Guardian of the Universe, an Unsmiling Woman

Most photos of Greta Thunberg, she doesn’t smile.  

I hear people (women, so far) applauding her willingness not to be cowed into being “more pleasantly palatable” by smiling. 

Then I hear others saying, essentially, “She has Asperger’s and is therefore incapable.”

To that first group I say, “Hallelujah.  She leads us - and we add this to the list of ways - to righteousness.”  

To that second group I say, “Go fuck yourself.  Do not pass GO. Do not collect a goddam cent.”

She isn’t incapable of smiling - there’s plenty of footage to the contrary.  

Perhaps it isn’t her proclivity in the moments you’re looking at.  

And why should it be?  (See Group Number One.)

Not to gloss her self-chosen word, Asperger’s.  (It’s one of seventeen in her IG profile.)

Strong choice; Amen, sister.  Shout about it all you want.

But what is gained by US “reasoning” her seriousness away?  (By which I mean: what is lost?)

She has learned to lead A GLOBAL MOVEMENT.

One might reasonably extrapolate that had she wanted to “learn to smile,” she probably would have.

I learned to smile for photographs (which it took me years to learn to suffer through).

And I hate that I did. Because: why?

“It’s what *real* people do.”

“One blends in.”.

“It lessens others’ discomfort.”

Well, fuck others’ discomfort.

I look at her, my fellow Aspie, my fellow woman, my fellow human, and think:

Now, THAT is how you do it.  You rise, show your face to Life, itself, and speak - clearly, as to be unmistaken.  Your face does whatever it does, unless you tell it otherwise, according to your own and proper command.

So to all of you Malkoviching “ASPERGER’S” - that’s enough now.  She’s not smiling when she chooses not to. Let’s get back to the business of electing her Trusted Guardian of the Universe.

I’ll cast the first vote.

For more on Greta Thunberg’s activism:  www.childrenvsclimatecrisis.org