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.
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ReplyDeleteThat's so funny because our biology class just finished watching An Inconvenient Truth, and I was never aware about this story. This incident definitely proves the age-old saying that actions speak louder than words. Because Gore made such an eloquent, well-argued speech, people automatically held him to a higher standard and naturally assumed that he would abide by his own code of conduct. His "fallacy" of having his lights on, in fact, undermines the rhetorical power of his speech. SO many similar instances of hypocrisy have occurred throughout history. It is only human to mess up, but when someone does mess up, he is treated like dirt for pretty much forever.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely one thing to inform people about how to save the environment, but it's another thing to show people how to live an eco friendly lifestyle. It makes you wonder if Gore's environmental campaign was just another one of his political ploys that politicians use to gain public popularity.
ReplyDeletePersonally, it seems as if Al Gore made this film in order to make money. Especially since he uses a ton of energy to power his Tennessee home. It just seems like another politician out to make some money no matter what the cost. He can "afford" not going green.
ReplyDeletenot only did he make money, he earned the nobel peace prize for this too...
ReplyDeleteWell, the news here is a few years old--has Gore made any changes since this was publicized? How well were the original charges documented? Were they put in any sort of context?
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind that, while it's true that Gore is a career politician, his opponents are hardly impartial.