Ani DiFranco on American apathy, 2003

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about American apathy, you know just about our inertia, our consumerism as opposed to citizenship, how we can hardly be bothered to vote, most of us, let alone really be politically active or active in our communities. And the more that I do that myself, try and be a participant in democracy, try and help create it in my country, I realize it brings my life so much joy. It makes me all kinds of friends, it gives my life so much meaning, and sometimes I wish...I almost think that people don’t know that. You know it looks like a lot of work to get involved in your community. You have to start going to meetings or donate your time, and people are, I think, not as involved as they could be just because they don’t know that actually it’s a way of improving your own life.

Outtake from a feature on NPR's All Things Considered about on Ani DiFranco's quest to save a historic church in Buffalo. Listen to the story at the NPR site.