Community | June 22, 2011 | 16 comments

Climate of Denial: Can science and the truth withstand the merchants of poison?

source: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/climate-of-denial-20110622

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By AL GORE
JUNE 22, 2011 7:45 AM ET
The first time I remember hearing the question "is it real?" was when I went as a young boy to see a traveling show put on by "professional wrestlers" one summer evening in the gym of the Forks River Elementary School in Elmwood, Tennessee.

The evidence that it was real was palpable: "They're really hurting each other! That's real blood! Look a'there! They can't fake that!" On the other hand, there was clearly a script (or in today's language, a "narrative"), with good guys to cheer and bad guys to boo.

But the most unusual and in some ways most interesting character in these dramas was the referee: Whenever the bad guy committed a gross and obvious violation of the "rules" — such as they were — like using a metal folding chair to smack the good guy in the head, the referee always seemed to be preoccupied with one of the cornermen, or looking the other way. Yet whenever the good guy — after absorbing more abuse and unfairness than any reasonable person could tolerate — committed the slightest infraction, the referee was all over him. The answer to the question "Is it real?" seemed connected to the question of whether the referee was somehow confused about his role: Was he too an entertainer?

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/climate-of-denial-20110622
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16 comments // Climate of Denial: Can science and the truth withstand the merchants of poison?

  • Wetdog
    • +1
      Wetdog  

    • Buying out power and influence only works up to a point.

      It is one thing to buy power and influence when only 1 person, or 10 people, or a 100 people express opposition. When 1,000s come out in opposition and make their wishes known----it is much harder to ignore.

      If Toto can pull back the curtain and expose the Wizard as a fraud----so can you.

      "It don't come easy."----but nothing worth doing ever does.

    • 11 months ago
  • EcoCapitalist
    • -1
      EcoCapitalist  

    • Eloquently put Mr. Gore. The term "political economy" once coined to describe the effects of the congressional budget on the economy no longer accurately describe American political dynamics. I propose that "economical politics" is more veracious. The last 30 years, draped in the shadow of enormous corporations (and more recently Citizens United vs FEC) have proved the political decisions are increasingly a product of whether its economical for corporations to "buy" votes. I agree that grassroots campaigns (like that of the civil rights movement) can have an effect, I just realize that unlike 30 years ago the power at the top is stronger, and average citizens are weaker. This is merely a bi-product of the greatest income disparity in the United States. So while Mr. Gore quite beautifully describes the dire predicament our democracy is in, his solution seems to come up a bit short. Something that may seem quite obvious in the history books since the Sierra Club and Greenpeace have been operating grassroots networks for decades with very limited success in making headway against climate change.

      The answer? Quite simple actually. If citizen interests vs. corporate interests hasn't worked (and offers little hope of actually working after Citizens United vs FEC) then why not corporations interests vs. corporate interests? Not all corporations are evil, and the business case for climate change is stronger than Gore seems to be willing to acknowledge. Walmart, Apple, IBM, Siemens, and countless other corporations are leading the charge into sustainability. Its here that the case for sustainability should be made. Skeptics have already stigmatized science and the government, they're influence is inherently weaker in influencing the public. Why not target CEOs? Those who employ the public, those who write the paychecks to citizens AND politicians is where support for sustainability is growing. Grassroots campaigns are pleasant to dream about, but they lack the gusto they once commanded.

    • 11 months ago
  • COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM
    • 0
      COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM  

    • It's chemical warfare people! What are the proper responses to those who are using chemical weapons of mass destruction against civilian populations? What did we do with Chemical Ali? Should the corporations which are threatening our lives be dealt less harshly with? It's warfare, no matter how you look at it.

    • 11 months ago
  • Arizona_Huey
  • coolplanet
    • +2
      coolplanet  

    • Al Gore writes in his latest book, Our Choice:

      "Even more insidious, the integrity of our democracy has been poisoned by a new kind of sophisticated, well-planned, and lavishly financed campaign aimed at actively misleading the public about what science actually tells us concerning the nature and severity of the climate crisis. This new technique--designed to actively deceive people by intentionally distorting the science--was actually pioneered decades ago by tobacco companies. They systematically created confusion about the medical consensus linking cigarette smoke to lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, and other deadly health threats." (p.355)

    • 11 months ago
  • Steamed_N_More
  • JanforGore
  • rodstradamus
  • bluestranger
    • +2
      bluestranger  
    • rodstradamus:

      Wow Rodstradamus. Pretty serious allegations to be backing up with websites that are titled with such names. They might have a slight spin to them. Just saying. Good post on the Paul/franks thing, also.

    • 11 months ago
  • tverdell
    • +2
      tverdell  
    • rodstradamus:

      Do you think that climate scientists are unsophisticated?

      Al Gore is just the messenger.

      Do you think the right wing fringe is a better source than scientists who have devoted their life to this work?

    • 11 months ago
  • Mark701
    • +3
      Mark701  
    • rodstradamus:

      And you are representative of the type of person who has been conned by corporate America into disregarding the scientific consensus of 98% of the worlds scientists. Give yourself a pat on the back for stupidity and move along.

    • 11 months ago
  • Wetdog
  • PigFarmington
  • letsliveinpeace
  • unimatrix0
  • unimatrix0
    • +4
      unimatrix0  

    • Al Gore is an American hero. This is a must read for everyone.

      It is time to fight the denial and the deception. It is time to fight the right wing anti-intellectualism. It is time to listen to the scientists, and listen to the earth.

      Thank you for speaking out Al! Thank you for doing the right thing!

    • 11 months ago
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