It always kind of makes me laugh when someone who made it big in the field of entertainment suddenly seems to think that this entitles them to be considered automatically as experts in another field.
Tom Cruise made that mistake some years ago with health, and he lost the respect of many. He is still one of the most popular movie stars out there, thanks largely to an effective damage control campaign. But people remember his strange antics.
More recently, Kirk Cameron, he of "Growing Pains" fame, now a prominent celebrity Bible thumper, challenged no less an authority in the science field than Stephen Hawking, claiming that he was wrong about what he believes that science knows about the world, and global warming, and he even challenged Hawking to a debate. Whatever else you say about Cameron, you certainly can't say that he doesn't have balls, at least, even though Stephen Hawking surely would have used basic scientific facts, as well as his noted wit, to figuratively bury Kirk Cameron and put him to shame in such a debate.
Yet, for whatever the reason, despite the considerable evidence that climate change/global warming is real, despite the growing severity of storms that we have witnessed (some right here in the United States, the capital nation of celebrities), and despite the observable melting of glaciers and ice shields in mountain ranges and arctic regions around the world, the momentum for denying climate change, and claiming that 97% of the scientific community is full of crap, actually seems to be picking up momentum, inexplicably. It seemed that when George W. Bush and other Republicans finally acknowledged that global warming might be real, following Hurricane Katrina (and later, Hurricane Sandy), there might be a shift in momentum, and some kind of general direction towards action.
Not so fast. As we all know, prominent Republican "leaders", which at this point in time sounds almost like a contradiction in terms, have not only gone back to the old denying of climate change and mocking those who warn us of the potential costs and pitfalls of inaction, they have actually entrenched themselves in these positions like never before. It almost seems like their mission is to do maximum damage to the environment while there is still time to do so.
And, of course, since mediocrity loves company, they are not alone. More and more people seem to be chiming in, with a large chunk of the American population (sigh) believing that global warming/climate change is some kind of a huge conspiracy fueled by the world's scientists. It's just all a big scam, apparently.
Now, we have Pat Sajak, the longtime host of one of the most boring shows on television, "Wheel of Fortune", filling in the blanks on his political beliefs, at least on the surface.
Of course, he went a bit further than that, even. He suddenly seems to think himself qualified to challenge the overwhelming majority of the scientific community in casting as much of a shadow on global warming/climate change as possible, going back to the same labeling that we remember from way back in the eighties, when those who were concerned about a healthy planet free from toxic, polluting chemicals in our air, our water, and our land, were automatically dismissed as "environmental wackos".
Of course, modern Republicans seem to want to do the impossible in turning back the clock. Reagan wanted to turn the clock back to at least the 1950's, and now, Republicans seem to want to turn the clock back to at least the 1980's, back when their demigod, Ronald Reagan, was the proud king in his royal palace, the White House.
Pat Sajak is, of course, a solidly Republican backer, and he took some swipes at those who are concerned with inaction regarding climate change, claiming in a tweet that “global warming alarmists are unpatriotic racists”.
These are the actual, full tweets that this twit tweeted at different points in May:
Very hot weather: "We're all going to die!" Very cold weather: "There's a difference between climate & weather, moron!"
I now believe global warming alarmists are unpatriotic racists knowingly misleading for their own ends. Good night. (May 19th)
Sometimes it's fun to poke a stick in a hornets' nest just to hear the buzzing. (May 20)
And so it goes.....
In point of fact, let us remember that Sajak is, no more and no less, a game show host. He has made a tremendous amount of money in the process, enough for all of those facial surgeries that make him comparable to Dick Clark, a man who never seemed to look beyond 35 years old. And Pat Sajak's show airs on WABC, and has prominent corporate sponsors, much like our prominent political leaders, particularly those of the Republican Party.
And what that means is that his stated opinions really are just for show, kind of like him. They are not serious opinions, but simply a form of entertainment, without merit or substance (again, much like him).
Obviously, Pat Sajak seems to be the type to, in his own words, "poke a stick in a hornets' nest just to hear the buzzing."
But who cares what Sajak thinks? I mean, really, he's just one man who happens to have benefitted from celebrity status. He got famous for his pretty face, much like other entertainment celebrities. the way that he has handled this has shown that he is hardly a brilliant mind and, frankly, his game show is a rather dumbed down version of game shows, some of which actually challenge the mind (like, say Jeopardy).
Back in the eighties, my family used to watch "Wheel of Fortune" every evening. I remember how popular it was, when "What will Vanna wear tonight?" commercials were airing all of the time, and she was considered one of the most beautiful women in the world. Oh, the scandal when her nude pictures were published in Playboy! But the show was hugely popular, and we (and much of America) watched.
Eventually, my family got bored with the show.
The reason? Well, it's boring. It's the same thing, night after night. It is not mentally stimulating (again, like Jeopardy), and it was just time to turn it off. There came a point when I actually almost felt disgusted by the show, and I was not sure why. Again, I think it was probably how creepy it felt that Pat Sajak looked pretty much the same as he did in the eighties, which you know does not come naturally.
And to my mind's eye, neither did climate change.
It hardly matters what Pat Sajak, or other celebrities, be they in the entertainment industry, or in the American political industry, have to say about it. All that it was is some clueless, obviously not objective right winger trying to re-energize and strengthen the conservative base while angering those who truly are concerned with climate change with what Hollywood would call "fighting words".
At least Kirk Cameron had the balls to challenge the most famous and esteemed scientist in the world today, based on his religious convictions. You might not like what he believes, but that he truly believes it, and believes it is the way to a better world, I have no doubt.
As for Pat Sajak? I think he said what he said because he is a rich asshole who does not want to pay more in taxes, and who may even have been instructed to say those things by interested parties, who want to use a celebrity to voice a climate change denying position. His motivations, although as misguided as Cameron's, are not even from the heart.
It bears repeating: Pat Sajak is no scientist, nor a climate change expert. He may not be directly involved with industries who are specifically interested in denying the reality of climate change, but it should be obvious that, given his endorsements (not least with the channel he works for - WABC), it is in his best interest to side with those who are opposed to action to protect the environment - and particularly with climate change denial. But his opinion, in this matter, really has no bearing on reality. If you want an expert opinion on mediocre game show hosting, then Pat Sajak is the right man. If you want expert advice on spending a fortune on reconstructive surgery to deny the reality of aging, then Pat Sajak is your man. But denying one inevitable reality - aging - does not qualify him as an expert on climate change - period. He's just some additional background noise, and his words will blow away like a fart in the wind.
Thus, they are not worthy of much attention and, frankly, I have said all that I will say on it, and will waste no more time and energy on something that simply merits no serious response.
Pat Sajak, Twitter trolling and the great game-show myth by Caitlin Dewey of The Washington Post, May 21, 2014:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/05/21/pat-sajak-twitter-trolling-and-the-great-game-show-myth/
Pat Sajak: “global warming alarmists are unpatriotic racists” by Jason Samenow, May 20, 2014:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/05/20/pat-sajak-global-warming-alarmists-are-unpatriotic-racists/
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