“Al Gore’s American Life” photographed for Time Magazine by Steve Pyke.
You know, he’s got plenty of critics and with pictures like this it is as though he wants to give them more to critique. Damn Al, I mean… Really?? Do you need three 30″ lcds? Do you? Three? NEED them? Al, let me keep this simple: you’re being a dick and you’re certainly not helping the cause. The problem of climate change requires that we humans change the way we live, particularly the way we use resources. I look at this picture, just one little part of Al’s life, and I see someone using more than his share. Period.
Technorati Tags: Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, Climate Change, Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Crisis, Fossil Fuels, Global Warming, Natural Resources, Sea level rise
I don’t know him so I can’t say he’s a dick but it’s simple false to say he hasn’t helped the cause. He has. Certainly more than any other wealthy American alive. If he needs 10 LCDs I say let him have them. It’s not like he’s watching porn or playing Doom3!!
hey brian,
i suppose i should have been more clear. of course i agree that he has helped the cause… immensely. and maybe he does really need 3 lcds, but it seems unlikely. my point is that he is looked upon as an example… a loud and important voice alerting people to reality of climate change and the need for change. if his lifestyle does not match the changes he’s calling for it makes him look insincere.
All right, I should probably be deleting my bookmark to this page. You can criticize Gore for many sins, but an office packed to the gills with his efforts to educate the masses about GCC is not one of them.
I would ask you: do you really need every little item in your house? If you have more than one fork in your kitchen drawer, you’re already using more than your fair share on a worldwide scale. Period.
no one should be above the law… so to speak. al gore is one human and should limit himself as much as he is able to only what he needs… perhaps i’m the dick for passing judgement. ultimately it’s up to him to make that determination.
i agree that i’ve got more than my fair share. as an example, i’m typing this response on a fancy macbook pro. i constantly question any new purchase and it’s implications… which is why my purchases are VERY rare.
i don’t own a house and my 1992 toyota tercel stopped working 15 months ago. i’m keeping it for possible future repair. i drive once a month (or less) so for now i easily get by with a shared vehicle.
my former house was a co-op in memphis that i helped set up. all of our furniture was picked up off the curb, other people’s trash- true of most of the house furnishings.
today i live with family and work minimally to pay minimal bills. i use one coffee mug everyday… the only one i own. most of my meals are eaten out of the one bowl that i own and one pair of chopsticks. i don’t buy clothes. i shower in lukewarm water and only when i start to stink. i unplug my few appliances when not in use. i grow native wildflowers and now a very small vegetable garden… my point is i’m always trying to reduce my carbon footprint. it is on my mind every single day.
if we are to stop climate change we have to change… all of us. no one should be exempt and that includes al gore. i’m grateful and very happy to see the work he does… it’s fantastic. but that does not exempt him… no one should get special treatment unless it is for items needed for survival.
Hey, if you are going to critique the guy, at least count correctly. He clearly has *4* LCD monitors in that picture. PS I hope you wash your one cup in the same water you use to take a shower you energy hog. 🙂
anonymous, good one. lol. 😉
maybe he simply doesn’t know how to minimize documents…
I appreciate what Gore has done to raise awareness. BUT his environmental record is lousy. Also, I would ague that, to a certain extent, his work might cause more harm by promoting the idea that Global Warming can be solved if, individually, we follow a few simple steps. Using less water, longer lasting light bulbs, and driving hybrids only function to keep us in denial. The problem is bigger than that.