Please respond to the following quote using the articles and our discussions over the past two days.
"Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, But, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander." -Yehuda Bauer
The quote by Yehuda Bauer makes me think back to the articles we read in class today about Kitty Genovese. Kitty was brutally murdered by a man near her home with witnesses to the event. The attacks by the man spanned for approximately half an hour, giving the bystanders more than enough time to contact the police. Even after hearing several cries for help, no one did anything. They made up excuses, such as they did not want to get involved or they were too tired to call for help. I think this quote means that a person should not be a victim of being taken advantage of and a person should not be a perpetrator by taking advantage of others. However, above all, a person should not be a bystander by doing nothing when another is hurt or is being taking advantage of. You have to treat others the way you expect to be treated and be considerate when another seeks your help.
I completely agree with Jasmine's point on this one. What Yehuda is trying to convey in her quote is that being a bystander is the worst thing someone can possibly be. This is due to the fact that being a bystander means watching a crime happen and doing absolutely nothing. No one should allow themselves to end up in a position where they are the bystander. She is saying that being a bystander is worse than being a perpetrator. The death of Genovese has made me think on what I should do if I ever encounter a situation such as hers. I will try my hardest to atleast call the police anytime something suspicious or dangerous occurs. The case was gruesome and frustrating and I don't want to fall into the category of such a bystander. As Jasmine stated, "You have to treat others the way you expect to be treated and be considerate when another seeks your help." Help them as you would want help if you were in the situation. Simple. We shouldn't fall victim to a society of only apathy and no empathy.
The quote is saying that you should not put yourself in a situation where you can get hurt (wind up in a moral dilemma) or conduct yourself recklessly, but at the same time it's saying don't go to extremes and break the law or do something drastic, rather if it is within your capability, you should act and not just watch and wait for somebody else to do something because they'll assume that someone else will do something. That mentality is how the cycle begins and never ends.
Iktider and Jasmine mentioned the Golden Rule: Do unto others that you'd have others do unto you, and Iktider said something interesting at the end of his response, "We shouldn't fall victim to a society of only apathy and no empathy." I say this is interesting because one can argue that people just don't care and have no regard or respect for others and themselves, thereby falling into the stagnation of apathy resulting in people lacking the ability to empathize or express compassion because no one in their immediate surroundings do. My response to that would be, stop being a sheep, stand up for yourself, use your voice, fight for what you believe in, and be the change you want to see--you will inspire others to follow and start a revolution.
I think that what Yehuda is trying to say in her quote that it is worse than being a bystander than a victim or perpetration. Being the person who is committing the act, and being the person who is affected is not good in anyways. But being a bystander, a person who is present at an event or incident but does not take part, it can actually be worse. If the person who is the victim ends up dead and you know that you could have saved the person, that you could have done something even if it was the littlest thing, and you didn't it can haunt you. Then--it can also come back and bite you. If you were in that situation, would people be like you and do nothing? Would you be lucky to have someone to help you or would they just turn a blind eye like you had? Being a bystander is hard because sometimes people know they can do something and in the end they don't and the results are not what they ever wanted. Possibly, they know that they might not be as lucky and get someone who was indifferent to the situation and didn't care enough to help.
I do not fully agree with Iktider. I do not think that Yehuda Bauer is specifically saying that being a bystander is the "worst" thing to be or that it is worse than being a perpetrator. He is just saying that when it comes to shaping your personal character, acting as a bystander should be greatly avoided. Being a victim or a perpetrator may be something you are not fully aware of or in control of. But when a situation arises, and you are viewing it objectively, it is your opportunity to make an unbiased action. He is demanding that we are not mere spectators and have some sort of role in the conflict without becoming the victim or the perpetrator. In the case of Kitty Genovese, the neighbors did not need to become the victim by being directly involved. All they needed to do was make a phone call.
Yehuda Bauer's quote makes me think of anohter quote that I've heard somewhere else. I think it was Mean Girls I'm not sure. "There's are two types of people in this world, people who do bad things, and people who see bad things being done and don't do anything." The case we read in class today about Kitty Genovese really stayed with me even after I left class today. Because I still feel a bit guilty about saying that I would run or not interfere if something similar was happening. And even though I feel guilty and this is a bit selfish I wouldn't change my decision. I just think the quote means that being a bystander that doesn't take action is the worst possible role to play in a critical situation.
