Bob Herbert: Against Indifference

Posted by Freddie on February 20, 2007 under Uncategorized |

I just went to the Chancellor’s Lecture Series at Vanderbilt to hear Bob Herbert speak. And I’m glad I did. He gave a solid (although not quite inspiring) lecture on the notion of pervasive indifference in American society. It’s the same sort of indifference that inspired Mary to engage in her Lucy Votes voter registration drive back in 2004 and ultimately led to the creation of Liberadio(!).

Herbert lamented that the pervasivevness extends from the aftermath of Katrina to civilian deaths in the Iraq war. Why are we so compassionate for the few thousand who lost their lives in the tragedy of 9/11 but vastly less so regarding the “scores of thousands” who have lost their lives as a result of the war in Iraq? The lecture was markedly anti-war. And it was pointed in its criticism of the lack of leadership among various communities (specific mentions of the black and feminist communities) where indifference has led to pervasive problems and near hopelessness.

Long-time listeners of Liberadio(!) will know that we often challenge our guests with a final question: “What can we and our listeners do…?” We constantly fight against indifference on the show. We’re all about participatory democracy. To us, the highest form of patriotism is civic activism, whether by being involved politically or otherwise in ways that improve the world. From changing lightbulbs to going door-to-door on behalf of a favored candidate to filing papers oneself. And many of these were on the same list that Herbert gave in his discourse.

But I challenged him, as I challenge our guests, during the question and answer period that followed the lecture. I complimented him on his thought leadership and asked for examples of individual leadership based on an experience in his life that caused him to change his behavior in order to avoid indifference. He punted. I don’t fault him for that. He explained the fine line he must walk as a writer for The New York Times and that he felt uncomfortable answering lest he inappropriate use his bully pulpit. But I’m always looking for ways to enhance the toolkit of making a difference in the face of almost overwhelming indifference. I wanted a way that members of the audience could find to relate to a small step he had taken in his own life and not feel the pressure of ending the Iraq war or rebuilding after Katrina. Concrete options supplementing conceptual remarks are a strength, in my opinion. Despite the lack of concrete options, I appreciated the lecture and thought it was both relevant and important. Thank you, Mr. Herbert.