According to those like environmental activist Greta Thunberg, it’s capitalism and open market economies that are really ruining our planet. But if that’s true, then why is she selling a hardcopy book on that idea?
Seems a bit hypocritical, right?
For Thunberg, or whoever actually wrote the book titled, “The Climate Book: The Facts and the Solutions,” “Leaving capitalist consumerism and market economics as the dominant stewards of the only known civilization in the universe will most likely seem, in retrospect, to have been a terrible idea.”
In other words, capitalism should be thrown out and replaced with more socialist tendencies for the planet’s sake and human life. Clearly, those who have been made rich by capitalism aren’t doing their duty to save the earth, and so a reallocation of that wealth and more government inference is needed to accomplish the survival of the world.
But in order to read the 105 essays included in the book and learn more about this thought process and how it would work in the world, you have to spend $25.99 for a hard copy or $15.99 on Kindle at Amazon.
As UFC fighter, former Special Forces member, and conservative pundit Tim Kennedy remarked on Greta’s promotion of the book on Twitter, this has got to be “the most ‘I hate capitalism unless it benefits me’ tweet of all time.”
To be clear, in her promotional tweet, Thunberg states that she won’t be making any money off the sales. Apparently, copyrights of the piece go to the Greta Thunberg Foundation, “so all royalties go to charity.”
However, as the head of her namesake’s foundation, don’t think for a second that Thunberg isn’t profiting from this in some way. Any monies sent to the foundation will undoubtedly go to increasing her visibility and message to the world, which will ultimately see that she attains some form of capital.
It’s also important to point out that while you can buy a digital form of the book, a paper one is available. And this, for a supposed climate activist, just doesn’t seem to fit.
As more than a few social media users pointed out, it would take trees to make the pages and the boxes the books are shipped in. then there is the ink and the process of getting it on the paper. That means machines that most likely run on gas and oil.
And then there is the question as to how the books were shipped. By plane, boat, or truck? Certainly not by an electric car the whole way…
I mean, what kind of carbon footprint was left in the process of making these books?
But wait, there’s more.
As I mentioned above, the book is made up of a number of essays, none of which are written by Thunberg herself. And yet, in the most capitalistic move yet, her name alone is on the cover. Author John Hawkins explains this as the epitome of hypocrisy on just about every level.
“Oh good, a 20-year-old professional climate prop who has probably never even read a book is here to educate everyone with a book that has her name on it even though she didn’t write it.”
I mean, what could be more capitalistic?
Besides, as a Politico Europe piece by Michael Brӧning explains, it’s not decrying capitalism will ever actually accomplish anything.
Unlike with democracy, or other government practices, there are no foundational documents or “philosophical magnum opus” to define it or even keep up what some would call the faith. Instead, it’s a series of learned and historically evolved practices passed down through time.
This means that replacing these practices for things like “degrowth, the redistribution of diminishing wealth, and comprehensive government control o manage a permanent state of emergency” would not only take an immense amount of time and resources but would be wholly unpopular. Thus, it would mean that democracy, at least as we know it, would probably not survive.
Now, of course, that might be precisely what those like Thunberg have in mind. However, I doubt she, or really anyone at this point is willing to admit that.
