PrintJuly 19, 2007
Al Gore: from politics to 'consciousness' (updated)
Our friends at DraftGore have their work cut out for them. The man who gave us the internet has set his sights higher: a change in world consciousness. The Aspen Daily News reports that he told über venture capitalist John Doerr:
I'm engaged in a different kind of campaign," Gore continued, "trying to bring about a change in thinking, awareness, and consciousness worldwide."
That's not quite Sherman's famous promise, "If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve." So the door remains ajar.
By the way, I wonder how Gore got to Aspen? Did he fly on one of those nasty private jets? I bet he didn't bicycle there. But of course he is exempt from the rules the rest of us are supposed to follow. Leading by example apparently doesn't do much to change consciousness in his view. Those scintillating speeches are worth every ton of greenhouse gasses his vast mansion, private jet flights, and livin' large lifestyle require.
Update: Rosslyn Smith writes:
Update: Rosslyn Smith writes:
I'm engaged in a different kind of campaign," Gore continued, "trying to bring about a change in thinking, awareness, and consciousness worldwide."
Then-Senator Gore used almost the same words on his early 1992 tour promoting sales of The Earth In Balance to explain why he had chosen to write a book instead of running for president a second time.
I've heard that many high school and college students have had to sit through An Inconvenient Truth multiple times because it has been shown in science classes, social studies classes, humanities classes, ad nauseam. Gore's self righteousness embrace of ecology combined with his personally extravagant live-style makes him the personification of the type of hypocrite idealistic young people tend to loathe.
While I don't think Gore's Academy Award winning documentary has quite the same potential for camp status as Reefer Madness, I do suspect that force feeding such thoroughly pedestrian propaganda to teenagers has serious backfire potential. My classmates and I were force fed a similar diet of anti-drug and sexually transmitted disease films in early 1970's. It mostly encouraged us to embrace what we had been warned to shun.
Then-Senator Gore used almost the same words on his early 1992 tour promoting sales of The Earth In Balance to explain why he had chosen to write a book instead of running for president a second time.
I've heard that many high school and college students have had to sit through An Inconvenient Truth multiple times because it has been shown in science classes, social studies classes, humanities classes, ad nauseam. Gore's self righteousness embrace of ecology combined with his personally extravagant live-style makes him the personification of the type of hypocrite idealistic young people tend to loathe.
While I don't think Gore's Academy Award winning documentary has quite the same potential for camp status as Reefer Madness, I do suspect that force feeding such thoroughly pedestrian propaganda to teenagers has serious backfire potential. My classmates and I were force fed a similar diet of anti-drug and sexually transmitted disease films in early 1970's. It mostly encouraged us to embrace what we had been warned to shun.
