Copyright 2020 - 2023 Authors Cast Inc. What did Elie Wiesel say about indifference? In a word, that was the enduring evil against which Elie Wiesel the Nobel Peace Laureate and Auschwitz survivor who died earlier this month struggled, indifference to avoidable anguish. Why is it so hard to ask for forgiveness? Has there ever been two better speeches delivered in the same 24 hours? In a memorable 2005 editorial,the New York Times reported, Yesterday, more than 20,000 people perished of extreme poverty.. Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction. It is failing to act when you have the ability to help others. 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 . It has been suggested, and it was documented, that the Wehrmacht could not have conducted its invasion of France without oil obtained from American sources. There may be several reasons for indifference. Roosevelt was a good man, with a heart. Communicate it with a card. To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum. They told jurors Chauvin showed indifference to Floyds pleas for help. They would have bombed the railways leading to Birkenau, just the railways, just once. To me, those are the people who are the most maddening, and I know more than a few. These failures have cast a dark shadow over humanity: two World Wars, countless civil wars, the senseless chain of assassinations (Gandhi, the Kennedys, Martin Luther King, Sadat, Rabin), bloodbaths in Cambodia and Algeria, India and Pakistan, Ireland and Rwanda, Eritrea and Ethiopia, Sarajevo and Kosovo; the inhumanity in the gulag and the tragedy of Hiroshima. So, if the young Jewish boy from the Carpathian Mountains could still believe in the very best, anything is possible. Indifference is more dangerous than anger or hatred, as it reduces others to an abstraction and never elicits a response or creates anything positive. To honor the humanity of others and of ourselves, to let the victim know that she is not forgotten, we could each develop our own plan of action against our ownindifference. Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. One writes a great poem, a great symphony. Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction. Phil, I am so sorry that your family had to experience this tragedy. It is doing something that denies or removes their importance or value. The degree to which we can even call ourselves Christian is determined by the measure of kindness we extend to others especially those who are most in need. Enjoyed this speech? In his book, Race in the Mind of America: Breaking the Vicious Circle Between Blacks and Whites, psychologist Paul L. Wachtel wrote that what is often called racism can be more precisely described as indifference. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person\'s pain and despair. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Its White indifference that allows so many Black and brown students to go to racially segregated public schools with fewer resources. Why have American presidents refused for decades to use the term genocide in describing the atrocities committed against Armenians by the Ottoman E However, it does allow the evil to flourish by simply doing nothing. Anguish also means a kind of pain, but it denotes extreme, almost unbearable pain. Using anguish instead of pain makes the suffering more intense and adds a more intense tone to the whole passage as well. Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction. Indifference distorts a person's perception of others and the dignity that each person possesses. Is it a philosophy? Our emails and calls will make a difference only if our elected officials respond. "Indifference," as Elie Wiesel defines it, is nuanced and complicatedand not at all innocent. Martin Luther King Jr. the most. 4. Yet, for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence. But Wiesel does give a shout-out to the Righteous Gentiles, non-Jews who saw what was happening around them and took a stand against it. We have no value as human other than as much as we are true to our word. And so, once again, I think of the young Jewish boy from the Carpathian Mountains. Wrapped in their torn blankets, they would sit or lie on the ground, staring vacantly into space, unaware of who or where they were, strangers to their surroundings. He was eventually released without charge. Use of anguish brings out deep emotions of the character. For that I thank you! But this time, the world was not silent. Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction. We know it's a surprise, but indifference is a prominent subject in a lecture titled "The Perils of Indifference." Yet, for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence. Though he did not understand their language, their eyes told him what he needed to knowthat they, too, would remember, and bear witness. Why was there a greater effort to save SS murderers after the war than to save their victims during the war? convergent In a way, to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman. Chauvins eyes darted about in panic. Part 2: The Spirit of the World, To Surrender Oneself : A Brief Introduction to Saint Thrse Couderc, Marian Consecration is Not a Nice Thing to Do, Misunderstanding Those Who Seem Different, How to Know if You Are Under a Spiritual Attack. What happened? And so many of the young people fell in battle. Of course, indifference can be tempting more than that, seductive. Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction. Elie Wiesel acknowledges the Righteous Gentiles as people who weren't indifferent, who did everything they could to help the Jews and other persecuted populations during the Holocaust. Does Indifference reduce the other to an abstraction? Love this Phil!! It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person's pain and despair. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. What will the legacy of this vanishing century be? . Not to say Ive never had my indifferent moments because I have. The author describes what indifference means to him as well. It came at the end of his trial, when the judge read the guilty verdict. Despite all this tragedy, Wiesel says he felt no sorrow because he believed they were dead. You and your wife have obviously met that challenge. And, therefore, their lives are meaningless. In a way, to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman. Elie Wiesel thought that it was his duty to testify against the Nazi regime and the inhumane actions that they meted out against others. Elie Wiesel was a Holocaust survivor and writer who fought against indifference. You fight it. And our only miserable consolation was that we believed that Auschwitz and Treblinka were closely guarded secrets; that the leaders of the free world did not know what was going on behind those black gates and barbed wire; that they had no knowledge of the war against the Jews that Hitler's armies and their accomplices waged as part of the war against the Allies. Even hatred at times may elicit a response. She wants to share herstory with thosewho have experienced life altering events andwith the people and the communities who surround them. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. Indifference, then, is not only a sin, it is a punishment. . It is far simpler to turn away from victims. Those non-Jews, those Christians, that we call the "Righteous Gentiles," whose selfless acts of heroism saved the honor of their faith. (28-35). Of course, indifference can be tempting -- more than that, seductive. Suffering and the need to aid that suffering is basic to us all. The prosecutors built a case where they forced the jury to see Floyd as a human being and not as an abstraction. But FDR and his government didn't help, and while the passengers were eventually granted refuge in various countries in Europe, some 200 were murdered at the hands of the Nazis. If you are indifferent to many things that normally would bother you or affect you emotionally, then you should see a doctor to find out why. You fight it. Indifference elicits no response. It can also be used as a verb and is used when someone is felling extremely distressed about something. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten. Caring for others is difficult. Learn to changea diaper, connect a g-tube, suction a trach. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher speaking during the Chauvin trial. So he is very much present to me and to us. 'Anguish' means 'severe pain' or anxiety. Your reflections are a kind of examination of conscience for all of us. In a way, to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman. Etymologically, the word means "no difference." Wiesel wants to be clear that, in some cases, people did learn from the Holocaust and World War II. If they knew, we thought, surely those leaders would have moved heaven and earth to intervene. It is so much easier to look away from victims. Our team has experience in preserving and safeguarding the . In the place that I come from, society was composed of three simple categories: the killers, the victims, and the bystanders. Global Health Justice Scholar, Elie Wiesel speaks at a UN General Assembly special session in 2005 commemorating the Holocaust. I hear that so many times but I was so careful, I did everything to be healthy, I cant understand why my baby died. Indifference can be positive or negative; it can help or hurt those who are indifferent to our feelings. Studies on historical episodes of intergroup violence and conflicts have underlined the complicit role of bystanders in extreme intergroup dynamics. Is today's justified intervention in Kosovo, led by you, Mr. President, a lasting warning that never again will the deportation, the terrorization of children and their parents, be allowed anywhere in the world? At its root, indifference is failing to show concern for others. Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. However, due to the rise of Nazism in Europe, many Jews were arrested and held without trial or charge. We are on the threshold of a new century, a new millennium. It is indifference that can "reduce the other to an abstraction" (par 8). The trick is choosing to move beyond that place and take action to be compassionate and goodand that's not an easy thing to do. Have we really learned from our experiences? Why is indifference tempting and seductive? Wrapped in their torn blankets, they would sit or lie on the ground, staring vacantly into space, unaware of who or where they werestrangers to their surroundings. He was finally free, but there was no joy in his heart. Mr. President, Mrs. Clinton, members of Congress, Ambassador Holbrooke, Excellencies, friends: Fifty-four years ago to the day, a young Jewish boy from a small town in the Carpathian Mountains woke up, not far from Goethe's beloved Weimar, in a place of eternal infamy called Buchenwald. And in denying their humanity, we betray our own. White indifference is why slavery and Jim Crow lasted so long. