Hollywood Nights

Even before Gore's utility records came to light, funny man John Stewart was skewering the 'green Oscars' hype. (If you click on that box up above, you can watch the segment right there in the very same window. The marvels of the Internet ... ). Stewart is merely stating the obvious (albeit with comedic flair), and it's a good and necessary antidote to all the self-satisfied preening that the Hollywood elite are prone to. As for Gore's energy expenditures, raise your hand if you were surprised to learn that mansion living is energy-intensive. For his part,* Gore buys carbon offsets, which is certainly laudable but doesn't let him entirely off the hook. The far bigger offset, to my mind, is the tireless work he has done in calling attention to the issue and, indeed, making it part of the public consciousness. Is he a hypocrite? Um, yeah, I suppose he is. And so are you. And so am I. Because, here's the thing: American levels of consumption are not currently sustainable, let alone the lifestyles of the rich and famous. We need to come to grips with that. In the meantime, to paraphrase Matthew, let's not obsess on the speck in our brother's eye and ignore the two-by-four in our own.

*For my part, I hope Al Gore wins the Nobel next. And I bet he does win it, too.