Indifference: A Strong Aggressor Of Evil

Evil is in us no matter what, but in order to unleash that evil, we ourselves must witness a tragic event occur and fail to tell others; being a bystander is even worse than being the ¨bully.¨ Edmund Burke once said that ¨the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.¨ Many may believe that they are good civilians, but one of their main flaws is not standing up for oneself or others. People witness horrific events occur, but lack the courage or morality to tell others. There are times when peer pressure shoves its way into a person's mentality. Their moral compass spins in circles, trying to figure out how to solve the situation they are in. Though doing nothing is a con, it can supposedly be a pro. When an eyewitness is asked to explain a murder, they are often threatened to not speak up.

One of the oldest dilemmas in philosophy is also one of the greatest threats to Christian theology. The problem of evil simultaneously perplexes the world’s greatest minds and yet remains palpably close to the hearts of the most common people. If God is good, then why is there evil? The following essay describes the problem of evil in relation to God, examines Christian responses to the problem, and concludes the existence of God and the existence of evil are fully compatible.

When it comes to issues that arise that can potentially destroy life as we know it, issues like mass genocide, terrorism, and abuse of power, indifference will lead to the ultimate demise our most simple human characteristic, humility. Denoted as the lack of difference or distinction between two or more things, indifference is the worst response. Not only are you empowering the oppressor and giving them the green light by not checking their actions but you are saying to the oppressed, “Your cries of pain are not heard.” Holocaust Survivor, Elie Wiesel graced an audience with his April 12, 1999 White House Millennium Lecture entitled, “The Perils of Indifference.” Many people hide behind the vail of the bystander effect theory, which is commonly

Being indifferent can be dangerous for all people. The definition of indifference is a lack of interest, concern, or sympathy and if a lot of people are indifferent then they won’t care about

Indifference is everywhere and has be around for a long time. Everyone has at least felt indifference at least one time in their life. Indifference is to feel a lack of compassion or have a lack of action to an unfair situation. Like a person being cyberbullied everyone sees it but not many do anything about it. Bullying is everywhere and needs to be stopped but yet people are still getting bullied everyday around the world. The term bystander refers to a person watching another being bullied. The bystander may not act because he or she is afraid of the bully. This lack of action may be due to circumstance . The bystander generally feels guilty for watching and not doing anything about it.

Romanian-born American Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel in his critical speech, ”Perils of Indifference,” maintains the idea that indifference is inhumane. He supports his claim by using his personal experience in the Holocaust. Additionally, it states in paragraph 9 that “They were dead and did not know it.” emphasizes how indifference has made the “Muselmann” completely unaware of their fate. Further, it states in paragraph 8 that “Indifference can be tempting… troublesome… and can make our lives meaningless.” Wiesel’s purpose is to warn the people that change is needed in order to encourage the people to make a change in the world for the better so something as tragic and devastating like the Holocaust never happens again. He establishes a critical tone for readers by using stylistic devices and rhetorical devices such as imagery, contemplative questions,and word choice in order to achieve his message that indifference is inhumane. Wiesel’s message about the inhumanity of indifference and the importance of resistance is still relevant today.

Indifference means not caring. According to Google, indifference means, lack of interest, concern, or sympathy. Unimportance. The novel Night by, Elie Wiesel, shows many ideas of indifference. The quote on the front cover, “A slim volume of terrifying power”- The New York Times, touches me because it is just one man's story out of millions that have a story to tell of the terrifying horror that happened to them during that time. Of course, indifference was part of the whole book because it was about the Jews and the Nazi Army did not care about them.

Indifference “elicits no response.” Indifference “is not a response.” Famous author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in his speech, “The Perils of Indifference” informs the audience about the dangers of indifference. He supports his claim by first giving a dictionary definition of indifference, then talking about his personal experiences and then about examples in history when we were indifference. Wiesel's purpose is to illustrate the dangers of indifference using his own personal experiences and historical examples in order to explain how terrible it is and to persuade us to do something about it. He establishes a serious, somber, and critical tone for the politicians in attendance of the Millennium Lecture Series, which is a series of cultural showcases that highlight the creativity and inventiveness of the ideas, art, and scientific discoveries.

He establishes a critical tone for those who don’t see indifference as much of a problem or at least a problem that concerns them.

In 2010, Alfred Tate-Yax, a 31 year old homeless man, in Queens, New York bled to death as more than 20 people ignored him for nearly an hour before emergency services arrived. Alfred was brutally stabbed several times after saving a woman, who fled the scene before he collapsed, from being mugged. One man even rolled him over to see his bleeding wound but walked away and acted as if he didn’t see anything. Although he ultimately risked and sacrificed his life to save a stranger his kindness wasn’t returned by any of the approximately 20 indifferent bystanders who passed or even made contact with him. Surely, if someone would’ve called the police sooner this heroic man might still be alive. How was it really that difficult

Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, in his speech, "The Perils of Indifference," argues that indifference can destroy mankind as it can obliterate a person's humanity. He supports his claim by first expressing his gratitude for his audience for their fight against insouciance to gain their trust, then uses logical reasoning to convey that the United States has committed acts of indifference to showcase the severity of the situation, and evokes emotion by proclaiming how children endure indifference. Wiesel's purpose is to expose the harsh reality that apathy imposes on its victims to bring awareness of the issue in hope that the audience acts upon it. He adopts an empathetic tone for government officials and politicians who influence society.

A moral panic is the public’s response to problems that seem threatening to the society. Moral panics are used by the media, however people are likely to panic out of proportion due the way it is upheld.

with some evil in it. Better? Why would God being so good and concerned about

Ten children are killed every day in the United States by guns; people are murdered senselessly; Columbine High School; Over one-third of middle school children in Cascade County have used illegal drugs and over one-half have tried alcohol; innocent people in foreign countries are being wiped out (Kosovo); The Holocaust; Hiroshima; Vietnam; poverty, starvation and oppression in third world countries; Capitalism; environmental decay and neglect; the media; Oklahoma City; the uni-bomber; earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, airplane crashes; domestic/child abuse; disease, birth defects and mental disorders. Why?Why?Why?… The question never changes and is asked over and over and over and

Who are we as human beings if we overlook the suffering of others? While sitting on the cold, hard ground, dying of hunger, I watch these strangers pass by. Feels as though I am invisible to the world, like they are judging me because of the state I am in. Without even knowing my story to why I am homeless, many people make assumptions. Being watched every day with a scornful look, as though I am a disgrace to the world. On the bright side, there are these few strangers that would stop and give me something warm to cover with. I would probably feel this way if I was ever placed in that situation or something of that nature.