Unfortunately, we probably already know the outcome. World leaders are still trying to run away from their responsibilities but we have to make sure they cannot do that.
We will make sure that we put them against the wall and they will have to do their job to protect our futures.
Greta Thunberg
December 13, 2019
Greta Thunberg tells cheering crowd ‘we will make sure we put world leaders against the wall’ if they do not tackle global warming as she attends climate protest in Turin
[This is consistent with much of the political left throughout the 20th Century. But usually they do not publicly announce this until they have consolidated more political power than what this 16 year old has. I attribute the poor judgement to her youth.
It would appear that after saying this she received some coaching from someone wiser than her:
Yesterday I said we must hold our leaders accountable and unfortunately said “put them against the wall”. That’s Swenglish: “att ställa någon mot väggen” (to put someone against the wall) means to hold someone accountable. That’s what happens when you improvise speeches in a second language. But of course I apologise if anyone misunderstood this. I can not enough express the fact that I – as well as the entire school strike movement- are against any possible form of violence. It goes without saying but I say it anyway.
Any native Swedish speaker out there that can verify or refute this claim?—Joe]
She doesn’t realize that If her movement wins, and she is not actively putting people up against the wall in the “English language” sense, then, as in all revolutions, she will be one of the first in front of that wall.
Her and Hogg should marry and produce little baby Stalins.
No, Greta and Hogg should emulate Wes Siler and get themselves sterilized for the good of the planet
I’ve got a Swede colleague at work who says she’s correct, it’s mistranslated. To be “put against the wall” does not mean anything related to firing squads in Swedish.
And interestingly he hasn’t been following her activities. Apparently she’s not as big a deal among Swedes.
Coincidence? She’s not a big deal with anyone that passed 5th. grade math either.
I would be quite interested to hear more about this quaint but innocuous Swedish custom that involved putting someone up against a wall as a component of ‘holding them accountable’.
Is it something that was commonly done in primary school to remonstrate with wayward children? Is it part of a legal proceeding? Who provides this wall, and under what authority and process is one put against it in order that one is held accountable? Will any wall do, or are there standards or appropriate settings?
Greta might need some cultural education so she doesn’t flame out her fifteen minutes early. She is apparently unaware enough to say things that have violent connotations. I hope she doesn’t suggest that some Jews need to take showers, out of pure ignorance.
I too would like a full and detailed explanation of the etymology and common use of the Swede version of “putting (someone) against the wall”.
Not that it truly matters one bit however; The little girl isn’t saying these words. She’s being fed her lines to perform like any other paid actor. Those who are feeding her the lines are no doubt totally aware of what it means in English and probably a hundred other languages, to be “put against the wall”.
In fact they mean it exactly as we first interpreted it, for if indeed they’ve convinced each other that we are DESTROYING THE PLANET!!! then surely a few murders, or a few hundred million murders, would be a small price to pay to save the planet from certain doom at the hands of Mankind. They would (will) consider mass murder to be a brave, valiant and heroic application of “Social Justice”, “Economic Justice”, and especially “Climate Justice”.
If you run it through a translator, the phrase also translates as ‘to nail down’. I suspect we have a case of codeswitching here, not uncommon among multilinguals.
That being said, she’s an idiot for not realizing what it sounds like in English.
I’ve seen some on-line evidence that the excuse is indeed valid, so far as it goes.
But note that this only excuses what she said, assuming she’s telling the truth of course. It does not excuse the cheering crowd, because the crowd was hearing the English words, not the Swedish ones, so they presumably thought she meant to say what the English words say. And that is what they were cheering.
So the question would be: what excuse do the people in the audience have for cheering that statement?
Excellent point.
Cliff Mass wrote a great blog article a couple of weeks ago about “climate anxiety” and all the wailing, anguish, and even “climate angst” counseling sessions being provided to liberal snowflakes who are convinced that the world is going to die within 1-12 years because of climate change. He’s placing the blame at the hyper liberal media, rogue (profit seeking) scientists, and corrupted politicians. He specifically mentions dear Greta as one of those sucked in by the hype and now becoming a media celeb because of it.
For those not in the Northwest, Mass is one of the most noted of PNW authorities on weather and climate, a researcher at UW who has been threatened with censure because he doesn’t toe the approved narrative on anthropogenic climate change.
Climate change is the same-same as gun control. Do everything you can except look at the facts.
Greta only shows how pathetic/vacuous their argument has become.
Never any real facts presented in an honest an open debate.
He’s not “a Denier!” He’s rational.
He does believe that the planet is getting warmer, and Human CO2 emissions are the primary culprit. He also thinks we should be actively cutting CO2 He’s just not as nutty and over the top about it as many of his colleagues. And insufficient revolutionary fervor will get you talked about, comrade, IYKWIM.
Link?
Mos likely he was talking about this one:
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2019/12/promoters-of-climate-anxiety.html
I don’t buy the “mistranslation” backpedaling. Recall the trembling rage in her “How dare you!?!
I think she has serious anger issues and deep down, like all totalitarian wannabes, she’d be perfectly happy with her own version of “the final solution.”
Juliette@Juliet777777
Greta Forced To Apologize After Mistranslation Leads to Firing Squad Reference
“putting someone against the wall” is generally understood to be a euphemism for an execution by firing squad.
The method is usually chosen to execute traitors, deserters, murderers or others who have committed crimes of that severity.
https://www.westernjournal.com/greta-force
Well, I asked an actual Swede, and he says you’re wrong, and that there’s no case in Swedish where having one’s back against the wall is about a firing squad. There is, however, the idea of putting someone in a position where they’re out of options other than to deal with the issue at hand. “Sam’s back was finally against the wall, and he had to address his paranoia issues with Rhonda or lose her forever.”
True – there’s a difference in meaning between “my back was up against the wall”, a reference to a defensive situation, and “put them up against a wall” which is an obvious reference to a firing squad, whether the full intent is meant or not. Two different phrases.
It doesn’t matter what Greta meant. She’s only there for you to feel bad over.
I have no doubt she would kill you if she could. But she’s for our consumption. No one in power gives her more than a useful idiot glance. Ridicule and scorn is all they should get from us. As should anyone that wants to instruct you on a given subject without the facts.
And in any case, as I pointed out just above, that might excuse her, but it does not excuse the cheering members of her audience.