Last Sunday I had a brief conversation with a young man, 14 years old? He saw my Gore bumper stickers, that I offer free in my booth at the art show. He broke away from his family to come back & ask me about my support of Gore. Of course, his prioritizing of the climate crisis, experience, and leadership was my answer. But wasn't Gore "politicizing Global Warming, making it harder to get things done?" he rejoined. A pause from me, taking into account his age & earnestness. "But what's politics all about?" I asked. "What is it but a way to have our say? That's how it is supposed to work here in our democracy. A chance to make decisions, decide what to do, how to do it, to make policy." He listened. I asked "Do you think 'politics' is a bad thing? It seems that way these days. But it doesn't have to be, it shouldn't be. It's supposed to be our way of governing ourselves." The young man was called away to catch up with his family, but the opportunity to pull back to the big picture has stayed with me. Follow me over the fold if you like...
Obviously this isn't one of those awesomely researched, link-a-licious diaries about Al Gore. But I can't put off writing this until I have the time for that. Plus, there are many many excellent diarists doing it to it, bravo them!
But I'm inspired by that young man to share these thoughts...
Al Gore's stated goal is to transform our politics. To seed a rebirthed 4th Estate, a democracy in which a reasoned conversation guides us to a new enlightenment. Single handedly? No. He wants us, needs us, to do it. My signature says "Follow the leader" and indeed, Al Gore is awesomely inspirational when he gets his speech on. (Insert your memory of the ACS speech here. And if you haven't seen it, find it on youtube, search Al Gore ACS). But this project of enlivening requires us to do more than listen & cheer, ever scanning the airwaves for a sign. It requires fortitude, focus, and the confidence to act.
And we are acting: the draft, the NYT ad, the petition signatures, the blogs, the websites. But then we sit back dazed that he hasn't made "the announcement" hasn't rejoined the sclerotic political process we cheer him for denouncing. We Goreaphiles need to ask ourselves: how can we enact a renewed democracy? How can we birth the new 4th Estate. Perhaps that is what he is waiting for, intention & plans on pause.
Consider these insanities:
NPR yesterday on Talk of the Nation, spending it's time interviewing a man saying Al Gore's Peace Prize isn't deserved because he bombed Yugoslavia. (PS, the guy also thought Ghandi was undeserving.) The single call-in saying Al Gore flies around awash in hypocrisy in "giant airplanes".
Gore's typical "no plans" quote in the Norwegian media being blown way out of proportion, Kossacks at their wit's end. Diaries flying here to set the record straight & emails flying to news outlets. The Traditional media blathering on despite us.
Sigh. I ask myself why I even listen. Where is the truth, the authenticity in the traditional media? If the plan were to effectively kill democracy by making all discussions of politics so inexact & fool-hardy as to turn off those represented so completely, mission is accomplished. Gore's point made to a tee.
So, will there be time, this go around to change things enough? Time enough for this new conversation of democracy to sprout, fight it's way out of the dry bed of our dessicated political discourse and grow, even flourish? It's up to us, and maybe that 14 year old boy. Make the conversation happen.