It seems worthwhile, however, to take heed of the words of wisdom that Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, might have to offer given his experience. Nussbaum and Bruce Robbins, in their respective essays “Compassion and Terror” and “The Sweatshop Sublime,” present the typical contemporary answers to these questions. Essentially, his question raises two separate but equally important issues: What motivates indifference, and what are its consequences? Martha C. In his speech “The Perils of Indifference,” Elie Wiesel addresses the question that underlies any discussion of the world’s response to the atrocities of the Holocaust: “What is indifference?” (2). What exactly was it, then, that took the world so long to respond? And if the international community was truly unaware of what was taking place (a theory which has long since been abandoned), why did the Europeans who were aware of but not subject to Nazi persecution sit back and watch?
Elie wiesel the perils of indifference speech central idea full#
By the time the United States and its allies finally launched a full scale attack against the Fascist powers in 1944, most of the genocide that the Nazis ultimately committed had already taken place, and many of the death camps had long since closed down because there was simply no more killing to be done. Though historical analysis might reveal that the Second World War had its roots in what were the early stages of the Holocaust, that which made the war worthy of its worldly status did not truly begin until a number of years later. There exists a common misconception that the terms “World War II” and “The Holocaust” refer to the same period in history. To an extent humans are learning from their past mistakes and the fault in their indifference, however, indifference can be very tempting so I think, for the most part, human beings are still very guilty of it.“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” Wiesel also claims that the human being become less indifferent and more human.” I think that in some cases this is true but really it depends on the human being. Also, to encourage those around me to do the same. However, going through the uncomfortable parts of the trip was well worth the feeling of knowing that after leaving the group I went with and I had made an huge impact on many people’s lives, providing them not only with food and shelter, but more importantly with hope, and a realization that people do care about them, and that they are not forgotten.Įlie Wiesel describes indifference as friend of “the enemy”, therefore in order to not give in to “the enemy” I will strive to not practice indifference no matter how much more difficult that makes my life. Hearing about death of children and family members due to murder, suicide, lack of nutrition and proper shelter, and many more tragedies.
It could be difficult to look at and experience at times, witnessing their everyday struggles. The community and families who I stayed with while in Haiti were incredibly poor, the majority of them lacking sufficient access to food, water, clothing, and shelter. I have chosen to turn away from indifference and decided to act, thus braving the awkwardness of involving myself in someone else’s despair, when I went on a mission trip to Jeremie, Haiti. This is true indifference towards those who are in need, choosing to ignore instead of help. Often times I have kept my head down and pretended not to notice them so that I don’t feel as guilty. It makes a lot of people very uncomfortable to see these people with their signs asking for anything they can get. An example of when I have been tempted by indifference and many people in today’s society are tempted is when homeless people or beggars stand on the side of the road. How sometimes people and countries choose to ignore an issue and be indifferent towards it because that is the easier route than to get involved and try to help.
Elie Wiesel’s speech, “The Peril’s of Indifference” discusses the tragedy of the indifference that is present in humanity.
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