There, I said it. I find him to be one of the more annoying public figures of the last couple of decades. Why? Can’t really put my finger on it, but I think it has something to do with morality backed by copious ego. To be fair, there aren’t many politicians I could claim I do like, so I guess it’s par for the course. But Al just has a way of rubbing me the wrong way; from the 1980’s Tipper and Al music rating theatre, to Al inventing the Internet, to the whole campaign of the year 2000. It was painful for me to write an entry where I felt I had to defend him a few weeks ago when he was getting hammered as a hypocritical energy pig.
The confession I have here today is that I finally took the time last night to watch the film An Inconvenient Truth. I’ve been procrastinating, not because I have any particular trouble with the message, but I just couldn’t bear 90 minutes of Al. I procrastinated so long, it left movie theaters, it ended up on my NetFlix queue toward the bottom, but slowly worked to the top of the list. It was shipped two weeks ago and sat in my office while I tried not to watch it. Finally, I couldn’t stand my proclivity for procrastination any longer and broke down to watch the movie.
For someone with my interests and passions, it is a good film to watch and the message is pretty crisp, though I could have done without all the “Al” moments. I guess whatever I feel about Al, it’s not that important because I do respect that he’s taking the time (and the criticism) to be a later day Paul Revere getting the message out about global warming as the impending threat rather than the British.
So I guess that’s it. If you’re like me and have an aversion to Al, see the film anyway. It’s worthwhile. And even if you don’t like the man, it’s impossible to deny the message.
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I Don’t Like Al Gore
03.27.07 | 6 Comments
6 Comments
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Most curious.
I am not keen on the former “conservative alternative” either.
My son designs energy plants. He saw the movie. Was unimpressed.
For sure I hope Gore’s message gets out. One or two others have some concern with global warning.
Perhaps not the best spokesperson for the message.
Best, Terry
Interesting. I would agree, the message really needs a less polarizing figure than Al.
Curious about your son’s reaction, was it Al or did he have objections to the content?
I like Al Gore. And given our choices, I even like Al Gore for President. What are his qualities? Out of context, he is a privileged son raised with his share of luxuries and a desire to follow daddy into politics. However, he has always been pro-environment, he capably served as VP to an incandescent President during a period of relative peace and economic prosperity, and frankly he did support early initiatives toward the creation of the Internet (he never said he invented the internet; see http://sethf.com/gore/ or many of the other debunking sites). Many of his flaws, real and imagined, have been publicly exposed and he has risen above them.
But politicians are rarely taken out of context. Imagine what objective observers would say if forced to assess George Bush the man or Dick Cheney. One is another privileged son who unfortunately turned out to be a mean-spirited imbecile and the other is a white collar criminal turned war criminal. Rising above their flaws will require skirting The Hague as well as the judgmental eyes of historians all over the world. No Hall of Fame for these two.
When Gore was compared to Clinton he appeared vanilla, slightly inarticulate, and largely irrelevant. But compared to the cowardly sloganeers who now occupy our executive branch, especially in light of An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore now has a voice and appears to be a person of vision and integrity. With apologies to the entertainers who currently populate American “news†outlets, these terms really don’t apply to any leaders in our current government.
And, yes, everyone should see the film and read the companion book (for references; in order to refute climate model results, for instance, one should understand the model and identify its flaws).
Fair points Andy – but I’m not comparing him to the present administration. The flaws in that crew are evident for all to see.
He’s doing good work and as you’ll note in my post, it’s important to separate the message from the man. My visceral like or dislike has no bearing on his present work which is vital and demonstrates leadership.
However, he is a polarizing character and he easily seems to win over those inclined toward a Democratic party view. The requirement now is to get those outside the congregation to hear the message and I’m not sure Al is the right guy to get that done.
As stated in the entry, I do respect the work and give him full marks for getting the message out.
Al Gore is the biggest fraud of the 20th and 21st centuries! My dog is more personable and probably a lot smarter, and better looking! Yet the moronic sheeple flock to this twit! People need to put down the dope they are smoking and get a grip on reality, the hippy lifestyle does not work!
Well Jack, I think he does come across as self-serving and hypocritical.
However, the issue is clear. It doesn’t really have anything to do with “hippy lifestyle” – after awhile, if you continue to shit where you eat, you have a problem. That’s where we are. He’s not the best spokesman, but that doesn’t make the issue less real.
BTW, visited your site, I’m right with you on abolishing the ATF and fully support the 2nd amendment. Smaller government and less intrusive government on nearly every issue would be an improvement.