Question

Are people who stand by and stay silent when they witness injustice equally responsible for its occurrence? Explain how Elie Wiesel would answer this question. Then, discuss one example from our world today where this central idea can be found.

Answer 1

Yes. People who stand by and stay silent when they witness injustice are equally responsible for its occurrence. Why? Because they did nothing to stop it. Elie Wiesel or Eliezer Wiesel, just like what he said in one of his books, Night, he said he felt ashamed when he heard his father being beaten and was unable to do anything to help. This happened when he was just 15 years old, when he and his father was taken to a concentration camp Buchenwald after his mother and sister were killed. One good example of injustice from our world today is Gender Inequality. Some examples of these injustices towards women is Saudi Arabian women. They are forbidden to drive and acquire a driver’s license. Another is in China, where they have their "one-child" policy and have to kill female babies because they prefer males.