As most people know, Al Gore spent much time, money and effort promoting his film "An Inconvenient Truth." This film aims at educating the public of the dangers of global warming. As a solution to this problem, Gore supported and endorsed the "Earth Hour" event, which calls for people to turn off their household electrical appliances for one a hour a year. However, on that particular night, Gore was caught with his lights on by Drew Johnson, president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research (TCPR). This sparked much criticism and he was labeled a "hypocrite" by many.
This particular incident is an example of "Special Pleading." Special Pleading is a type of fallacy where someone applies a standard to other people in a particular situation, while taking himself to be exempt from that standard. In this case, Gore urged American citizens to respect this Earth Hour and turn off their lights. However, he did not do so himself, thus being guilty of a fallacy. Just because he was an important leader in this environmental movement does not mean that Gore can ignore the standards he sets for everyone else.
Here is a link to Drew Johnson's Facebook note describing Gore's house during Earth Hour.
