First of all, I just want to say that the speech given by Elie Weisel and Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter are one of the best written essays I have ever read. That said, I will discuss what indifference and silence are.
These two were masters at using ethos, pathos and logos. They weaved the concepts seamlessly; they tore out your heart, lifted your soul from the darkness of ignorance and rewired your mind at the same time. What they spoke of though was the evil of indifference and silence. I was once read that indifference is the opposite of love. After reading those two essays, I couldn’t agree more. What indifference brings to mind is a robot. I know it seems weird, but hear me out. When we think of the movie terminator, we think of humanity fighting against the machines. What was more frightening than their endurance and strength was actually with the indifference they killed with. Men, women, pregnant women, children and babies died at their metal hands. What is scarier, a man who kills in anger or a man who kills just because he can? As Elie Weisel stated, it is indifference that makes us inhuman. Because what defines us as humans is the ability to love. Other animals can possibly love but humans do it in their own unique way. Love drives our society subconsciously. Whether it’s the love of power, justice, money, mercy or equality, the most significant thing is that we love. Or as Thomas Jefferson alluded to, it is the pursuit which we yearn for. Even if we never experience love for someone or something, we will always pursue it.
Now silence, is a different thing. Let me give an example of silence. It was my first year in high school and I was taking algebra because It was not forte. The classroom was full of the typical high school kids. There were the party goers, the jocks, nerds, the cholos, the cool kids and the outsiders. I was a nerd. But as the semesters passed, the cool kids would bug this girl, who was an outsider. She was quiet and did her work. She was a nice girl and had much to offer in friendship. I talked to her but soon the “cool” kids, began to nag her almost every week. They made fun of her shoes, how she dressed and her silence. She just sat there and took it. It was painful to watch but her silence made it worse. It’s like watching someone die. I have never felt more ashamed of myself than in that year. I had the power to stop it but my silence was what caused her to be bullied. I have since than vowed not to remain silent against such injustice. It is hard to keep that vow sometimes because I fear standing alone. I understand what Martin Luther King said about the time of silence being over when he initiated the movement of desegregation. My case was not as extreme but I do understand the urgency of which he spoke of. Silence is worse when you care because it marks you as a coward. I would rather be categorized as a robot than a coward.
You used the analogy of the movie “Terminator” showing that the robots were indifferent to killing humans but unfortunately I think our society is becoming more and more that way. I think exposure to violence in movies, video games, etc. is desensitizing humans where they aren’t as affected as much as we once were about cold-blooded murders. We also show indifference in other ways as well. There is a lot of suffering in this world and while I know we cannot help everyone, if each person did a little to help another person we would be a little better off as a whole. Instead, we walk by that homeless person for example and feel indifferent to their situation.
ReplyDeleteI agree that silence when an injustice is being done to either ourselves or someone else is very dangerous. You used the example of a classmate that was ridiculed. How many times have we heard about the teen who has committed suicide or taken a gun to school because they’ve just had enough of other’s harassing them? Maybe someone speaking up on their behalf could have changed the course of events. Children can be so cruel to one another and it can really damage another person. Unfortunately, this behavior often carries over into adulthood and into the workplace. As a supervisor, I often have to put a halt to conversations that I see moving in the direction of attacking a co-worker. We can usually handle the comments better as an adult but it still hurts the individual the comments are being made to and does nothing but hurt the team environment.
I went and read Elie Weisel's speech so I could fully understand what you were writing about, and if moved me to tears. I have read Weisel's book "Night", and it shows incredible indifference by the Nazi soldiers. You are right in saying that love is the driving force of society. Without it, we return to the state of nature, and care only for ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Terminator reference, it's very fitting, and easy to relate to. I also agree with Teri, that our youth's exposure to violence in movies, television, and video games that causes our society to become so immune to sympathy.
Another thought I have about what causes the indifference too often seen in large cities is the independence we all have. When people have to rely on each other to survive, then you find empathy and compassion.
I know that feeling of not standing up for someone. It really is like watching someone die. You shouldn't be afraid to stand alone, though. It is one of the hardest things you will ever do, and people will make fun of you at the time, but you will create a lasting impression, and maybe that impression will change them.
Silence is injustice's best friend. If no one speaks out against injustice, then there must be nothing wrong right? How many Germans sat back and said nothing as the Jews in their neighborhoods were taken, against their will to the camps. I understand the huge propaganda campaign that was going on at the time, but did no one stop and question why they never saw them again?
ReplyDeletePeople must not sit back and allow others to do as they please, hurting, or even killing, people in the process. Martin Luther King Jr. is a perfect example of this. He fought so hard for his cause, and stirred up so many people that he was murdered for it. It is sad that people can’t stand opposition so much they are willing to take one’s life to shut them up.
As for your experience in high school, many people take the easy route in instances, as you did. The important part was that you learned this was wrong. I was often the one being made fun of in school and it eventually led me to go on independent study to get away from people. The funny thing was, when I saw people ridiculing others, I would stand up for them. I was too ashamed to stand up for myself, but for whatever reason could do it for others.
Alley, I also agree that Night is an amazing read, one that everyone should read once. I took a Holocaust class a couple years ago, and that was a reading for it. I don’t think that one class has ever changed the way I look at things, people, and my beliefs so profoundly.