INDIFFERENCE AS A NATIONAL PASTIME
From the Internet Book, Eastern
Europe
By Julia Chien, Foothill College
While Bosnia-Herzegovina was engaged in war, the West was engaged in politics. This Eastern European nation has become America's sphere of interest in the last decade. With war, came the images, and those images of wounded and dying entered our homes. Many say that if the cameras had been in Hitler's Germany than the Final Solution would have never been implemented. The war in Bosnia-Herzegovina was televised and the genocide continued. People watched as besieged mortar shells were attacking Sarajevo. People also watched the expulsion of thousands of Bosnian-Muslims from their homes to be murdered, raped, or end up in a refugee camp, a process known as ethnic cleansing. Again these same people heard reports of mass graves located around a town once populated by Bosnian-Muslims, now occupied by Serbs. These people are humans but humanity's compelling tendency to become apathetic towards problems and war that is not their own is of great concern to the future of civilization.
Although indifference has plagued our nation, there are heroes among us. These heroes entered Bosnia-Herzegovina where bloodshed still raged in a genocidal war to defend the Muslim population that was deteriorating more rapidly than anyone could have ever imagined. These people were compelled to help because of a moral obligation, a sense of injustice, and even money. The understanding that the violation of any human's rights cannot be tolerated is elemental in compelling humans to assist in the positive. Within each human is the ability to make the distinction between right and wrong. War is neither wrong nor right, but murder and genocide is distinct in that it is wrong. Without this understanding people will remain indifferent. News reporters were the first to reveal the complexity of the war in Bosnia. Although many may have assisted in revealing the atrocities that were going on merely for money and ratings, the outcome of their stories had a much greater impact on the international community to intervene.
The sight of sixty-eight dead and hundreds wounded in a market place massacre revealed on the news was when the West finally decided to intervene after three years of watching bloodshed, genocide, and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The elements necessary to cause a nation to help, although in some respects it concerns the issue of moral obligation, but more often it concerns the issue of preserving the interest of that certain nation. The United States interest included showing undeniably that it would be able to solve the issue and the United States' interest was to promote stability among these regions. Although this war was in Europe, the European failed to come to the assistance of a neighboring country because they were dealing with political issues. The U.S. and Europe failed to recognize their moral obligation too late and only began to try to stabilize the situation when it began to get way out of hand. This turned out to be too little to late Again we see the apathetic nature of humans. The mentality of "us and them" is one of the major causes in why certain nations do not want to intervene. The issue is about life, but it is also about politics. With the question of intervention, came the question of the political gain it could have of not have.
War is war, some say, although the brutality of war seems to become progressively more violent and atrocious.. We must proceed with our lives, in that we must care for our children and our families, but we must not accept the injustice of genocide that happened in the nationalistic war. We must not accept the genocide that has taken place as we reach the beginning of a new century. We must become more sympathetic and less apathetic because murder and death is irreversible.
By Suzanne Kirakossian, Foothill College,
Indifference kills. We all have heard the quote,"By not making a choice, we've already made a decision." When one doesn't do something to stop the misdeeds of others, in essence, they are aiding the aggressor. This example can be seen time and time again throughout history.
The element necessary to induce or compel humans to act or assist in the positive, in my eyes, is compassion. I am not referring to governments, but about individual human beings, who can make a difference. The catalyst of "doing good" and "doing bad" of powerful nations is economic and strategic interests, with compassion coming at the bottom of the list. For example, the Armenian genocide, the first-recorded massacre of that type in history, with survivors still living today, has never been acknowledged by Turkey, which strong propaganda programs to change history and suppress the truth. Many people are unaware of this tragedy, and this is because Turkey emerged a "winner" of WWI and was needed by the Western powers for its strategic location being near the communist U.S.S.R.
Focusing on Bosnia, one asks what will make people care. In a sense, people have become desensitized to the situation. We have heard about it so often; the news does not even report it anymore because it does not shock. In the end, it is the average citizens who can make the difference. Government officials are too busy worrying about what is best economically and strategically for their country, to worry too much about the enforcement of human rights. But if the citizens push strongly for a certain action, the overwhelming support will make a difference, because politicians, if they want to be reelected, will do what the public desires. After all, we are a democracy.
We cannot overlook the power nonprofit organizations have which are run by average people, in no special positions. Right now, there are many associations in America aiding the situation in former Yugoslavia, with the credit going to the citizens who really care. They are providing support for orphans, women, and refugees of the war, while working diligently to resolve the conflict. This is proof that one person can make a difference. This reminds me of Edward Everett Hale's quote, " I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."
December 1997
To Eastern
Europe
.