Julio Campos

9/28/16
Ms. McAlister

Apathy In the Face of Oppression

In Americas current political and social climate, the term apathy is becoming more and
more prominent in political discourse. To analyze the causes of apathy we must first determine
what apathy is, to then examine what it ultimately portends. Apathy is often described as the lack
of enthusiasm or concern regarding certain situations. Having apathy, or being apathetic, can be
seen as turning a blind eye, or choosing to be powerless in dire situations. This stems from
oppressive systems in which the non oppressed, or at least those given the illusion that they are
not oppressed, turn a blind eye to the injustice placed on their peers.

The cause of apathy in cases of oppression can be noted in two key ways. It is through
the false perception of guilt and fear. Fear causes apathy because fear facilitates obsoleteness and
leads to inaction. Fear also leads to antipathy. Most racist, homophobes, and sexist arent simply
exerting hatred, but fear. Fear of losing power, fear of change, and fear of being demonized for
their opinions. The most interesting of the two are guilt. When the word apathy is thrown around
during political discourse, it is largely in response to the term white guilt. What is white guilt?
Here in America, white guilt is a term contrived by neoconservative, alt-right, and radical right
wing groups in an attempt to discredit the righteous cause of white Americans through social

justice. It is a term often described as the individual and collective guilt felt by white people
around the world.

The supposed guilt stems from the empathy produced from the historically racist
actions of the past. This, however, is simply a means to justify apathy in the face of injustice. In
a perfect world, every person in every corner of the earth should clench their fist in indignation at
the sight of any injustice. Every person in every corner of the earth should hold a fiery umbrage
when faced with any form of oppression. That is not guilt, that is indignation and umbrage.
Silent sympathizers of the oppressor will say that white champions of social justice are
anti-white and express self hate. Those who subtly approve of the oppressors tactics will use
these terms to defend their apathy and justify barbarity. In fact, one could argue that they are the
ones who feel guilt. Youre only guilty as long as your conscious confides it to you. They feel as
though they are being blamed and so they lash out instead of support. They become offended
instead of indignant. Im not responsible for something my ancestors did, followed by an All
lives Matter hashtag. They are uncomfortable when confronted with their own privilege, (in the
grand scheme of things minor privileges, but privileges none the less.) instead of using it as a
means to face oppression like the former. Sympathizers of oppression would openly express
outrage if the oppressor decides to infringe on their rights. Selective outrage is cognitive
dissonance and the effects of this could prove dangerous for both sides in the end. This is not
always done by choice, but innocent ignorance.

Ultimately, the effects of apathy are the greatest evil the world has ever faced. No atomic
weapon can do as much damage to society as apathy. I think its hard to describe the effects of
apathy without using the word evil. It creates sort of a bystander syndrome. When people see it
too inconvenient to feel outraged at the sight of injustice, the oppressor has taken the driver's
seat. You become complicit in atrocities, and barbarity. These things must be condemned. When
the oppressed condemn these actions it virtually amounts to nothing. It is the moral obligation of
the non oppressed, or at least those given the illusion that they are not oppressed to speak out. It
could be similarly compared with the refusal of voting. In the end your vote, or lack thereof,
counts. It is a recurring theme throughout history, most notoriously seen during Nazi Germany
during the 30s and 40s. German citizens witnessed their neighbors stripped from their homes
and purged from society. However, what can only match the holocaust in barbarity is the Evian
Conference, in which 32 nations boldly told the Jews of Europe, No. German citizens chose the
path of indifference when they had the power of voice and the power of the ballot. They were
overcome with fear first then mesmerized with charisma, which led to the rise of Hitler. Many
Germans then turned a blind eye to what was going on, fast forward to the present day, and
fascist organizations have risen because of their own guilt. They see it as refusal to take blame
for the past, even when no one is blaming them in the first place, they do this as a means to
justify their prejudice.

Apathy also creates tension between the oppressed and the non oppressed by creating
division. The oppressed and non oppressed create enemies out of one another when there is no
need because of mistrust, subservience, and yearning for vengeance. Look at today. You have a

world divided not on two sides, but multiple sides. You can see that here in Charlotte, in Tulsa,
and in Dallas not too long ago. There were looters, peaceful protesters, and counter protesters.
Looters exist because of the apathy that forced them to vindication, and arent condemned by
some peaceful protesters because of apathy fueled by vindication. We must remember that if
indifference is what allows evil to persist, opposition to any evil is therefore good. Ultimately,
using your privilege to combat injustice is a much more fruitful endeavor long term for both
sides. Those who are under the illusion that they are not oppressed, have the moral obligation to
be forgiving and not vindictive, proactive instead of passive, indignant instead of guilty, and
empathetic instead of apathetic. If they fail to do so, we create a society that is perpetually
hateful, cold, and apathetic all around. We create a society that is numb to emotion, and
incapable of standing up for what's right. In doing so, we strip humanity of its last vestige of
human dignity.