L
iberal vs. Conservative? Anyone who has ever suppressed frustration over the current state of affairs in the United States understands the importance of speaking out and changing the world.
On Wednesday, March 1, 2011, activist Ralph Nader and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson graced TCNJ students and faculty with their presence on Kendall Hall Main Stage. Alex Berger, representing the College Democrats, introduced the two “world-changers” upholding truth and compassion, detailing that, “few have done more for citizenship and empowerment than these two.”
The two speakers eloquently spoke about the state of the economy, specifically attending to poverty and inequality, corporatism, and working class conditions. Ralph Nader is a unique and accomplished member of the Independent party, representing himself as a progressive individual not affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic parties. Jesse Jackson is an expressive leader for equality and justice who worked as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s aide in 1966.
Have you ever considered the inequality of social classes in the United States? Ever thought your tax dollars were being sent straight to the development of warfare in Iraq and not toward education? Well, you wouldn’t be far from the truth.
As a generally lower-middle/middle-class campus, we all understand the struggle with student loans and health insurance, and we all know somebody (or know somebody who knows somebody) who has died from drug abuse, suicide or has suffered severe poverty. By stating facts such as the top 10 percent of the population controls two-thirds of the nation’s wealth, and the average household wages have reached a plateau while the top 5 percent continue to grow, Nader empowered college students by challenging us to raise our expectations and demand higher wages, better health insurance, employment security, and lower taxes.
These tax dollars go straight toward the corporate businesses that control every level of agency, conduct research and create technology, which is great… but we never receive any payback for our hard-earned taxed dollars. He insists that we, the youth, the “moral human beings,” must control our civic freedom by breaking the routine and protesting, to be a true citizen and become organized to prevent ourselves from becoming “serfs” to the corporate world.
Reverend Jesse Jackson touched upon student loans and credit card debt, stating that it is “normal, not natural, and diminishes the nation’s capacity to bring education” when student loan debt severely outweighs credit card debt.
While Wall Street tries to figure out what to do with two million extra dollars, 50 million people are starving and malnourished and 50 million others do not have health insurance or any ability to obtain healthcare. This gap, Jackson emphasizes, is greater than that in Tunisia, yet we are not taking a stand. The fate of our country is in our hands, and we have that ability to make a change.
To the question about poverty in cities such as Trenton, Jackson responded that we must “formulate a vision of society” in which the money needed to rebuild Trenton is not used for war, and where taxi drivers, cashiers, and other thankless jobs receive at least minimum wage.
Again, we are reminded of the revolution in Egypt and the riots in Tunisia, the supporters currently protesting in Libya. The abolition of slavery and political revolts of 1887, and even the revolutions in Europe of 1848 are prime examples of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. They all began with one idea.
Nader insists, “Do not let your talents be abused!” in response to the economists and engineers graduating from top-tier universities defending Wall Street crooks and building new machinery for warfare. He also said, “Stop looking at your screens and challenge yourself.”
He dares us to revolt against manipulative technology and to prevent our grandchildren from asking, “What were you doing when this [insert monumental life-changing historical event here] happened?” and our response being, “Oh… I was on Facebook.”
Finally, our very own state school is currently subsidizing less than one-third of its educational funding, which is down from the previous three-fourths. How do we change this, if change is even possible? Well, Jackson replied, “One thing worse than slavery is to adjust to it.” Both Nader and Jackson believe that college students, such as you, have the ability to rise against social injustice and make a real difference.
Jackson ended with some more encouragement: “If you change your mind, your world will change.”
Photo Credit:
1 – TCNJ College Democrats