Another article in this month’s Wired magazine features Al Gore and his campaign to raise awareness about global warming and invest in pro-business, pro-tech solutions.
I found the religious overtones of the article fascinating. Consumerism and a faith in technology are being combined to create a new global religion.
The title of the article is The Resurrection of Al Gore, and the tag-line includes this phrase: "Al Gore has found his true calling: using the power of technology to save the world." The ozone layer is being destroyed! Global warming will cause catastrophic disasters across the globe! We’re running out of fossil fuels! Who can save us? Human ingenuity! Technology will be the messiah of the 21st century.
More quotes from the article that bear this out: Al Gore has a "messianic faith in the power of technology," and his campaign against global warming is "his ministry".
It’s a compelling look into the psyche of culture. We don’t think we’re all that religious, but look at the way we talk about this stuff: Al Gore has been "resurrected" to his true "calling" and "ministry" of spreading his "messianic faith in the power of technology" to "save the world". This is a religion, folks, with the same kinds of symbols, stories, and demands as any other religion, making claims about the meaning of history and the destiny of humanity.
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