen, dich zu einem Familienmitglied machen, dich jeden Abend einschalten und dir zuhören. [24]
That I learned during my five years at the BBC in London: Keeping a distance, not to ally with one thing, not even with a good one, not to sink into affliction in public, stay cool in dealing with disasters without being cold. That's the only way you can get viewers to trust you, to make you a family member, so they look at you at every night and listen to you.
[1] Fridays For Future - Über uns
https://fridaysforfuture.de/about/
[2] Potsdamer Schüler streiken für besseren Klimaschutz 2019-01-21
https://www.maz-online.de/Lokales/Potsdam/Fridays-for-Future-Potsdamer-Schueler-streiken-fuer-den-Klimaschutz
[3] "Eine Bewegung, die nur uns gehört" - Potsdamer Schüler streiken erneut fürs Klima 2019-02-14
https://www.pnn.de/potsdam/eine-bewegung-die-nur-uns-gehoert-potsdamer-schueler-streiken-erneut-fuers-klima/23989350.html
[4] Fürstenwalde/Spree - Schülerin verteidigt Demos für Klimaschutz 2019-02-23
https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/id_85302306/schuelerin-verteidigt-demos-fuer-klimaschutz.html
[5] Miriam Eichelbaum, Mitorganisatorin "Fridays For Future" in Potsdam 2018-03-11
https://www.antennebrandenburg.de/programm/abendsendungen/antenne-gespraech/2019/miriam-eichelbaum--mitorganisatorin--fridays-for-future--in-pots.html
[6] ENVIRONMENT - Germany's youngest climate campaigner envisions greener future 2009-06-04
https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-youngest-climate-campaigner-envisions-greener-future/a-4300152
[7] Klimaschutz - Klein Finkbeiner rettet die Welt 2009-12-10
https://www.stern.de/wirtschaft/news/klimaschutz-klein-finkbeiner-rettet-die-welt-3150528.html
[8] FELIX FINKBEINER : Ein Junge für eine Million Bäume 2010-01-04
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/beruf-chance/mein-weg/felix-finkbeiner-ein-junge-fuer-eine-million-baeume-1893568-p2.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_1
[9] ENVIRONMENT - A million trees and counting - German boy activist fights climate change 2010-06-21
https://www.dw.com/en/a-million-trees-and-counting-german-boy-activist-fights-climate-change/a-5695447
[10] GRETA THUNBERG : Die Welt, wie sie ihr gefällt 2019-02-12
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/klimaaktivistin-greta-thunberg-mit-16-jahren-schon-ein-phaenomen-16036155.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_0
[11] Interview - Greta Thunberg, schoolgirl climate change warrior: ‘Some people can let things go. I can’t’ 2019-03-11
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/11/greta-thunberg-schoolgirl-climate-change-warrior-some-people-can-let-things-go-i-cant
[12] School Strike for Climate: Meet 15-Year-Old Activist Greta Thunberg, Who Inspired a Global Movement 2018-12-11
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/12/11/meet_the_15_year_old_swedish
[13] In English: Swedish start-up used Greta Thunberg to bring in millions 2019-02-09
https://www.svd.se/english-version-swedish-start-up-used-greta-thunberg-to-bring-in-millions
[14] Auslandsjournal - Die Sendung vom 6. Februar 2019
https://www.zdf.de/politik/auslandsjournal/die-sendung-vom-6-februar-2019-100.html
[15] Start-up used teen climate activist to raise millions: Swedish paper 2019-02-09
https://www.thelocal.se/20190209/start-up-used-child-climate-activist-to-raise-millions
[16] Greta Thunberg kommerziell ausgenutzt - Aktivistin als Werbefigur 2019-02-10
http://www.taz.de/!5571776/
[17] We Don’t Have Time rejects accusations of exploiting Greta Thunberg but apologizes for miscommunication 2019-02-10
https://docs.wedonthavetime.org/wdht/2019-02-10-press-release-english.pdf
[18] Interview - "Es müsste höchste Priorität haben!" 2018-12-02
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/interview-es-muesste-hoechste-prioritaet-haben-1.4235645
[19] GRETA THUNBERG : Die Welt, wie sie ihr gefällt 2018-12-02
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/klimaaktivistin-greta-thunberg-mit-16-jahren-schon-ein-phaenomen-16036155.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_0
[20] Sie ist 15 und spricht Klartext in Sachen Klimawandel: Wer ist Greta Thunberg? 2018-12-17
https://www.watson.de/international/klima/310197703-sie-ist-15-und-spricht-klartext-in-sachen-klimawandel-wer-ist-greta-thunberg
[21] Merinfo: Svante Thunberg
https://www.merinfo.se/person/Stockholm/Svante-Fritz-Vilhelm-Thunberg-1969/bq1de-2p664/bolagsengagemang
[22] VORABDRUCK AUS THUNBERG-BUCH: Diese Thunbergs
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/menschen/klimaaktivistin-greta-vorabdruck-aus-dem-buch-der-thunbergs-16160815.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_0
[23] POLITIKJOURNALISTINNEN UND -JOURNALISTEN 2010-05
https://www.dfjv.de/documents/10180/178294/DFJV_Studie_Politikjournalistinnen_und_Journalisten.pdf
[24] Cool bleiben, nicht kalt 1995-03-27
http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-9176410.html
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