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Mondale says world conversation is changing
February 23, 2007
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When he was the ambassador to Japan in the early 1990s, former Vice President Walter Mondale would ask the American students studying there what they read before leaving the U.S. to prepare for their visit to a foreign land.
“Every time I got the same blank stare,” Mondale said. “Most of them hadn’t read anything. They’re just Americans over there, taking a look.”
It’s a problem he’s seen many times over his decades-long career in politics. In this global world, Americans need to realize how important it is to understand others and different cultures, he said. Unfortunately, it’s an objective Americans often have trouble achieving.
“Before you can have a good conversation with someone, you must know something about what you are discussing. And I’m not sure Americans always do that well,” he explained.
Mondale spoke to a standing-room only audience on the topic, “The Changing World Conversation,” in Chris Knutzen Hall last Friday as part of the Wang Center’s two-day “World Conversations: Voices from Around the Globe” event. The audience included students, faculty, staff and members from the surrounding community.
“I’m truly impressed by what you are doing here. It is moving your students and our country in the direction we simply must go,” he said. “I salute the emphasis on service, on what we call ‘calling,’ and your realization that we have to learn and be a part of this world in which we live.”
Global cooperation is necessary to overcome the most pressing issues facing the world today, including the war in Iraq, global warming and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, he said. The United States has suffered because it barges into the affairs of other countries that it knows little about, Mondale said, pointing to past conflicts in the Philippines and Vietnam, and the current situation in Iraq.
“The world needs an active, concerned America,” he said. “I believe most people want a strong, engaged United States of America. But if we act out of ignorance, especially when we couple that with military power, history teaches us that sometimes, not always, we pay a terrible price.”
The U.S. sees itself as a nation that is unique in its role to bring order to the world, but it has used its power poorly and lost the respect and trust of nations across the globe, Mondale said. The country must change its path, use its power legitimately and work to gain back the trust and respect it’s lost.
“Even America needs friends,” Mondale said.
The current generation of college students has the greatest opportunity to learn about and reach out to people around the world, he said. And PLU students are already embarking on that journey by traveling to other countries, learning about the culture and sharing their experiences with others.
“Learn, listen and respect,” Mondale said. “These are the keys to your future and America’s stature in the world.”
Prior to his speech, student reporters from the Mast and MediaLab had the opportunity to meet with Mondale. Seniors Ingrid Stegemoeller and Ben Blankenship were impressed with his insights into current world issues and his lack of “political speech.”
“He was very articulate,” Stegemoeller said. “He didn’t give long-winded responses like I expected from a politician.”
Stegemoeller admitted she was nervous to interview such an important person. To calm her nerves, she kept reminding herself that he was just a person, and the interview was a great opportunity to “get her feet wet.” The fact that the interview went well boosted her confidence, too, she said.
Stegemoeller blogged about her conversation with Mondale for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (read it here). Blankenship videotaped Stegemoeller’s interview and cut together a video for The News Tribune’s Web site (view it here).
Mondale was vice president under Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. He received the Democratic nomination for president, but ultimately lost to Ronald Reagan in 1984. He got his start in politics as a U.S. senator from Minnesota, and now works for the Minneapolis-based law firm of Dorsey & Whitney.
To view Mondale’s speech, click here.
(Photo by Chris Hunt '07.)
It’s a problem he’s seen many times over his decades-long career in politics. In this global world, Americans need to realize how important it is to understand others and different cultures, he said. Unfortunately, it’s an objective Americans often have trouble achieving.
“Before you can have a good conversation with someone, you must know something about what you are discussing. And I’m not sure Americans always do that well,” he explained.
Mondale spoke to a standing-room only audience on the topic, “The Changing World Conversation,” in Chris Knutzen Hall last Friday as part of the Wang Center’s two-day “World Conversations: Voices from Around the Globe” event. The audience included students, faculty, staff and members from the surrounding community.
“I’m truly impressed by what you are doing here. It is moving your students and our country in the direction we simply must go,” he said. “I salute the emphasis on service, on what we call ‘calling,’ and your realization that we have to learn and be a part of this world in which we live.”
Global cooperation is necessary to overcome the most pressing issues facing the world today, including the war in Iraq, global warming and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, he said. The United States has suffered because it barges into the affairs of other countries that it knows little about, Mondale said, pointing to past conflicts in the Philippines and Vietnam, and the current situation in Iraq.
“The world needs an active, concerned America,” he said. “I believe most people want a strong, engaged United States of America. But if we act out of ignorance, especially when we couple that with military power, history teaches us that sometimes, not always, we pay a terrible price.”
The U.S. sees itself as a nation that is unique in its role to bring order to the world, but it has used its power poorly and lost the respect and trust of nations across the globe, Mondale said. The country must change its path, use its power legitimately and work to gain back the trust and respect it’s lost.
“Even America needs friends,” Mondale said.
The current generation of college students has the greatest opportunity to learn about and reach out to people around the world, he said. And PLU students are already embarking on that journey by traveling to other countries, learning about the culture and sharing their experiences with others.
“Learn, listen and respect,” Mondale said. “These are the keys to your future and America’s stature in the world.”
Prior to his speech, student reporters from the Mast and MediaLab had the opportunity to meet with Mondale. Seniors Ingrid Stegemoeller and Ben Blankenship were impressed with his insights into current world issues and his lack of “political speech.”
“He was very articulate,” Stegemoeller said. “He didn’t give long-winded responses like I expected from a politician.”
Stegemoeller admitted she was nervous to interview such an important person. To calm her nerves, she kept reminding herself that he was just a person, and the interview was a great opportunity to “get her feet wet.” The fact that the interview went well boosted her confidence, too, she said.
Stegemoeller blogged about her conversation with Mondale for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (read it here). Blankenship videotaped Stegemoeller’s interview and cut together a video for The News Tribune’s Web site (view it here).
Mondale was vice president under Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. He received the Democratic nomination for president, but ultimately lost to Ronald Reagan in 1984. He got his start in politics as a U.S. senator from Minnesota, and now works for the Minneapolis-based law firm of Dorsey & Whitney.
To view Mondale’s speech, click here.
(Photo by Chris Hunt '07.)