Yesterday on my one and a half hour subway ride (yes, you read that right, 1 1/2 hours) to meet Andy and the teachers for end of the year debauchery I finished The Assault on Reason by Al Gore. I must confess upfront that I am an unabashed lover of all things Al Gore. So, needless to say, I really liked the book. There was some Bush-bashing but the bulk of the book discussed the general level of apathy with respect to democracy and informed debate in our country. His main argument centers around the fact that television, and not the printed word is primary source of information today. The problem with this is that there is no opportunity for back and forth; television only gives us information, there is no way for us to respond or challenge the information. I found it ironic that I was reading a book about how books don’t really matter anymore but until he gets the funding for The Assault on Reason the movie, I guess this is the only medium for him to present his ideas. I for one will always prefer the printed word but this is unfortunately not the case for the majority of Americans. Gore also calls for a return to basic common sense in this country, something we are swiftly losing an attachment to. The book was also a great refresher on the system of checks and balances and the Constitution. It was truly frightening reading about this administration’s interpretation of the powers of the executive branch and the political tools they use to advance their neocon agenda. If at this point you deny this is true, you are fooling yourself. For example, the White House’s refusal to turn over documents in the federal judge firing scandal, just anounced this morning. There was a glimmer of hope at the end when he discussed the possibility of the Internet becoming a new forum for reasoned discourse. I found the book as a whole extremely thought provoking, and I would love to discuss it with anyone else, especially someone from the other side of the political spectrum.
Also, if you plan on posting an Al Gore joke in the comments, don’t waste your time because I’m not going to publish it.
June 29, 2007 at 12:28 am
1) i’ll be sure to give lea’s dad a copy of the book and then you can have all the “fun” you want. lea was pissed the other week b/c we got into a “discussion” with him about whether or not global warming exists and if it does, is it caused by man’s impact on the environment.
2) i quote: “His main argument centers around the fact that television, and not the printed word is primary source of information today. The problem with this is that there is no opportunity for back and forth; television only gives us information, there is no way for us to respond or challenge the information.” Since when it is possible to have an open discussion with a book. I’ve talked to my tv and to the sunday newspaper… i got nothing. seriously, with the exception of sketchy call-in shows and crap like “point, counterpoint” is there truly an open discussion or forum with what the media? it’s always been a one-way avenue.
counterpoint:
http://www.planetdan.net/pics/misc/puzzle_bush.jpg
June 29, 2007 at 12:52 am
1) I got into the same argument with someone that Andy teaches with. I can’t even imagine how someone could still believe that in light of the scientific evidence we have for global warming.
2) It isn’t books or the newspapers that allow for back and forth, it’s the printed word. Anyone who can read can write and disseminate the written word much easier than you could produce a television program. It hasn’t always been a one way avenue…that’s the point that Gore is trying to make. We accept that as the status quo today and that’s why we’re all so disillusioned and apathetic about our government.
June 29, 2007 at 1:23 am
oh come on… jon stewart said it, not me. in an effort to get my jon stewart quote published, i offer you this in exchange:
John Seinfeld on Global Climate Change
Excerpt: In a Watson Lecture on March 7, John Seinfeld, Caltech’s Nohl Professor and professor of chemical engineering, discussed global climate, explaining how Earth’s temperature results from a balance of incoming and outgoing radiation. Seinfeld’s lecture summarized scientists’ current understanding of global climate change and articulated how the buildup of so-called greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, leads to increased trapping of Earth’s radiation, causing warming of the planet.
Link to video of lecture (you will need real player installed):
http://today.caltech.edu/theater/19922_cable.ram
Finally:
“If any of you at home are wondering about the former vice president’s seeming largess, I will have you know, he has not gained weight. He is so passionate about saving this Earth, he is trying not to exhale. … Here’s an inconvenient truth: cake isn’t a food group” –Jon Stewart
June 29, 2007 at 6:51 pm
I have no comments on Gore and Global Warming, I just wanted to comment on an old post in a place where it might get read….
I saw a video of the meeting between Bush (Reggie, that is) and Beckham. I had never heard Beckham speak before. He sounded like a twit. Its not like I have sat around thinking, “Hmm, I wonder what David Beckham sounds like,” but that is not at all how I imagined him. The video is on YouTube. Someone with a little more diligence could probably find it.
I also find all the references to Professor Seinfeld in Nick comments hilarious. Not that I opened the link, but if I did, I would expect “What’s the deal with the balance of incoming and outgoing radiation?”
Finally, fat jokes? Really, Jon Stewart? We all thought you were better than that.
July 3, 2007 at 12:51 am
another inconvenient truth? no one cares about complaints left by people who don’t have a blog of their own.
p.s. joe… i just got a rejection email from schlumberger. tell your boys to get their shit together.
July 3, 2007 at 1:53 am
Hey, you’re going to work for someone else?!?
We didn’t want you anyway!