Reply to The problem with Desmond Tutu’s quote:

Forum Index » Off-Topic

Reply to "The problem with Desmond Tutu’s quote:"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][i]If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.[/i]

By this logic, by not choosing team A, team A will tell me I’ve chosen team B. But if I don’t choose team B either, team B will tell me that I’ve chosen team A.[/quote]

OK, but you're assuming both teams are equal. This quote specifically says it's in time of injustice. So if team A is oppressing team B, it doesn't matter what team A or B think about your choice - your inaction is a tacit approval of the injustice and the oppression, which team A is perpetrating. You're choosing team A because you're choosing status quo, and they control status quo.

This quote is predicated on a known injustice. If you were watching slave owners and slaves, and you remained neutral, you're choosing the side of the slave owners. Surely that feels obvious? I think you're struggling with it because you're applying it to a conflict where you're not sure who has made the injustice (maybe Israel/Palestine, or maybe in projecting?) [/quote]

It doesn't say known injustice. The quote assumes there is a clear bright line between justice and injustice that can be determined by some wise arbiter. [/quote]

The rest of the quote says "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."

I am pretty sure it was in the context of apartheid in South Africa but I'm not positive about that. The quote does assume that you can determine an injustice. You can take issue with that element, I suppose. I think some situations are pretty obvious (are you neutral on apartheid, for example? And if you are, wouldn't it have been reasonable to then assume that meant you supported the actions of the Dutch? They had all the power in the situation and therefore the status quo.)[/quote]

The elephant is standing on the tail of the mouse to keep it from running over the edge of a cliff. Simple, yeah?[/quote]

OK, and... What if it wasn't? What if the elephant is just being a dlck because he can? Is it really so hard to imagine a scenario where there is a clear injustice? This quote doesn't apply to EVERY scenario, it applies to some.

If this quote triggers you so much, I think it might be exposing something about your own internal feelings. You clearly feel like you are being made out to feel like the bad guy because of your unwillingness to take sides in some conflict. [/quote]

My point is that you can't judge a situation from a single viewpoint.  Who has perfect knowledge from which to judge the amount of injustice?[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics