On September 23rd, Greta Thunberg stood before the UN, begging them to take action against climate change. “How dare you?” she scolded our world leaders, “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.”

Thunberg is a sixteen year old girl from Sweden with Aspergers. became famous around the world for her environmental activism and starting the school strike movement. At only 15 years old, she stood outside the Swedish parliament wielding a sign that read “Skolstrejk för Klimatet,” or “School strike for Climate.” As time went on, more people from other communities took part in the strike. When Thunberg appeared before the UN in 2018, the school strikes became a worldwide phenomenon. More than a year after Thunberg’s first strike, people from all around the world have participated in this strike.

Thunberg’s activism has made her a target for angry comments from the right wing. Countless conspiracy theories have been crafted (and quickly debunked), such as the theory that Thunberg is actually an Australian actor who was hired to be the poster child for the climate change movement. A right wing Swedish politician claimed that she was just a puppet following the orders of her parents. Michael Knowles, a Fox News reporter, went as far as to call her a “mentally ill Swedish girl.” A conservative politician even compared her work to Nazi propaganda, claiming that sweet little German girls were also used for publicity during WW2. Our own president

So, why is Thunberg receiving such personal attacks? Anyone who attacks a sixteen year old girl with such harsh words must be deeply insecure. Most people argue that if you are willing to put yourself on the forefront of a political movement, you should expect criticism. This is absolutely true; people are always going to passionately disagree with you (even if you are backed up by countless world-renowned scientists). However, the criticism should be based on what you speak about, not your appearance or your mental illness. Regardless of the situation,a grown adult has no business personally attacking Thunberg. Clearly, these people were talking out of anger, anger at the fact that a “mentally ill Swedish girl” is of higher intellect than themselves. The attacks that Thunberg has endured are evidence that some adults on the political spectrum have no sympathy or morals.

Thankfully, Thunberg does not let these comments phase her. When she guest starred on a talk show, she commented about the criticism she received: "It's of course annoying that people spend their time doing things like this when they could be doing something useful instead," she said. "But there will always be people who find something to complain about."

It is refreshing to see someone our age taking a stand. As a young person, I feel empowered knowing that someone like me is taking a stand for something she feels so strongly about. Thunberg is also a source of empowerment for those on the autism spectrum. The stigma about people with autism is that they can't do things that normal people do, but Thunberg proves that you can do all of these “normal” things and even more.