Greta Thunberg Is ‘Mentally Ill’ Says Fox News’ Conservative Guest, Channel Says Sorry
By calling it a mental illness, Knowles has not only shown disregard towards Thunberg’s condition but also exhibited his own ignorance. He has maintained his stand despite Fox’s apology, citing the book written by Thunberg’s mother.
Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old at the centre of a global climate change awareness movement, is basking in the glory of her efforts. World over, schoolchildren came out in droves as part of the youth climate strike on September 19, 2019, all thanks to the ‘Greta Thunberg Effect.’ The young Swedish national has shown the gumption to take on large corporations and conservative governments who have been hand-in-glove in driving climate crises. Fox News known for its conservative views landed in a soup when a speaker Michael Knowles called her “mentally ill.” Knowles was a part of Fox New’s The Story, which featured a segment on Thunberg’s fiery “How Dare You” speech.
In his tirade against the “left,” Knowles ranted that the “climate hysteria” had nothing to do with science. “If it were about science, it would be led by scientists, rather than by politicians and a mentally ill Swedish child who is being exploited by her parents and the international left,” he said. Greta Thunberg's 'How Dare You' Speech at UN Wins Twitterati's Hearts, Activist's Quotes on Climate Change Goes Viral.
The comment drew sharp criticism, especially from progressive podcast host Chris Hahn who was also a part of the show. Hahn who, according to the show’s host, had a “visceral reaction” to Knowles’ comments said: “You are a grown man and you are attacking a child. Shame on you!”
On being interrupted by the conservative speaker, Hahn thundered: “Relax skinny boy, I got this!”
He lashed at Knowles: “She’s trying to save the planet because your president doesn’t believe in climate change. And kids need to take to the streets to worry about the future. You are despicable for talking about her like that. You should apologise on national television like that!” Greta Thunberg Quotes That Will Make You Take a Hard Look At Climate Change and The State of Planet Earth!
Knowles refused to back down, calling her more names: “She is mentally ill. She has autism. She has obsessive-compulsive disorders. She has selective mutism. She had depression.”
Fox News refused to side with Knowles who had written op-ed pieces for their website. A spokesperson for the news channel said: “The comment made by Michael Knowles who was a guest on The Story was disgraceful – we apologize to Greta Thunberg and to our viewers.”
Greta's Take on Her Condition:
The “mental illness” that Knowles and Thunberg’s critics have accused her of having is Asperger’s syndrome. Asperger’s syndrome is a type of autism, which is characterised by impaired social skills, communication problems, and restrictive and repetitive behaviour patterns.
By calling it a mental illness, Knowles has not only shown disregard towards Thunberg’s condition but also exhibited his own ignorance. He has maintained his stand despite Fox’s apology, citing the book written by Thunberg’s mother.
Here's Knowles' Tweet:
Greta Thunberg has won plaudits for her determined fight against governments who refuse to acknowledge climate change. One of her biggest detractors are the US conservatives like Knowles who have been using her Asperger's to discredit her.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2019 05:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).