The concept of indifference has always struck me.
Nobel Peace Prize recipient and holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel discussed the idea when he pointed out that the Holocaust was not only caused by those directly involved, but also by the bystanders that allowed for the atrocities to continue.
Indeed, when one looks in hindsight, it seems that humanity’s history is littered with stories of apathy. Heck, one can even say that we have not learned from Wiesel’s warning; we might even be participating in apathy right now.
Events such as the Syrian Civil War, the coup d’états in Egypt, the Westgate shopping mall attack and the conflict in Central African Republic have all recently cast a dark shadow over humanity. This does not even include how humanity seems to not give a crap about the plight of peoples such as the Romani.
Ubiquitous in the majority of the European cities I have visited, the Romani, who are colloquially known as Gypsies, suffer from constant poverty and adverse treatment from the very citizens that should be helping them.
There is a stigma that the Romani are dirty, unsociable and culturally inclined towards theft. One would think that the relaxed border controls in the European Union would help the Romani find a better life, but forced repatriations have been the norm in European countries.
What’s even worse is that everyone is subject to blame; everyone is culpable of indifference. The persecution of the Romani displays an institutional, foundational flaw in society, an elephant in the room that everyone acknowledges and accepts. This indifference is embedded in society, blurring the lines between good and evil, compassion and cruelty, love and hate.
And this is something all of humanity is capable of. For indifference is often tempting, a seductive tool that enables spectators to look away from the victims and become bystanders.
Even I myself fell for this. Once during my brief stay in France as an exchange student, I stood as a bystander while a French man berated a young Romani girl for allegedly sneaking into the Metro, a practice commonly done by the majority of the youth, both French and Romani. Obviously what she did was a crime, but I had a gut feeling that the man would not have berated the kid if she was French or Caucasian, or if she did not dress as a Romani did.
My reaction may seem like a small act to be guilty of, but it’s the small acts that help build up the monolithic structures which inhibit social progress.
It is behavior such as this that displays what Wiesel characterized as indifference. As much as we try to say that humanity has improved, the treatment of the Romani, the illegal settlements in Palestine and the myriad wars say quite the opposite.
The only way for this to be fixed is through a bottom-up approach: A shift in attitude. Only through this shift will situations like the one I was in disappear. Only when the bystanders find the courage to protest will hatred or apathy diminish.
I still sometimes think about that Romani girl. Hopefully, the next time a similar situation occurs, I will have the courage to go against the grain.
