AHS TED Talk Blogging: Dave Meslin

Dave Meslin believes that often the reason people do not contribute to their community is not because of apathy, but rather because of the obstacles that society puts in their way. He concludes that society as whole discourages engagement. He concludes that if engagement in the community is promoted, people will care and not be apathetic.

Meslin makes some excellent points in his talk. Communities should make engagement much more accessible to the average person. Communities should support civilian input as this input can make a community much better as a whole. I personally am not very active in my community but I honestly do not know what opportunities are available. If communities would value the input of civilians more highly, many more people would get involved. Meslin's idea that apathy is often due to the fact that opportunities to help are not well marketed is a good one. Another good point he makes is that media and public space do not encourage making a difference in our communtiy. I think media like TV and magazines should have sections that allow charitable organizations to "advertise". The "unprofitablity" of charities is a huge barrier to getting the word out about their organizations. I personally would be very interested to hear what charitable organizations there are locally as I do not know of many.

The barriers that Meslin considers are very good points, but he does miss a major point--humans are naturally flawed. Everyone is selfish, at least to a degree. This does not mean that no one cares about others and their community, but it does mean that there are many people that are lazy and selfish (even if only a little bit). Hopefully media and communities can get people who ordinarily would not help the community to do so. Sending good messages and "marketing" volunteer opportunities can most definitely increase volunteering.

Meslin's idea of eliminating barriers that society establishes being an antidote to apathy is very good, but he does not realize that there is true selfishness and apathy: no one is perfect.