Ending world hunger may seem like a pretty far-fetched dream to the average person. 800 million people go to sleep hungry every night, and more than 6 million children under the age of five die each year as a result of malnutrition, according to the World Health Organization. But John Teton, a novelist, filmmaker and director for the International Food Security Treaty, is trying to make a difference.
“Eugene is very fertile territory for this movement,” Teton said in a lecture Wednesday night in the Knight Library Browsing Room.
The University’s political science and international studies departments partnered with the Duck Store to bring Teton to campus for the University’s first public exposure to the IFST. Teton’s lecture, “Conquering Paradigm Paralysis: Human Rights Law and the End of World Hunger,” drew students of all majors.
“The air around here crackles with fresh thinking,” Teton said, looking out into the sea of faces that packed the room.
Teton began his lecture by quoting President Abraham Lincoln. “We must think anew. We must act anew.” Teton paused for effect.
“This is easier said than done,” Teton said. “Thinking and acting anew requires healthy brains.”
Teton emphasized the importance of keeping an open mind. He said that too often people avert their eyes and live in a state of “mental paralysis,” something he said is psychologically debilitating. Teton stated that instead of taking a closer examination at the problem at hand, people tend to focus on the simplicity of the solution.
“When it comes to opening people’s minds, a personal touch always triumphs policies,” Teton said, clicking the slide on the projector above him. A photograph showed a uniformed firefighter standing amidst a pile of rubble, the fallen World Trade Towers surrounding him.
Teton compared the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to world hunger in an extended “what if” scenario. Imagine stretching out the pain for hundreds of hours, he said, and imagine the government could prevent terrorism but had not gotten around to it yet; imagine terrorism was simply accepted as just part of the human condition – like starvation is.
“If you substitute malnutrition for terrorism, you get this,” Teton said. He clicked to the next slide – a black and white photograph of a man doubled over on the sidewalk, pure skin and bones, as a child looked on from behind.
“I think it’s exciting to consider hunger as a human rights issue,” said University sophomore Katherine Philipson. She is glad that the definition of human rights is expanding to include issues of food and starvation.
Assistant Professor of political science Jane Cramer said she liked the way Teton drew parallels between the movement to end world hunger and historical events.
Cramer was also impressed with some of the arguments Teton made in his lecture, she said.
“There is nobody who argues that world hunger is necessary,” Cramer said, adding that world hunger is a problem that can be solved.
“We’ve seen more crazy things on less important issues,” Cramer said.
Political science Graduate Teaching Fellow Leif Hoffmann attended the lecture with some of his students and invited Teton to speak in his class on Thursday.
“The nice thing about this issue is that it is easily understandable,” Hoffmann said. “People from any background can understand how important it is.”
“The hardest part is getting over the big hurdles,” he said. “We have to get into the consciousness of people, and that takes time. It can take 20 to 30 years. But it doesn’t happen overnight.”
Hoffmann, like Teton, was very impressed with the turnout for the evening.
“For 7 o’clock in the middle of the week, I’d say this was pretty good,” Hoffmann said.
University senior Mai Le said she had been thinking about this lecture weeks in advance.
“I came because I’ve always wondered about world hunger,” said Le, a planning, public policy & management major. “There’s really no reason why we should be accepting of it when there’s enough food to go around.”
Le said Teton’s was much more geared toward a discussion of what students can do to help than other lectures she has attended. She said that often, guest lectures are more academic-based and she leaves unsure of what message to take away.
“I thought the lecture was focused more on logistical detail than on the purpose,” Le said. She said she was still not sure how the international treaty to eradicate hunger will fare.
“To make people come on board they need to believe that it’s possible,” Le said. “And it’s hard to believe that it’s possible if we don’t know exactly how to do that.”
Le was also surprised at the turnout, but for the opposite reason that Teton was.
“I thought there were not enough people here tonight,” Le said. “I know there were at least 50 or so, but 50 students out of 20,000 care about ending world hunger? I find that a little sad.”
Le speculated the low turnout was due to students’ busy schedules. But she also proposed that this issue is not as sexy as other causes.
“Environmentalism is super trendy right now,” Le said. “I think that’s when I will believe there will be change for world hunger – when this issue becomes the trendy issue to care about.”
Teton continued delivering an upbeat message to the crowd all the way until the end of his speech.
“I’m counting on this campus,” Teton said. “Because if Eugene doesn’t get it done, what chance am I going to have at campuses that are less open to progressive ideas. This city has a reputation. This university has a reputation.”