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After reading the opening paragraph I instantly thought of Greta Thunberg (in a good way!), especially this part: > or as dangerous future citizens who might

After reading the opening paragraph I instantly thought of Greta Thunberg (in a good way!), especially this part: > or as dangerous future citizens who might use their unique talents to subvert authority. ...where the authority being subverted is that of a certain country's dominant social class that really doesn't like being told they're in the wrong... ---- More cynically though: almost all of the certified G&T folks I knew in school - and equivalents at university - gave up on their idealism and got degrees to become a city quant. Except for one... he got into UW at 16 and had a head for epidemiology but was also interested in global geopolitics so he tried to major in both subjects at undergrad (uh-oh...) - but being so young at university in a course where social-networking is important meant he simply couldn't attend important events because he was below the drinking age. Anywya long story short he's now a water treatment plant operator and he tells me he's never been happier.

R0b0t1 6y ago
I'm unsure how to find the studies but when G&T children are not put in accelerated programs they typically suffer from mental issues and isolation and end up underperforming their peers. Your acquaintance could have been someone great, I guess.
- CKN23-ARIN 6y ago
  I think water treatment is pretty great.
  - hans1729 6y ago
    If the kid is happy, it is. :-) Reminder that Hawking couldn't be arsed to spend his time with physics and went rowing instead (it was only when he got his deadline that he started to work on physics nonstop)
  - monkeycantype 6y ago
    I met a former nuclear physicist in Oakland, who had moved to working in water treatment who told me 'flocculation, way more complex, far more interesting than nuclear chemistry' he seemed happy too.
  - User23 6y ago
    I also really like safe drinking water. I wish I contributed as much to society.
  - R0b0t1 6y ago
    I do too, but someone of his caliber could probably be doing more good in research.
- Olreich 6y ago
  Support at home is even more important. Students of all ages really just need as much information as you can feed them. Ever met a four year old? They are all questions and sponge up information. There’s no reason they have to stop at some point, just keep feeding them more info and encouraging them.
pritovido 6y ago
I believe Greta Thunberg is someone put in place to EXERT authority. If you go to the meetings of the financial elite of the world, they have in their agenda exactly what GT wants: Taxing C02, forcing people to eat insects, because meat and fish is unsustainable... Greta is used to exert authority from those people in charge into the mass of the population. It is the reason media loves GT, because media is controlled by the big guys. A dangerous person would be some environmentalist that actually knows what he is talking about, and who is popular. Idealism is not a virtue per se(just dreaming about a better world without doing anything). I know quite a lot idealist that actually do all what they can to improve the world. They become realist because it is hard. It is one thing to say people should not abandon dogs and another thing creating a refuge for animals and expending all your money feeding and taking care of abandoned dogs, taking no vacations(because animals eat every day...)and so on. Realism is what happens when idealists take responsibility, and do something. Reality has limits, it is always finite what you can do, dreams could be perfect. Greta is just a kid that is angry(because she is ill) and is being manipulated from those in charge.
- mynameishere 6y ago
  Yeah, when the entire worldwide MSM pushes a pretty(esque) child to bleat some establishmentarian message, watch out. There's nothing healthy about that scenario.
- jquery 6y ago
  Bingo. You don’t get the platform Greta got because you’re a threat to the agenda...
- pvaldes 6y ago
  > A dangerous person would be some environmentalist that actually knows what he is talking about, and who is popular. This danger is inactivated. Not anymore. The day before yesterday, I meet a guy that told me that he is being sued by "ecologist activities" [sic] (after annoying a Guardia Civil repeatedly denouncing furtive hunting, I think)... and a spanish judge accepted the case. Simply surrealist. It seems that being ecologist is now illegal in the European Union He now must to pay in advance a 1000 euro legal bond, that obviously is the real objective here. To economically broke an environmentalist is really easy nowadays. If not you always can jail he/she abusing of a technical legal trivia
thaumasiotes 6y ago
> being so young at university in a course where social-networking is important meant he simply couldn't attend important events because he was below the drinking age. What? This has never stopped any other college student.
- DaiPlusPlus 6y ago
  He said there were university-operated things like postgrad careers fairs, mini-conferences and academic social-networking events that were held in venues where the entire conference area being used was legally a 21+ area (open bar, I guess) which normally wouldn't be a problem because they were events for people who wouldn't normally be younger than 22. I'm not saying that problem alone was the cause of him dropping out, but he told it to me as an example of the hurdles someone faces as a minor university student.

