I hate to say that Ed is a hypocrite, but...

washedinblack91 wrote:

i dunno if i'm right because i'm not ed but what i got from his comment about SUVs was about all cars in general and said "SUV" not because they guzzle gas or anything, but because he saw one or because there are more of them or whatever, not because he specifically meant to say "SUV". i know what he means, i love taking walks with ITW on my ipod, but it's hard for me to find places to walk without having to hear honking horns or see busy streets. but again, i wasn't at the concert and i'm not eddie vedder so i don't know what he means, but thats just what i got out of it.

That's the way I took it too--he wasn't calling out SUV drivers or saying he was better, he was making a general comment about how nature can be spoiled by people--himself included. I fail to see anything inflammatory about that. Sometimes I think the people criticizing Ed for being hypocritical really blow things he says way out of proportion...

rrivers wrote:

Exactly. A reasoned point and exactly what the OP and I have been saying. I love how everyone is saying we were "owned" (what a stupid phrase to begin with) and that we just want to argue. As I said at the end of my last post, I applaud what the band has done, but Ed can be a hypocrite.

What I personally find irritating is the responses to these criticisms. Although the majority of people have brought up facts and figures to back up PJ's support for the environment (which, to be fair, I don't feel was ever in question), there are some who respond to these criticisms with "well, then I guess they just shouldn't tour", or even better that childish "you're a supporter of Bush" if you don't agree with Eddie. I mean, I do hope he was joking. I think you're much closer to being a supporter of Bush if you blindly follow an idol and insult anyone who criticizes them.

I think I think it's a valid criticism, as I said, because the music business is an extremely damaging profession. Anyone remember the Live Earth debacle? Due to all the chartered jets and private transport, it became an extremely wasteful endeavor. I think that if musicians want to act as spokespeople, they need to clean up their own act so to speak, which Pearl Jam has done. If the buses are running on biodiesel, that's great and a good first step. However, as I stated previously, I think commitment to rainforest preservation and benefit concerts for environmental programs does not change the fact that waste is waste. Despite all that, if the energy is not needlessly wasted in the first place, that is the best option. Standing outside the United Palace, with the four or five buses running for at least thirty minutes, if not more, I didn't see the need for it. Considering the buses I've been on have not needed the engine running to keep the AC and fridge going (in that way, buses act no differently from cars; I haven't seen many, if any cars, that you have to have the engine on full blast to turn on the AC).

I say this type of criticism is good, because if PJ speaks out about the environment, this is how they are going to be attacked. The best kind of advocates are the ones who have their own house in order.

Finally, to those who are saying "Ed may be a hypocrite, but we are all hypocrites, so he shouldn't be criticized"...I don't understand that logic. If I was being wasteful when it was not necessary, I would want to be criticized and called out, as long as the person was saying it constructively without being an asshole (which I don't think most of the people criticizing in this thread have been). Maybe I was unaware from my waste, and now that I've been made aware I can stop wasting? Why shouldn't it be the same with anyone else, including our favorite rock and roll band? Nobody's perfect, but if nobody ever talks about the problems because everyone is guilty than nothing would ever get better.

Vedd Hedd wrote:

According to your logic, people who drink polluted water shouldn't say anything otherwise they would be hypocrites.

No, actually the logic would be that people who pollute the water shouldn't say anything because they would be hypocrites.

Jeanwah wrote:

We're all hypocrites when it comes to the environment. ALL OF US. If we weren't we'd be working from home (or bicycling to work) and living in an earthship. It's literally impossible to be completely off the grid and self powering everything and emitting nothing.

I want to live in an earthship!

I was lucky enough to meet Ed outside his van in DC 1 ..... Oh well what do you expect from a wino ... This is the guy who said " fuck me in my brain" and " i dont beleive in nothing even if its true " !!!!