Nader issues challenge of activism

Ubben Lecture Series speaker Ralph Nader noted that, in only about 15,000 days, all of the students seated in Kresge Auditorium listening to his speech would be 65 years old. With this, he later asked, "What kind of mark do you want to leave on the world?"Though the title of his speech, "Don't Waste Your 20s: Your Most Creative Decade," indicated a focus on the potential of youth in general, Nader, a nationally recognized consumer advocate, lawyer, activist and three-time presidential candidate, spoke mainly of civic responsibility, social justice and the need for global change. Nader said many students can help achieve this change in their lifetime if they approach it with the proper mindset from an early age. Nader stressed that students shouldn't underestimate their capacity for making an impact on this world.

"Have you thought about your horizons?" Nader said. "Is it beyond having a material standard of living that you think is comfortable? Does your reach expand to reach the outer limits of your ethical potential? If you don't have these kinds of thoughts from time to time, or are not involved in some sort of struggle for justice ... you are missing some form of normative component to your education."

Nader said the education system does not place enough value on teaching students civil justice. Students do not learn to feel comfortable expressing their opinions on social and civil justice when they feel their opinions are too controversial because they have only been taught to memorize and regurgitate material.

"The worst kind of censorship is self-censorship," Nader said. "If you do not hone your own sense of injustice you will not develop a sense of justice. That tends to dim the capacity for critical thinking no matter how many books you read."

Nader spoke of the 20s as being a critical decade for forming one's sense of social justice and political activism.

"What you do in life will largely be decided by the vector you set in your 20s," Nader said. "Later you will have more wisdom, but it starts in your 20s."

His call to act did not go unnoticed.

Sophomore Tim Martin said Nader's statement that students had no excuse for inaction was the most effective part of the speech.

"If they [DePauw students] feel powerless, to reclaim their power," Martin said, paraphrasing Nader's argument against excuses for inaction.

There are many barriers that obscure social action, Nader said. Often words act as these obstacles, pushing the real problem to the background. He said many college students get upset about gender, ethnic and racial issues, but do not act upon them.

"And when any society goes berserk over politically incorrect words and phrases and ignores the reality that is torturing people and rendering them extremely unjustly treated, the result is that we're not facing up to reality," Nader said.

Nader promoted free speech on issues that mean most to each individual. He also urged students to exercise rights and to think critically when making important decisions. Individuals must understand how society functions on political, capitalistic and social levels, he continued.

Individuals must educate themselves, he said, so they can decide which political leaders run the United States, which companies and corporations gain control over the economy, what happens to the environment and which scientific breakthroughs are given importance.

Sophomore Darren Viegas took the speech to heart.

"He touched on a lot of key points that are not only important to us but points that we should be concerned about," Viegas said.

Jessie Weasner, coordinator of community service and outreach at the Hartman House, said she appreciated Nader's focus on the importance of civic engagement and thought he made an impact on the audience.

"Some of the things he said were controversial, but controversy is good if it sparks people into action," Weasner said.

One major undercurrent of Nader's speech was his criticism of the Bush administration.

"We are dealing here with an outlaw government, a criminal government," Nader said. "We have to face up to it."

Nader challenged the audience.

"Does it upset you? Give you any sense of indignation? Join other students who are active, who struggle to end this war."

After the speech, President Robert G. Bottoms said he was pleased with the turnout.

"I think it was reassuring to hear someone articulate our worry about apathy, and our civic duty," Bottoms said. "I agreed when he said he felt students should have more say."

In the end, Nader stressed the importance of global social change and living life without regrets.

"When you leave DePauw and go out into society, given our powerful role in the world, you are living in the country where you have the greatest potential to improve the world," Nader said. "Don't look back in 15,000 or 20,000 days with regret of what you missed, which is the great work of life on this earth and the pursuit of social justice."



- Staff writers contributed to this article.