When someone is a bystander they have all the power in their hands to make a difference in someone’s life. In the Genovese case, all her bystanders could have been the difference that could have saved her life. Unfortunately, they chose otherwise which resulted in a tragedy. A victim may not have the power to change the occurrence of events, such a Kitty who needed and begged for the help of someone, anyone. As for a perpetrator, what they’re doing is just as bad but what’s worse someone who could have done something to change the outcome but chose not because of tedious reasons, or a perpetrator, like that man who was set out to do evil. I agree with Ikider, interestingly enough he mentions “We shouldn’t fall victim to a society of only apathy and no empathy.” If we sit back and do not speak up for ourselves and for others we become helpless victims, not helping ourselves or others. If we become those who hurt others, although we do not wish to be treated such ways we are becoming perpetrators. But if we are bystanders we are like Chandanie said not being the change that we wish to see. Above all a citizen should not hold such immense power to do minimal work that could save someone’s life and choose not to. It’s a waste of voice, and one of the saddest things is that. Like in the poem we read today in class, they too did not speak out for others when needed but when it came time to speak out for them, they too did not have the voice, the help that one needed.
In the quote stated above by Yehuda Bauer the message that he is trying to convey is that when it comes to developing your personal character being a bystander should ultimately be avoided. When it comes to being a perpetrator or victim in some circumstances you may not be aware of it nor do you have control of it. For example, in the case of Kitty Genovese, she was a victim who was brutally attacked multiple times over the span of approximately half an hour. She was not in control of the situation instead she was vulnerable/defenseless against the man. However, in such situation if you are witnessing what is occurring it is your chance to take action. As Ishrat stated, " it does not mean that one must become the victim or the perpetrator." However, in the case of Kitty, the neighbors had multiple chances to help by simply just making an anonymous phone call to the police. By doing so the neighbors would not be directly getting involved. Thus, they would not be putting themselves in harm's way. Overall, it is important to remember that if you remain a bystander and don’t help someone when you have the opportunity to, you should not except others to help you in your time of need.
The way I interpret the quote above is the following: Bystanding is just as worse as being a victim, or a criminal. Of course, the victim usually comes to meet a terrible fate, as in the case of Kitty Genovese, and the criminal is doing even more wrong by committing crimes such as the acts of violence, assault, battery, and even murder. But the worst thing to do is be a bystander who does nothing because a bystander can do more than a criminal could in any given situation. A bystander controls the fate of the victim, and also determines the fate of the criminal. A life can be saved as well as one being placed behind bars, preventing the death or harm of other people (though by a small percentage due to it being one criminal). My point still stands at bystanders who do nothing are just as important as the victim and criminal in a situation.
I think this quote by Yehuda Bauer means I can stay out of trouble by not being a victim or perpetrator but at the same time I shouldn't be a bystander either. I should try to do something within my capacity rather being a bystander. My response to the quote would be none shouldn't be a bystander by only thinking of their own. When someone is getting assaulted we should stop thinking our self for a minute and just being put ourselves in their shoes. If I were a victim I'd definitely want people around me to help me or at least call 911 rather than watching I'm getting beaten up and played a bystander role. We might be scared to involve in the situation by at least we can make a phone call and save someone's life. If people didn't play a role of bystander Ms. Kitty Genovese wouldn't get murdered in front of them.Therefore I believe we should try our best for not being a bystander.
I Believe this quote is saying that it is undesirable to be a victim or perpetrator. But it is even far worse to be a bystander. Because being a bystander means that you are standing by and doing nothing basically. If we are all one and family you cannot be a bystander. We need to protect each other and be an ally rather than a bystander.
I agree completely with Ishrat's statement because when I initially read the quote, i felt it had to deal with shaping your values. Yehuda Bauer is trying to explain that we should not pass away the opportunity of being a bystander which holds so much power to make a difference. You have the advantage as you are not a victim nor a perpetrator. Make it so that you feel like it is your responsibility to do something.
This quote simply mean that no one person should stand aside when an obstruction of justice is taking place. Nobody should let someone physically hurt someone else. As a bystander, it is your obligation as a citizen to help out another citizen when they are need, whether or not they are of the same gender, ethnicity, or religion as you. This should be the case especially if someone is out numbered and appears tobe in trouble.The bystander should attempt to diffuse the situation before something happens. So, this qoute means that you should always attempt to help, never just stand by.
