Why passivity is unacceptable
By Natalie Serafini, Opinions Editor
âFirst they came for the Jews and I did not speak outâbecause I was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists and I did not speak outâbecause I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak outâbecause I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for meâand there was no one left to speak out for me.â
-Martin Niemöller
If you and I disagree about something, I truly donât mind. I mean, if we have a difference in beliefs, I donât have a problem with the fact that we think differently. I canât guarantee that I wonât think youâre a jerk-wad, but I appreciate when people are opinionated. Without conflicting opinions, society is in danger of stagnation. Instead, what I canât stand in people is passivity.
I understand that most people donât get as angry about everything as I do. I also get that I, like many others, am oblivious to many issues, that I donât always make the right choices, and that I canât possibly take on every global injustice. But I can try: I can try to be aware; I can try to care if I donât already; and I can try to do something, however insignificant.
This is why passivity is so frustrating to me. If people are aware of and care about an issue, ignoring the problem demonstrates a lack of integrity. If they purposely avoid educating themselves, they are guilty of ignorance.
The excuses given are often that we âshould agree to disagreeâ and âcanât constantly be fighting every battle.â Itâs true that society will most likely never come to an agreement on every subject, and that one person taking on every injustice isnât realistic. Nonetheless, there are too many people doing too little.
We donât have to protest, and we donât have to fight every battle. But many people donât fight any battles. Never mind fighting a battleâfighting suggests getting off your ass and actually protesting or sacrificing something. How about supporting an issue? How about saying to yourself, âHey! I donât like sweatshops! I should find companies that donât employ sweatshops, and support those companies.â Itâs easy to vote with your dollar. People in the States are doing it in droves over Chick-fil-Aâs blatant support of anti-gay agendas. To not do anything because itâs more convenient is inexcusable.
Agreeing to disagree is no position at all; itâs not even an attempt at neutrality in instances where peopleâs rights are being infringed upon. You cannot justify standing by when you could easily do something, no matter how seemingly insignificant. To shrug and say âWe canât fight every battleâ or âLetâs agree to disagreeâ is to abdicate responsibility. If each of us only fights the battles that affect us, no one will ever have the power to make a difference.
