The Violence of Silence & Indifference
“Neither love nor terror makes one blind: indifference makes one blind.”
-James Baldwin
“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.”
― Elie Wiesel
“In a world where language and naming are power, silence is oppression, is violence.”
- Adrienne Rich
“It's not the violence of the few that scares me, it's the silence of the many”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
There are so many powerful quotes from powerful people that succinctly describes how violent silence and indifference can be.
Particularly as far as racism, fascism and white supremacy are concerned.
Yesterday we talked about our haters, those who (though hiding behind email, DM, Social media) publicly hate on us and our work- that is also violence.
But when we do our meet and greets or door to door connections in the area, we are more often met with silence, closed doors… or indifference in conversation. “I don’t know…” “Could be…” “I am not sure…”
People who cannot be bothered, who do not think they are affected…
Make no mistake, this is just as harmful as those actively hating.
