| Al Gore isn’t perfect. Crucify him NOW! No | | | | opportunities for those of us concerned about the |
| wait, don’t do that; all of you (notice I | | | | welfare of the planet and its inhabitants to gain some |
| didn’t say “us”) who | | | | meaningful ground. The whole country is talking about |
| aren’t perfect would also have to be | | | | “going green” and, arguably, much of |
| crucified. Tragedy averted. Phew! | | | | the credit for this belongs to Al Gore. Now |
| It is a widely-shared sentiment amongst us vegans | | | | it’s up to us to show the masses how to |
| and vegetarians that Al Gore isn’t the | | | | really go green. |
| environmentalist he and the media say he is. It | | | | Amazingly, Al Gore actually accomplished one of the |
| angers us, and with some very good reason, that he | | | | hardest parts of our task. You see, in sales and |
| has become the icon of the environmental | | | | marketing (an area in which I am an expert) the |
| movement. Yes, even I wrote an article exposing Al | | | | greatest challenge is to make people want something. |
| Gore’s inconvenient truth … That he | | | | It’s easy (and useless) to point to things that |
| hasn’t pointed to one of the | | | | we should want, but to make people actually want it |
| environment’s biggest enemies – | | | | … ah, therein lies the most difficult task of all. |
| Meatism. As if pseudo-environmentalism isn’t | | | | And Al Gore did precisely that. We truth-seekers |
| bad enough, Al Gore then goes and wins the Nobel | | | | have known all along the importance of |
| Peace Prize for his work on the environment. It is | | | | “going green” and we’ve gone |
| more salt into the wounds of us truth-seekers. But | | | | blue-in-the-face telling people they should go green. |
| there is a true silver lining here to which we owe Al | | | | But now, thanks to Al Gore, they actually want to go |
| Gore a huge debt of gratitude. | | | | green. The greatest hurdle has been overcome. |
| My fellow vegans, consider this: The guy who | | | | Let’s give people what they want! |
| invented asphalt, for example, wasn’t | | | | Let’s show them how to really save the |
| scorned because he didn’t also develop auto | | | | planet. (For a short primer on sales and marketing go |
| racing. One laid the groundwork (no pun intended) for | | | | to my website and click on “See Jeff In |
| the other. An oversimplification, perhaps, but the | | | | Action.”) |
| point is much the same. | | | | It is awesome that Al Gore won the Peace Prize. We |
| Clearly, there are a number of near-perfect | | | | owe him a congrats and thanks. Never before have |
| arguments for why Al Gore should have included | | | | we vegans had such a tremendous opportunity (or |
| Meatism on a short-list of what is destroying the | | | | need) to save the world; and we really do owe much |
| planet. But for one reason or another, intentional or | | | | of it to Al Gore even though he isn’t perfect. |
| not, he didn’t. He isn’t perfect. Neither | | | | But remember, neither are you. Oh, and as for me, I |
| are you (notice I didn’t say | | | | must confess that I used to be conceited. |
| “we”). But let me also tell you, in no | | | | Fortunately, last week I overcame it, and now |
| uncertain terms, that he has laid the groundwork for | | | | I’m perfect. |
| all of us to go the next mile. He has created golden | | | | |