Recently, Joaquin Phoenix was arrested along with Martin Sheen and Jane Fonda at a climate change protest. In an apparent show of environmental hubris he announced to a crowd, (and I am paraphrasing here), “I had to fly here today… but there is something you can all do now, you can eat veggie burgers!” The crowd applauded apparently missing the irony of do as I say not as I do.
Now imagine if you will, a person of equal wealth as The Joker, estimated to be around 30 million dollars, who was not a movie star or a media darling, making the same public statements. They were just an individually wealthy person who “had to fly here today…” and suggested everyone else go vegan.
It prompted me to have an idea: why don’t A-list celebrity superstars pay people to counter their carbon footprints. We could be surrogates. We could sign a limited air miles contract, agree to eat a set amount of veggie burgers, and agree to cheer them on at the next protest (as long as we can walk, bike or take the train). We can also applaud as they make their way to jail. It’s a win-win.