In recent weeks Al Gore, the former vice-president, and his wife Tipper announced that they are going to be separated after 40 years of marriage.  This has set the news hawks and news hens to digging for details as to why the Gores are ending their marriage after such a long time.  I will have absolutely nothing – I repeat nothing – to add to this debate.  My advice to all of us is to “butt out.”  It is none of the public’s business and I am sure that the Gores would appreciate having their privacy respected.
I have a vested interest in the advice to “butt out.”  In my own case, my marriage ended after 37 years.  That marriage was contracted in 1945 so after 65 years I am still at a loss to tell you exactly what happened.  Not only am I at a loss to tell you what happened, I am not in search of questions or second guessing.  The matter is dead.  My former wife is deceased and it is a subject on which I will never write in these essays.
I know that in my own case, when it was clear that Eileen and I were going to be divorced, there were many questions as to why this was going to take place.  I never answered any of those questions.  It was treated by myself as a private matter and that was it.  The lady who tended the counter at the Schait’s Laundry went so far as to ask me what had happened to my marriage.  I told her something to the effect that if I ever figured that out, I might tell her about it, but most likely, I would not tell her.
So if I may offer a piece of advice to the news media in this country or the press of the English where sting operations are the order of the day, I would again say, “Please butt out.”  This is not a happy time for Al Gore and Tipper.  Any inquiries would only deepen their sorrow.
For myself, if I were asked, I would say that the Gores have my greatest sympathy.  I understand what they are going through and I hope that in the end their separation is for the best.  Please in the interim, everyone in this country and in the English-speaking press abroad should kindly “butt out” and leave it to the Gores to settle their own affairs.  The end of a marriage is not a happy occasion.  Inquiries as to why all of this happened would only lead to greater sorrow for Al and Tipper Gore.  As someone who knows a little bit about this situation, I would say that we should let the Gores settle their own affairs.  And in the meantime, everyone should “butt out.”
 
E. E. CARR
June 8, 2010
Essay 461
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The only thing the media loves more than the personal lives of politicians and celebrities is death, preferably on a large scale. Though I find myself agreeing with Pop here — that the media should probably stay out of it — I also think that I have a bit of a double standard, because I love hearing about things like Sanford’s Argentine lover. So, if we agree that we should keep our noses out of these sorts of divorces, does that mean cutting ourselves off from the circus that is the party of Family Values and the trainwreck that is their personal lives?
 
P.S. I cannot think of “tipper” without thinking of “Mrs. Tipper,” my uncle’s absurdly spoiled, recently-deceased canine. I am forced to conclude that Tipper is a better dog name than person name. That is all.