I Will Not Shut Up

"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."

I think of this quote quite a bit. It’s by Elie Wiesel, a Romanian born holocaust survivor.

I think he’s right. When we see injustice, oppression, evil, or authoritarianism, it is important to take sides. And to act, I believe. As he implies, even if you are on the side of right, if you’re silent, you’re encouraging the tormentor.

Having said that, I know many people take that road. And that’s OK I guess. You have to do what is best for you. However, you have to realize that it is a measure of your privilege that you can ignore injustice and still be fine. Because you’re not the one being oppressed. At least, not yet.

But I won’t do that. Whether you agree or not, I see a lot of terrifying things taking place in our government right now. Of course it’s not Hitler or the holocaust. On the other hand, Hitler wasn’t like that in 1933 either. He became what he was, because good people allowed it to happen.

As an ordinary citizen, my options are limited. I can vote, which I do. I can protest, although most protests are miles away. I can donate to causes I believe in, which I also do.

But also what I can do is speak out. Or more specifically, write. If I wrote for a national news outlet, I’d have an audience, and maybe I could make a difference. But I don’t. If I could write like John Pavlovitz that would help too. He is so good, he has gained a national audience just from his writing.

But I’m not well known, and I’m not that good of a writer. So my outlet is mostly social media. If you’ve followed me, you’ll see that I don’t normally rant, scream, call people names, or try to shame them. At least I try not to--I don’t always succeed.

But I do my best. I support what I think America needs. And I protest that which I think is harmful. If you disagree, that’s fine. Engage me if you want. I may not respond, but if I do, I’ll do my best to keep it civil.

And if you don’t want to see me “rant” on social media, then I strongly urge you to unfriend me or block me right now. I honestly won’t be upset, even if you’re a real-life friend of mine. I completely understand. Not everyone needs more drama in their lives.

But I won't remain silent. Probably nothing I say will change any minds or make any difference. But I have to try. I want to be able to say that when I saw wrong, I wasn’t silent. That I tried to make a difference. Feel free to roll your eyes, tell me to get a life, think of me as a crazy old man, deluded, self-important, melodramatic, whatever. That’s fine. Maybe you're right. But I have to do what I can.

So really, unfriend, unfollow, or block me right now. And if you don’t, don’t complain about what I’m saying.