In Kennedyesque fashion Monday, Former President Bill Clinton gave a powerful challenge to those who heard his speech, “What can we do as private citizens to advance the public interest?”
Mr. Clinton prescribed several noble possibilities. He encouraged the audience to advocate for the poor, the malnourished and the environment.
Wonderful advice indeed, Mr. Clinton — your eloquence and depth of thought never ceases to impress. Even more impressive perhaps are the hundreds of thousands of dollars you were probably paid to come speak.
Setting aside Mr. Clinton’s speaking fees, he did make a good point about advocacy.
The internet has empowered millions of us to become advocates. Each of us here at N.C. State has the resources, via Mr. Gore’s gracious gift, to reach millions of our peers. Take a step back and consider that WKNC can be heard live in Paris and this article could be read by someone in Munich.
In Mr. Clinton’s speech, he claimed that in the last decade hundreds of thousands of new non-governmental organizations have developed because of the incredible networking power of the internet.
The evidence of non-governmental advocacy is everywhere and continues to grow in this increasingly internet-savvy era. Still, some of the noblest causes go unrepresented and forgotten.
This Wednesday was the Freedom of Choice Act awareness day. If you are passionate about protecting the lives of unborn children, then sign the online petitions to voice your dissent.
Earlier this month hundreds of Facebook groups and petitions arose over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. If you advocate peace, advance the cause of a realistic and lasting two state solution.
The oppressive authoritarian government of Robert Mugabe has allowed thousands of Zimbabweans to die of curable illnesses and starvation over the last two decades. Instead of surfing Wikipedia for an hour, you could educate yourself and others with a few clicks of your mouse.
In China, the supply of baby formula to millions of young Chinese children was contaminated by melamine, a powerful poison. In America, millions of salmonella-tainted peanut butter products were released into the food supply. If the safety of your food matters to you, then raise hell to the Food and Drug Administration.
At NCSU, the administration has spent years hiring more administrators and fewer teachers while simultaneously pouring millions into buildings on Centennial Campus, which if we are lucky will be completed by the time our children are 18. If the quality of your education matters to you, speak up and find a new solution or present a different vantage point.
Internet advocacy is not a substitute for volunteering at a food bank or marching for a cause. But if nothing else, it is a start. The very largest oaks start as saplings, likewise, some of the greatest movements grow out of the smallest actions. One letter, one Facebook group, one pledge, one signature can actually make a difference.
In the words of Mr. Clinton, “We have a crisis of doing.” The only solution then is to “become part of a how generation.”
Become the how.
E-mail Russell your thoughts on advocacy to [email protected].
