Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

Mr. Gore in Sydney For Premiere of An Inconvenient Truth

Erin O'Dwyer
September 10, 2006

FORMER US vice-president Al Gore jets into Sydney today to attend the Australian premiere of his global warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.

More at the link.

Reading about the premiere of this important movie overseas and the initiatives other countries are working on regarding alternate energy sources, I can bet you that in Australia and other countries in Europe there will be more and quicker action taken on this issue than in America. In this country, one politician who watched this movie in Washington DC was quoted as stating it "may" spark change just to have something to say. Others to my knowledge said nothing.

Just look at what happened regarding the Kyoto Protocol, and there was no mass movement by the American people to hold their feet to the fire regarding it, and there should have been... but how many Americans even knew what the Kyoto Protocol really was? And that leads me to a question: Are people in other countries more engaged in social issues and holding political leaders accountable than Americans because of their lifestyles? Or is it because they are not as involved in all of the self distractions Americans are? Or is it because they want to arm themselves with knowledge, while the average American is simply content to watch American Idol? Is that a false perception to have? Based on who Americans vote for and the fact that less and less Americans vote, is that perception really that far off base?

I believe Americans have become too dependant on politicians to deal with what they can't be bothered with, or are just too disillusioned to care. Which makes me say, "you got what you deserve" when they start to complain. Democracy in America has become less and less hands on and become more of something to be strutted in parades and used as soundbites in political campaigns... but again, where is the real action and meaning? I think Americans on the whole are good people, but many are also very self -absorbed, too attached to their tv sets, and way too dependant on someone else always initiating change while they sit and say it should be done.

Whereas it would appear that people in many European countries and other countries around the world seem to be much more in tune with the spiritual and social implications of issues, and much more engaged in being vocal about what they believe in. Take the Ukraine and Mexico as two recent examples. What I would have given to have seen even a fraction of that number of people camp out for Al Gore and this country in 2000 after the coup took place (and yes, it was a coup, but that's another entry.) Could we ever then hope to see that large of an amount of people in the streets in this country demanding that representatives protect the future of our planet?

I watched an interview Al Gore gave for a Canadian tv station where he claimed that he would not believe that the people of Canada would ever allow Harper to take away their social consciences regarding the environment especially in light of all the strides they have made on this issue, and I agree. But then, look at what American politicians have done to totally strip the issue of the environment of its importance in their agendas, and they are still doing it.

There is no huge mass movement by Congressional members to seek and pass groundbreaking legislation at the Federal level that will give us vehicles that get 80 miles to the gallon as scientists have attested we have the technology to deliver. Sure there is one bill out this year ( which yes, is an election year) seen as a bold move to cut emissions by 80% by I believe 2050, but really, what real good would it do if cars still get 20 miles to the gallon and alternate sources of energy are not marketed aggressively to the people as an option and made easier to obtain? And of course, there is that ten year window to consider. Is it even enough at this point? What good will it do if we do not see this as a moral issue? Don't get me wrong, to see legislation at all is something to behold, but with the chokehold the oil lobby has on energy policy I don't see it passing anytime soon. And that is what we must see now. Legislation on this issue that is aggressive and actually passes.

And not one candidate running in 2006 in this country to my knowledge has made the climate crisis the central platform of their campaign. So therein lies the viscious cycle... We need Americans to become empowered to seek change from their leaders and themselves, but then, if they see that even when their leaders know of the problem they still do nothing, they don't demand that change because they think it will do no good. And then nothing gets done. That is why I think that regarding this issue, we will not have truly groundbreaking success unless we take the grassroots ground up approach, we become engaged in the Democratic process again, and unless we disengage ourselves from the distractions that we place so much importance on that detract from the real problems we need to pay attention to.

The challenge then to Americans is, can we do all of that and do we think it is worth it? The answer to the latter part of it is a resounding yes for me, and living in a country that is first in the emissions that are causing this crisis I find it immoral to think that the answer to the first part of that question would be no, and don't believe it will be once the truth is known on a wider scale.

Therefore, good luck to you Mr. Gore as you travel the world bringing that truth. You are an American treasure.

See: An Inconvenient Truth/Australia