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The Perils of Indifference
Perils of indifference indifference is always the friend of the enemy
The impact of indifference
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Indifference is perhaps the greatest tragedy of our modern era. It’s everywhere.
Like a cancer, it has grown slowly yet steadily and we have now reached a point where it has become the norm. Indeed, the spirit of indifference. We have even become
"indifferent" to indifference itself.
The cruelty and non-emotional detachment of the” indifferent”, and their indifference to the suffering of others are as varied as are many. Such as, ignorance, fear, profit, power, control and dominance. The indifference of people to the pain, suffering, torture and the murder of others, is a continuing theme of human tragedy. It is humanity’s, inhumanity to humanity. It has existed since the beginning of humankind, and it continues in full force in present day.
I think of the poor, the hungry and the homeless right here in America, and my work at the Topeka Rescue Mission. People helping people, literally faith with its sleeves rolled up. It is a beautiful and natural act. Helping one another. Then, I think of the politics and the blame game of why there are poor, homeless and hungry. It makes my head hurt, that they actually spend money and time and pretending to address the issues, yet literally end up creating more of what they are trying to reduce. In the Marion
Catholic just one of many, excellent examples of the poor, and how easily we are indifferent. How quietly insidiously indifference permeates our everyday lives. In attempts to call attention to humanity’s compassion for itself and for each other.
A man walks down the street to work and along the way passes a poor beggar in tattered clothing, munching on a moldy piece of cheese he scrounged from a nearby dumpster. The man feels an aversion to the beggar and casually...
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...dge or even protest the inhumanity and genocide of millions of people.
One would also think that we would have learned from the holocaust, but our indifference to others remains just as strong today as it did then. Histories destined to repeat. Works Cited
Wiesel, Elie
The Perils of Indifference, Whitehouse speech American Rhetoric, 12 April 1999 http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/wiesel.htm
The World Health Organization
Violence against women: a ‘global health problem of epidemic proportions’ 20 JUNE 2013 | GENEVA
Pope Francis
Comfort makes us indifferent to suffering of migrants, St. Peter's Square general audience, May 22, 2013 http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/
Center For Disease Control
Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System, (CDC Report 2012)
The Marion Catholic
Indifference: Today’s Great Tragedy http://themariancatholic.blogspot.com/
Essentially, interest groups use many different tactics to accomplish their central goals but this paper will detail 2 of them. The first being lobbying, which is the act of persuading businesses as well as government leaders to help a specific organization by changing laws or creating events in favor of that group. Interest groups use this technique by hiring someone to represent them and advocate their cause to on the behalf of the entire group. These hired representatives usually have more than enough experience within the political field and are able to persuade connections within the government for help with their concerns. This method gets a lot of criticism because although lobbyist offer their input to government officials on pending laws, they only look at what is favorable for their cause. When trying to make a difference you have to not only reflect on your argument but on the side affects of that argument as
“Sonny’s Blues” is a short story in which James Baldwin, the author, presents an existential world where suffering characterizes a man’s basic state. The theme of tragedy and suffering can be transformed into a communal art form such as blues music. Blues music serves as a catalyst for change because the narrator starts to understand that not only the music but also himself and his relationship with Sonny. The narrator’s view of his brother begins to change; he understands that Sonny uses music as an exit of his suffering and pain. This story illustrates a wide critical examination. Richard N. Albert is one critic that explores and analyzes the world of “Sonny’s Blues”. His analysis, “The Jazz-Blues Motif in James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”” is an example of how one can discover plot, characterization and jazz motif that builds this theme of suffering.
In the article “I Need a Dollar: Should you give to the New York 's Homeless?”, published on Gawker.com on July 28, 2014, Paul Cantor argues the issue of whether or not you should give money to a panhandler. Like Cantor, I have been approached several times by people asking for money. Often times I wondered, "how did you end up in this situation?” More often than not I find myself leaning towards the negative connotation; that it is their fault they’re in these circumstances. However, I generally feel that I can spare a buck or two. Cantor suggests "maybe nine out of every ten panhandlers are lying." Even if every dollar you hand out goes to something it shouldn 't, what is it really hurting? I agree with Cantor. Americans spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars a year on coffee
When people first hear about the Holocaust, they are so surprised to hear how horrible and sick the whole time period was for Jews. Everyone is really shocked to know that so many horrible and hateful things could be done. The idea that countries were taken over, families and children were torn apart and people were tortured and murdered, is unbelievable. Propaganda and psychological conditioning played a large role in the genocide and overall indifference towards Jews during the holocaust. Not only was Hitler and his troops able to control armies, but he was able to influence other countries through precise planning and strategic moves.
