UNITED NATIONS — About 1,200 middle school children trudged through the latest snow storm to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday evening to hear hip hop singer and producer Pharrell Williams talk about climate change.
The U.N. sponsored the event, along the U.N. Foundation and MixRadio, to celebrate International Day of Happiness, established by the world organization in 2012. It transformed a normally conflict-focused, staid venue into a dramatically “happy” environment with a clear message: The next generation needs to pay attention to climate change.
I truly don’t know which is more appalling: That this event occurred, that adults actually wanted children to watch them allowing the event to occur, or that it had something to do with something called an ‘International Day of Happiness,’ about which I wish to know nothing more, thank you very much.
I notice that the reporter didn’t bother to ask any of the kids how happy they were about being forced to trudge through a snowstorm just so a bunch of politicians could have some props for the cameras.
Yes, so many many unasked/unanswered questions.
One wonders what expertise Williams has on climate change. How long has he been studying climatology and what’s his area of specialization? Tree rings? Ice layers? And why would listening to a lecture on climate change make kiddies happy. And yes, I know Williams is noted for his “Happy” song, but somehow that seems an amazingly tenuous connection.
I’m picturing the tots in crisp brown shirts with red neckerchiefs, faces well-scrubbed, arms raised in salute. Wonder if next year they’ll be reporting their neighbors, schoolmates, and parents for being insufficiently cheerful?
Mr. Williams is just as qualified to give his opinions on meteorology as the late Steven Schneider, creator of the “global warming” meme. Schneider was not a meteorologist. He was a mechanical engineer by trade and had no formal training in meteorology.
Claire beat me to it; no surprise there.
“My honor is a small carbon footprint” wouldn’t fit well on any but a large blade, but you can’t trust subjects–I mean citizens–with knives anyway.
How many licks to get from “Day of Happiness” to “Two Minutes Hate”?
no one important, The fact that someone has no formal training is not an good argument to dismiss what they have to say. Most of what I know I did not learn in a school, and most of what I learned in schools I have no use for. Even if Schneider had a PhD in meteorology I can find good reasons not to trust what he says.
” The fact that someone has no formal training is not an good argument to dismiss what they have to say.”
That’s certainly the truth — among us ordinary folk. But the fact that someone is a celebrity (esp in the arts or pop culture) and is being asked to talk on some scientific or social-engineering subject is very good reason to question their expertise on the topic in question.
Did anybody notice “The Next Generation” has to pay attention? Guess they have to pay attention to the infrastructure, failing economics, peak resources as well.
I read the article, it’s hot air ribbon cutting lip service on a problem that has been known and documented for awhile now and much like everything else will be looked into and studied and a plan will come in a few more years to deal which will go to the committee of some department. So we’ll move on.
So the take away is pick on the Celebrity and ignore the humorous fact even the UN can’t even stand itself and finds itself boring and useless and has to hire celebrities to make a point that even they won’t really address or can do anything about. FYI, the kids showed up for the pop star, why else, for the Selfie. Could of been zombies, flesh eating monsters, and lava in the streets and the kids would of shown up.
But I’m glad everyone saw the obvious thing with the Celebrity and missed the gold. I mean hell people lets at the very least make fun of politicians, I hear it hurts their feelings.. Something about them not meeting some sentient standard and hating the reminder of. Celebrities are easy… I mean they take nudies of themselves on their smart(er then them) phones and complain when it gets hacked…