Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, have announced they are divorcing after 40 years of marriage. In fact, they informed family friends via e-mail. A spokesman for Gore even confirmed the tacky mass e-mail is indeed authentic.

A CNN political analyst Gloria Borger described the announcement as “sad.”

“They are a real couple,” she said.

As opposed to a fake couple? Aren’t all couples “real,” whether they are a picture-perfect example of matrimony or a disgrace to the institution of marriage?

Thankfully, most of us regular folks don’t divorce under an international limelight, but that goes with the territory. Like most celebrities, I find it odd that people would be so shocked they are divorcing, as if the smiles and kisses they display on stage are genuine expressions of love straight from a fairytale.

I don’t know Al and Tipper at all, of course, and I don’t know any of the juicy details about the cause of their separation, but no one ever knows what really goes on behind closed doors, when the mics are switched off and the videocameras have left. The same goes for “real” people, although we may not be followed around by cameras all day and quoted on CNN.

After learning of the divorce, a friend of mine said she believes this is another confirmation of the deterioration of marriage in general, despite the obvious celebrity status of the couple.
I’m not one to judge anyone for getting a divorce, even though I am not a fan of Al Gore. People have problems, and unfortunately, sometimes we have to see them splashed across our screens for days on end. This comes on the heels of other recent famous people divorces: actress Sandra Bullock and cheater/bad boy Jesse James; golfer/cheater Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren; actor/five-time divorcee Dennis Hopper (who died shortly afterward) and Victoria Duffy.

I have to share just one joke a co-worker made upon hearing of the Gore’s separation: “Who will get the Internet in the divorce?”

Katie Johnson is the managing editor of the Niles Daily Star, Cassopolis Vigilant and Edwardsburg Argus. She can be reached at (269) 687-7713 or at katie.johnson@leaderpub .com.