Indifference is evil because it can cause harm to others. For example In the speech, “The Perils of Indifference” by Elie Wiesel States, “The depressing tale of the St. Louis is a case in point. Sixty years ago, its human cargo -- maybe 1,000 Jews -- was turned back to Nazi Germany. And that happened after the Kristallnacht, after the first state sponsored pogrom, with hundreds of Jewish shops destroyed, synagogues burned, thousands of people put in concentration camps. And that ship, which was already on the shores of the United States, was
Throughout all of humanity, people have been shunning other people for many reasons. Whether it be the differences between two people or the wrongdoings of a person, it almost seems like human nature for people to turn away from each other. A person would think that over time, society would become more accepting of others, but instead, it seems that the things that have been seen to be unfit for society in the past still hold true today. Traditions and beliefs are still prevalent today, and when someone goes against them, it is seen as a reason to create a pariah out of the person. Whether it’d be the lepers of the past or the whistleblowers of today, shunning is still commonplace in todays society.
National data gives us an indication of the severity of this issue. When 1 in 5-woman report being victims of severe physical violence (NISVS, 2010), we must ask ourselves if enough is being done to prevent this from occurring. From a historical point, there has always almost been a distinction from men on woman violence. Based on the disparity of cases reported, male inflicted violence on females is much higher and prevalent. When the perpetrators of DV, and IPV are predominately males, we can no longer dismissed this issue as a cultural, or
Begging in America has evolved into something to be abhorred and looked at with shame in the American culture. Research says that begging “… is associated with phenomena such as homelessness, unemployment, refugees… It is also stigmatized as involving crime … and a source of national shame.” (Arnold). When we see panhandlers on the streets we automatically assume that these men and women are deficient and have nothing better to do than to ask others for money. A majority of America will place people who beg as inferior to humans, as if we lived by an explicitly defined social class system, and not recognize them as an individual ─ America gives them little to no worth in society. Thus, panhandlers are given no rights by the citizenry.
Irish Playwright, George Bernard Shaw, once said, “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.” Inhumanity is mankind’s worse attribute. Every so often, ordinary humans are driven to the point were they have no choice but to think of themselves. One of the most famous example used today is the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night demonstrates how fear is a debilitating force that causes people to lose sight of who they once were. After being forced into concentration camps, Elie was rudely awakened into reality. Traumatizing incidents such as Nazi persecution or even the mistreatment among fellow prisoners pushed Elie to realize the cruelty around him; Or even the wickedness Elie himself is capable of doing. This resulted in the loss of faith, innocence, and the close bonds with others.
Rodgers, K. ‘Wife assault: the findings of a national survey’. Juristat Service Bulletin, 1994, 14:1-22, cited in World Health Organization, ‘World Report on Violence and Health’, ed. by Krug, Etienne G., et al., Geneva, 2002.
...ential Option for the Poor." National Catholic Reporter. National Catholic Reporter Publications, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
This is still seen today through historical marks such as, the Zimmerman case which led to social movements across nations. Sadly not every selfish decision made leads to something greater. Such decisions include WWII and dictators amongst history.
that takes years before the full benefits are realized. This long term focus aligns the interests of the
The disparity between the rich and the poor- This isn’t necessarily at the fault of the rich, but more opportunities need to be presented to those who aren’t wealthy. Frequently people make excuses and claim that opportunities are already there for the poor and that they don’t just work hard but this isn’t the case. While some people may make bad
Poverty: a never ending cycle of American disappointment. There are many reasons why poverty is so prominent: the corrupt government, education systems, the never-ending circle, the materialized world, and the morality of it all. Throughout time, people have stumbled among the dilemma of helping or ignoring. We often stumble on the questions, “How do we fix this issue? Can we? Would we?”. Everyone has his or her own opinion on the topic, but does that change the morality of it? Poverty is a very controversial issue in America, but when broken down into causes and solutions it is actually very simple.