"Ensure a Hospitable Environment for Whistle Blowing"

"Alfredo North Whitehead wrote, 'Duty arises from our potential control over the course of events.' Since the early 1970s, this insight has given rise to the ethics of whistle blowing-- the lone individual of conscience within a corporate of governmental organization who sees wrong and tries to right it, often at great personal risk.

Society has an acute interest in fostering a more muscular whistle blowing ethic. Corporate and government employees are among the first to know about fraud and corruption, industrial dumping of toxics into waterways, defectively designed automobiles, or undisclosed adverse effects of prescription drugs and pesticides. They are the first to understand how to prevent existing hazards. But they are very often the last to speak out.

There is a great need now to extend the reach of this ethic into such organizations as corporate and governmental bureaucracies. But the ethic will only flourish in these settings if employees have the right to due process within their organizations..."

"Democratic Revolution in an Age of Autocracy," from The Ralph Nader Reader

Who knew that the readings from my "History of Consumer Movements in the U.S." class would actually turn out to be interesting! The overlap between all of my classes this semester with my interests, my job, the nonprofit world, my future goals, and AIESEC has been amazing so far...more blogs to come.