I agree with Ishrat, as being an outside observer inherently grants you more of an objective viewpoint surrounding the situation as opposed to being the victim or perpetrator, The bystander holds so much more influence and control over the situation as they in theory possess the ability to potentially save ones life and prevent future crimes from being committed by having a criminal seized. The quote is essentially saying one should avoid being a bystander since they hold so much power and that their role in the triangle between victim, perpetrator and themselves is in essence innately the most influential as they are the only ones who can control the outcome of the other two.
In my opinion, this quote is saying that the worse thing in a situation is to be a bystander. It is even worse than being a victim and a perpetrator in a situation. It is defining the role and power of a bystander, which is in essential, an enormous amount. But I also with Ishrat that a bystander has the most objectivity of the situation unlike anyone else involved.This makes me think back to the articles we read about Kitty Genevese and how no one even attempted to help her. The bystanders were almost just as responsible as the man who stabbed her a numerous amount of times. If someone had called for help, Ms. Genevese may not have been dead. This goes to indicate that people can be selfish sometimes and do not want to tackle danger in any way directly or indirectly easily. Sometimes, they don't have to even put in the effort to save someone in need, especially if that person in need is a stranger. If that person wouldn't have been a stranger, the chances of the person being helped is higher.
The quote by Yehuda Bauer makes me think back to the articles we read in class today about Kitty Genovese. Kitty was brutally murdered by a man near her home with witnesses to the event. The attacks by the man spanned for approximately half an hour, giving the bystanders more than enough time to contact the police. Even after hearing several cries for help, no one did anything. They made up excuses, such as they did not want to get involved or they were too tired to call for help. I think this quote means that a person should not be a victim of being taken advantage of and a person should not be a perpetrator by taking advantage of others. However, above all, a person should not be a bystander by doing nothing when another is hurt or is being taking advantage of. You have to treat others the way you expect to be treated and be considerate when another seeks your help.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Jasmine's point on this one. What Yehuda is trying to convey in her quote is that being a bystander is the worst thing someone can possibly be. This is due to the fact that being a bystander means watching a crime happen and doing absolutely nothing. No one should allow themselves to end up in a position where they are the bystander. She is saying that being a bystander is worse than being a perpetrator. The death of Genovese has made me think on what I should do if I ever encounter a situation such as hers. I will try my hardest to atleast call the police anytime something suspicious or dangerous occurs. The case was gruesome and frustrating and I don't want to fall into the category of such a bystander. As Jasmine stated, "You have to treat others the way you expect to be treated and be considerate when another seeks your help." Help them as you would want help if you were in the situation. Simple. We shouldn't fall victim to a society of only apathy and no empathy.
ReplyDeleteThe quote is saying that you should not put yourself in a situation where you can get hurt (wind up in a moral dilemma) or conduct yourself recklessly, but at the same time it's saying don't go to extremes and break the law or do something drastic, rather if it is within your capability, you should act and not just watch and wait for somebody else to do something because they'll assume that someone else will do something. That mentality is how the cycle begins and never ends.
ReplyDeleteIktider and Jasmine mentioned the Golden Rule: Do unto others that you'd have others do unto you, and Iktider said something interesting at the end of his response, "We shouldn't fall victim to a society of only apathy and no empathy." I say this is interesting because one can argue that people just don't care and have no regard or respect for others and themselves, thereby falling into the stagnation of apathy resulting in people lacking the ability to empathize or express compassion because no one in their immediate surroundings do. My response to that would be, stop being a sheep, stand up for yourself, use your voice, fight for what you believe in, and be the change you want to see--you will inspire others to follow and start a revolution.
I think that what Yehuda is trying to say in her quote that it is worse than being a bystander than a victim or perpetration. Being the person who is committing the act, and being the person who is affected is not good in anyways. But being a bystander, a person who is present at an event or incident but does not take part, it can actually be worse. If the person who is the victim ends up dead and you know that you could have saved the person, that you could have done something even if it was the littlest thing, and you didn't it can haunt you. Then--it can also come back and bite you. If you were in that situation, would people be like you and do nothing? Would you be lucky to have someone to help you or would they just turn a blind eye like you had? Being a bystander is hard because sometimes people know they can do something and in the end they don't and the results are not what they ever wanted. Possibly, they know that they might not be as lucky and get someone who was indifferent to the situation and didn't care enough to help.