R0b0t1 6y ago

I'm unsure how to find the studies but when G&T children are not put in accelerated programs they typically suffer from mental issues and isolation and end up underperforming their peers. Your acquaintance could have been someone great, I guess.

CKN23-ARIN 6y ago
I think water treatment is pretty great.
- hans1729 6y ago
  If the kid is happy, it is. :-) Reminder that Hawking couldn't be arsed to spend his time with physics and went rowing instead (it was only when he got his deadline that he started to work on physics nonstop)
- monkeycantype 6y ago
  I met a former nuclear physicist in Oakland, who had moved to working in water treatment who told me 'flocculation, way more complex, far more interesting than nuclear chemistry' he seemed happy too.
- User23 6y ago
  I also really like safe drinking water. I wish I contributed as much to society.
- R0b0t1 6y ago
  I do too, but someone of his caliber could probably be doing more good in research.
Olreich 6y ago
Support at home is even more important. Students of all ages really just need as much information as you can feed them. Ever met a four year old? They are all questions and sponge up information. There’s no reason they have to stop at some point, just keep feeding them more info and encouraging them.

pritovido 6y ago

I believe Greta Thunberg is someone put in place to EXERT authority. If you go to the meetings of the financial elite of the world, they have in their agenda exactly what GT wants: Taxing C02, forcing people to eat insects, because meat and fish is unsustainable... Greta is used to exert authority from those people in charge into the mass of the population. It is the reason media loves GT, because media is controlled by the big guys. A dangerous person would be some environmentalist that actually knows what he is talking about, and who is popular. Idealism is not a virtue per se(just dreaming about a better world without doing anything). I know quite a lot idealist that actually do all what they can to improve the world. They become realist because it is hard. It is one thing to say people should not abandon dogs and another thing creating a refuge for animals and expending all your money feeding and taking care of abandoned dogs, taking no vacations(because animals eat every day...)and so on. Realism is what happens when idealists take responsibility, and do something. Reality has limits, it is always finite what you can do, dreams could be perfect. Greta is just a kid that is angry(because she is ill) and is being manipulated from those in charge.

mynameishere 6y ago
Yeah, when the entire worldwide MSM pushes a pretty(esque) child to bleat some establishmentarian message, watch out. There's nothing healthy about that scenario.
jquery 6y ago
Bingo. You don’t get the platform Greta got because you’re a threat to the agenda...
pvaldes 6y ago
> A dangerous person would be some environmentalist that actually knows what he is talking about, and who is popular. This danger is inactivated. Not anymore. The day before yesterday, I meet a guy that told me that he is being sued by "ecologist activities" [sic] (after annoying a Guardia Civil repeatedly denouncing furtive hunting, I think)... and a spanish judge accepted the case. Simply surrealist. It seems that being ecologist is now illegal in the European Union He now must to pay in advance a 1000 euro legal bond, that obviously is the real objective here. To economically broke an environmentalist is really easy nowadays. If not you always can jail he/she abusing of a technical legal trivia

thaumasiotes 6y ago

> being so young at university in a course where social-networking is important meant he simply couldn't attend important events because he was below the drinking age. What? This has never stopped any other college student.

DaiPlusPlus 6y ago
He said there were university-operated things like postgrad careers fairs, mini-conferences and academic social-networking events that were held in venues where the entire conference area being used was legally a 21+ area (open bar, I guess) which normally wouldn't be a problem because they were events for people who wouldn't normally be younger than 22. I'm not saying that problem alone was the cause of him dropping out, but he told it to me as an example of the hurdles someone faces as a minor university student.