Wishful Thinking: On Al Gore and Civil Disobedience
The bully pulpit is a great thing. It inspires me when someone like Al Gore gets on his soapbox about young people doing civil disobedience at coal plants to stop global warming. Over the past year or so he’s done it three times in the pages of the NY Times, Rolling Stone and most recently, in person, at the Clinton Global Initiative. 
In making these comments, he’s communicating some things:
1. To the climate movement, that we need to step this shit up.
2. To mainstream America, that Thoreau’s wisdom about breaking the law for a higher cause is long overdue to avert further climate disaster.
Our wishful thinking about this has been “let’s get Gore arrested” or “we can’t do it until luminaries and celebrities like Gore start doing it.”
Besides the fact that he’s yet to volunteer to clip himself into a lockbox, I think, right now, this is less of an option. Al Gore is less likely to cross a line and blockade a coal plant until a lot more of us start doing it. Think thousands of us doing in it for sustained periods of time.
That’s also part of his nuanced message to climate activists- when the people lead, the leaders will follow.
So, then what’s strategic at this moment? Spending time and energy convincing Gore to get arrested or spending time and energy organizing actions and support infrastructure for actions and our movement. It’s obvious to me.
And BTW, he’s right, instead of talking and blogging about it, more of us in the youth climate movement (as well as the elder climate movement) need to get out from behind our computer screens into the streets and into the gears of these coal and oil companies. Global warming is not stopping itself.
Right now, small groups of half a dozen and a dozen (sometimes more, sometimes less) have been putting themselves on the line at corporate offices, coal financiers and coal plants, and risking limb and livelihood to stop climate change. In the UK and Australia, it’s lots more people doing it.
So instead of dreaming up ways to get Gore arrested, more of us need to heed to words of Thoreau by drawing a line in the sand and saying “thus far and no further.“
7 Responses to “Wishful Thinking: On Al Gore and Civil Disobedience”
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October 9th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Nicely put Scott!
October 10th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I applaud Al Gore for his actions on environmental issues. I wish he were our president. Martin Luther King and Gandhi are in my pantheon of saints. I totally support those who plan and engage in civil disobedience, but I am not one who can do so. I attend anti-war demonstrations, and I’ve been active on many political fronts for years. I speak out on important issues. But I am a coward when it comes to risking physical violence and/or going to jail. I admire and support with non-violent actions all those who can do so.
October 10th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
We the american people must take back our country. We must make this entire planet ours, not short sighted politicians.
October 10th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I am a Canadian. I see our present government following along behind the US government. We have followed to Afghanistan where we have squandered billions of dollars. Our social programs are starting to copy those of the US. They are being eroded while big companies and banks have been given a free ride and now big handouts. Please, think about what is happening and don’t be duped into allowing greed and self centered gluttony ruin our fine countries. The world needs a high principled leader. Help support the United States of America to be that.
October 10th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Is the USA Capable of being Highminded? Does this BailOut just mean Business as Usual? -a shuffling of the deckchairs, but more importantly: shuffling of Wealth amongst the Richest?
Have any of the Directors and Fatcats offered to reduce Their Salary, or Bonuses, or share Their Accumulated Wealth?
October 19th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
[...] as ways that activists already are out on the front lines and simply ignored by the likes of Gore. Wishful Thinking: On Al Gore and Civil Disobedience In making these comments, he’s communicating some [...]
April 19th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
SCANDALS! SCANDALS! SCANDALS!
MANY OF THE WORST CASES OF RACIAL PREJUDICE IN WORLD HISTORY!
LONG LIVE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!
Barack Obama is a racial minority and does not like racism.
WORLDWIDE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION RELATING TO SCANDALS:
(I) I do solemnly swear by Almighty God that George W. Bush committed atrocious, racist, hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism which I am not at liberty to mention. Many people know what Bush did. And many people will know what Bush did—even until the end of the world. Bush was absolute evil. Bush is now like a fugitive from justice. In any case, Bush will go down in history in infamy.
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“BAD NEWS FROM THE UNITED STATES: ON THE RACIST HATE CRIMES AND ETERNAL INFAMIES OF GEORGE W. BUSH, BILL CLINTON, GEORGE H.W. BUSH, AND RONALD REAGAN” BLOG OF ANDREW YU-JEN WANG
badnewsfromtheunitedstates.blogspot.com
________________
‘If only there could be a BAN against invention that bottled up memories like scent & they never faded & they never got stale.’ (Please feel free to go to baidu.com, type ‘ban invention that bottled up memories,’ and hit ‘Enter.’)