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. Aura Guerrero Natalia Acevedo Guerrero Natasha Lauletta. So much violence; so much indifference. Blessings and prayers for you and your entire family. Phil is a former high school principal with a 30 year tenure, a hockey dad to a superstar son who is his hero, a husband to a profoundly committed wife, and a father to a beautiful accomplished daughter. Mr. President, Mrs. Clinton, members of Congress, Ambassador Holbrooke, Excellencies, friends: Fifty-four years ago to the day, a young Jewish boy from a small town in the Carpathian Mountains woke up, not far from Goethe's beloved Weimar, in a place of eternal infamy called Buchenwald. (93-95). It can be inferred that what Elie Wiesel meant by the above statement is that", "being indifferent or showing no empathy or care towards another warps a person's view of others and the self-respect and care that is due to them.". C) "Anguish" carries more intense connotations, so using that word instead of "pain" raises the intensity of the passage. It isn't always easy, but empathy is part of being human. He has accompanied the old man I have become throughout these years of quest and struggle. Anguish can also be used to refer to intense mental distress, but that does not necessarily imply confusion. Indifference makes Black pain invisible just as it did with Floyd. Perhaps thats why one of the best novels about racism by a Black author is titled Invisible Man.. We will not be hiding from suffering, but confronting it. Better an unjust God than an indifferent one. A grown man, crying out for his mother.. Millions of people, including Elie Wiesel, were forced to endure hellish, inhumane treatment at the hands of the Nazis. It is for us to build. And our only miserable consolation was that we believed that Auschwitz and Treblinka were closely guarded secrets; that the leaders of the free world did not know what was going on behind those black gates and barbed wire; that they had no knowledge of the war against the Jews that Hitler's armies and their accomplices waged as part of the war against the Allies. Does it mean that society has changed? Why did some of America's largest corporations continue to do business with Hitler's Germany until 1942? Indifference can lead others to do the same if they feel like it can't be bothered withing. Never just remember someone. Will they make up \justification stories\ to themselves? Her expectationseems clear and, hopefully, will be realized. How can it, if you're pretending what's going on simply isn't happening? Collectively, if we each took such actions, even if we did not ourselves address every wrong, and every person wronged, every case of indifference for this we cannot do none of those wrongs will go without attention. Elie Wiesel understands the ramifications of ignoring what is going on around him better than most people. It can be inferred that what Elie Wiesel meant by the above statement is that" "being indifferent or showing no empathy or care towards another warps a person's view of others and the self-respect and care that is due to them." Why did Elie Wiesel write the perils of indifference? And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor -- never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten. ', Defense of 2nd Spanish Republic - 1936, Jimmy Reid: 'A rat race is for rats. And yet, my friends, good things have also happened in this traumatic century []. At the start, he sets the scene to reminds his listeners of the very worst humanity had to offerthe Holocaust, Buchenwald, millions of people dead simply because of their race or religion. Indifference or apathy is a state in which we do not care and/or do not act on what is going on around us. Will it discourage other dictators in other lands to do the same? A thousand peoplein America, the great country, the greatest democracy, the most generous of all new nations in modern history. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person's pain and despair. Wiesel said indifference is more dangerous than hatred or anger because it "elicits no response . They acted when they saw bad things happening around the world, and even though it didn't put a stop to all the trauma and suffering, taking action, on a small scale or on a large scale, will always be incredibly important. Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. According to Elie Wiesel, being indifferent to another person, or another group of people, reduces them to nothingas if their problems or their suffering just doesn't matter. Why are the perils of indifference important? Indifference is not a response." (107-108). He doesnt seem to notice Floyd at all. Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction. Use of anguish refers to stronger pain one might feel. You could be indifferent to someone you love or something that concerns you. You disarm it. It is merely another form of slavery. having a low probability, unique, In The Alchemist, which word is used In a way, to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman. Indifference is both individual and societal. Derek Chauvin in court Tuesday as the guilty verdict was read. But there is one heart-wrenching image that stands above the rest. Ive come to realize that I have a lot more respect for people who are passionate about any cause, even if it is in opposition to mine, than I do for people who are just plain indifferent. Anger can at times be creative. Yet, for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence. And no one deserves to feel they're without hope. And at the same time, perhaps no feature is as misunderstood or overlooked.. Indifference reduces the other to a concept. Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction. And, therefore, their lives are meaningless. But that doesn't solve anything. This can lead them to feel worthless or uncared for. You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser. A thousand people -- in America, the great country, the greatest democracy, the most generous of all new nations in modern history. 2023 Cable News Network. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. This means not acting like monsters toward others. If nobody cared, there would be no need for activism because there are people who want to fix things but cannot if nobody reports problems or tries new solutions. He believes that ignoring a person's misery makes it easier to look at that person as something less than human. After World War II ended, Wiesel went back to Kaunas to find his family home destroyed. Gratitude is what defines the humanity of the human being. Sixty years ago, its human cargo -- nearly 1,000 Jews -- was turned back to Nazi Germany. Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. ), because they are criminals (and what combination of poor education, abuse, violent neighborhoods, economic hardships, contributed to their plight?). JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Continue with Recommended Cookies. And in denying their humanity, we betray our own. But in at least posing, struggling with these questions, we will no longer be a society of indifference. Yet, for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence. I understand first hand the difficulty people have when confronted with events that change expectations of a future life. Of course, apathy may be enticingeven attractive. They said Chauvin and other officers at the scene talked about the smell of Floyds feet and idly picked stones from a vehicles tire while Floyd died in front of them. Its White indifference that allows so many people in the medical profession to believe that Black people dont feel pain like others. Drop by. infidel And, on a different level, of course, Auschwitz and Treblinka. It originally appeared on Phil\s website, and he offers this in the hope that it helps others. For example, if I didn't care whether my friend died we would not have a relationship - we'd be too busy with our own lives to bother with each other. "Even hatred at times may elicit a response. Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction" (Perils of Indifference). Those non-Jews, those Christians, that we call the "Righteous Gentiles," whose selfless acts of heroism saved the honor of their faith. One writes a great poem, a great symphony. Elie Wiesel called love the opposite of indifference. answer choices . And, therefore, their lives are meaningless. So many of our severelychallenged children and adults are pure and richhuman beings whose lives are often re-defined by the stares, the avoidance, the pity, the indifference of their fellow human beings. Even in suffering? He then went to live with an uncle in Romania where he learned that his father and older brother had died in the Holocaust. Of course, indifference can be tempting -- more than. He understood those who needed help. The Righteous Gentiles were a bit of a light in the darkness. (64-65). convergent And just as there are different types of diseases, so too are there different kinds of indifference. . Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction. Which of the following best supports the claim that indifference is tempting? Caring about people is hard. We felt that to be abandoned by God was worse than to be punished by Him. Do we hear their pleas? (86-91). (13-16). He thought there never would be again. For 35 points: And the prosecutors at his trial recognized that it was his indifference, not just his cruelty, that was a big part of why Floyd died. But the question remainswhy did so few people step up to try to help? Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction." Question 2 options: A) "Pain" is a stronger word. (123-125). humans lack emotion. And together we walk towards the new millennium, carried by profound fear and extraordinary hope. Our purchasing decisions will not in themselves change how corporations produce their products. He feels that neglecting a person's suffering makes it easy to dismiss that person as less than human. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another persons pain and despair. Elie Wiesel is talking about FDR's response to the St. Louis (which we discuss in the "Timeline" section). Which answer should go in blank 27? To not be seen is another, more insidious variant of racism that can be infuriating. But I still wouldn't hate him/her. Wrapped in their torn blankets, they would sit or lie on the ground, staring vacantly into space, unaware of who or where they were, strangers to their surroundings. Is there a philosophy of indifference conceivable? (20-22). Indifference is forgetting about others because they are unimportant to you or you do not give a damn about them. Perhaps no other feature of White attitudes is as cumulatively responsible for the pain and privation experienced by our nations Black minority at this point in our history as is indifference, he wrote. Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response. And, therefore, their lives are meaningless. But indifference is never creative. Its just too painful. Violent acts of White racism grab the headlines. Every minute one of them dies of disease, violence, famine. Manage Settings He feels that neglecting a person's suffering makes it easy to dismiss that person as less than human. I think I have done that bit', BAFTA acceptance, Leading Actress - 2019, Axel Scheffler: 'The book wasn't called 'No Room on the Broom! People who are indifferent can be seen as cold, aloof, disinterested, unmotivated, and lacking in passion. It was his way of witnessing the genocide that eliminated his family along with millions of other Jews. Discovery Company. I was here and I will never forget it. Is it necessary at times to practice it simply to keep one's sanity, live normally, enjoy a fine meal and a glass of wine, as the world around us experiences harrowing upheavals? But the most pervasive forms of racism take root when White judges, cops, politicians and ordinary people look the other way to not see what is happening right in front of their faces. How will it be remembered in the new millennium? You denounce it. People become objects when the subject of the connection decides to objectify them on purpose. Sixty years ago, its human cargonearly 1,000 Jewswas turned back to Nazi Germany. Your email address will not be published. Whereas, 'pain' refers to a feeling of suffering caused by a damage. And now, I stand before you, Mr. President -- Commander-in-Chief of the army that freed me, and tens of thousands of others -- and I am filled with a profound and abiding gratitude to the American people. Alicia also volunteers as an editor for her college newspaper, and has worked on various writing-related projects during her time there. Finally, indifference can hurt society by keeping suffering hidden. It is so much easier to look away from victims. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. (67). Why didn't he allow these refugees to disembark? What is indifference? The lynching postcards that some White Americans used to mail to one another. My expectationsare different. And that answer, I believe, is human rights. White indifference to police brutality is why so many Black men continue to die like Floyd. What causes the psychological condition of indifference? The late Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel once said, The opposite of love is not hate, its indifference., Wiesel said that to the indifferent person, his or her neighbor are of no consequence Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. Editor\s Note: This is a guest contribution from reader Philip A. Dzialo, and it accompanies Tammy Ruiz\s article, Be Not Afraid, Be Not Mean. ABSTRACT. And in denying their humanity, we betray our own. Indifference impairs one's perspective of others as well as one's own dignity. If we structure our society around these rights, then we can truly be a society where indifference no longer reigns, where we do not with our silencetell millions of people by failing to speak to their needs, theirlives, their pain that they do not matter, that their humanity is not really of concern to us. He once said: "Indifference is the enemy of human dignity. But when he finishes, Wiesel returns to the same scene to remind his audience that despite everything, part of being human means being innately hopeful. Banishing indifference requires, I believe, recognizing that beyond being troublesometo be involved in another persons pain and despair, it is also beyond our capacity to give all the worlds ills, all people who suffer avoidable pain and despair, due attention. Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. Within this call to action, Wiesel argues that indifference is an action worse than any other. It doesn't put a crimp in your style. It's a static feeling because nothing changes. They felt nothing. Over there, behind the black gates of Auschwitz, the most tragic of all prisoners were the "Muselmanner," as they were called. Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction. And yet, my friends, good things have also happened in this traumatic century: the defeat of Nazism, the collapse of communism, the rebirth of Israel on its ancestral soil, the demise of apartheid, Israel's peace treaty with Egypt, the peace accord in Ireland. Etymologically, the word means \no difference.\ A strange and unnatural state in which the lines blur between light and darkness, dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, cruelty and compassion, good and evil. You denounce it. I suppose its safe therefore, comfortable eh? There is social indifference, which means ignoring other people's needs and desires. elicit That way, if and when horrible things happen, larger populations step up and fight for the victims who can't fight for themselves. In "The Perils of Indifference," Elie Wiesel talks about how indifference is seductive because it's the easy choice. Thus, its use raises the intensity of the language used by the author. D. Only Thats why if you talk about racism to some in unguarded moments, youll hear something strange. A society that grounds its actions in human rights will be a society of love. B) "Anguish" implies a more manageable type of suffering. Alicia Lartigue is a writer who loves to write about various topics. Indifference elicits no response. It doesn't relieve us of our duties or obligations, but it does make them harder to fulfill if we don't take care of ourselves first. The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory. And soRep. John Lewis and his colleaguestook the dramatic step of holding a sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives to try to force a vote on meaningful legislation to address gun violence. Indifference is like a disease: it can be passed from one person to another. The look on Chauvins face is one of bored disinterest.
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