ReplyDeleteI do not fully agree with Iktider. I do not think that Yehuda Bauer is specifically saying that being a bystander is the "worst" thing to be or that it is worse than being a perpetrator. He is just saying that when it comes to shaping your personal character, acting as a bystander should be greatly avoided. Being a victim or a perpetrator may be something you are not fully aware of or in control of. But when a situation arises, and you are viewing it objectively, it is your opportunity to make an unbiased action. He is demanding that we are not mere spectators and have some sort of role in the conflict without becoming the victim or the perpetrator. In the case of Kitty Genovese, the neighbors did not need to become the victim by being directly involved. All they needed to do was make a phone call.
ReplyDeleteYehuda Bauer's quote makes me think of anohter quote that I've heard somewhere else. I think it was Mean Girls I'm not sure. "There's are two types of people in this world, people who do bad things, and people who see bad things being done and don't do anything." The case we read in class today about Kitty Genovese really stayed with me even after I left class today. Because I still feel a bit guilty about saying that I would run or not interfere if something similar was happening. And even though I feel guilty and this is a bit selfish I wouldn't change my decision. I just think the quote means that being a bystander that doesn't take action is the worst possible role to play in a critical situation.
ReplyDeleteWhen someone is a bystander they have all the power in their hands to make a difference in someone’s life. In the Genovese case, all her bystanders could have been the difference that could have saved her life. Unfortunately, they chose otherwise which resulted in a tragedy. A victim may not have the power to change the occurrence of events, such a Kitty who needed and begged for the help of someone, anyone. As for a perpetrator, what they’re doing is just as bad but what’s worse someone who could have done something to change the outcome but chose not because of tedious reasons, or a perpetrator, like that man who was set out to do evil. I agree with Ikider, interestingly enough he mentions “We shouldn’t fall victim to a society of only apathy and no empathy.” If we sit back and do not speak up for ourselves and for others we become helpless victims, not helping ourselves or others. If we become those who hurt others, although we do not wish to be treated such ways we are becoming perpetrators. But if we are bystanders we are like Chandanie said not being the change that we wish to see. Above all a citizen should not hold such immense power to do minimal work that could save someone’s life and choose not to. It’s a waste of voice, and one of the saddest things is that. Like in the poem we read today in class, they too did not speak out for others when needed but when it came time to speak out for them, they too did not have the voice, the help that one needed.
ReplyDeleteIn the quote stated above by Yehuda Bauer the message that he is trying to convey is that when it comes to developing your personal character being a bystander should ultimately be avoided. When it comes to being a perpetrator or victim in some circumstances you may not be aware of it nor do you have control of it. For example, in the case of Kitty Genovese, she was a victim who was brutally attacked multiple times over the span of approximately half an hour. She was not in control of the situation instead she was vulnerable/defenseless against the man. However, in such situation if you are witnessing what is occurring it is your chance to take action. As Ishrat stated, " it does not mean that one must become the victim or the perpetrator." However, in the case of Kitty, the neighbors had multiple chances to help by simply just making an anonymous phone call to the police. By doing so the neighbors would not be directly getting involved. Thus, they would not be putting themselves in harm's way. Overall, it is important to remember that if you remain a bystander and don’t help someone when you have the opportunity to, you should not except others to help you in your time of need.
ReplyDeleteThe way I interpret the quote above is the following: Bystanding is just as worse as being a victim, or a criminal. Of course, the victim usually comes to meet a terrible fate, as in the case of Kitty Genovese, and the criminal is doing even more wrong by committing crimes such as the acts of violence, assault, battery, and even murder. But the worst thing to do is be a bystander who does nothing because a bystander can do more than a criminal could in any given situation. A bystander controls the fate of the victim, and also determines the fate of the criminal. A life can be saved as well as one being placed behind bars, preventing the death or harm of other people (though by a small percentage due to it being one criminal). My point still stands at bystanders who do nothing are just as important as the victim and criminal in a situation.
ReplyDeleteI think this quote by Yehuda Bauer means I can stay out of trouble by not being a victim or perpetrator but at the same time I shouldn't be a bystander either. I should try to do something within my capacity rather being a bystander. My response to the quote would be none shouldn't be a bystander by only thinking of their own. When someone is getting assaulted we should stop thinking our self for a minute and just being put ourselves in their shoes. If I were a victim I'd definitely want people around me to help me or at least call 911 rather than watching I'm getting beaten up and played a bystander role. We might be scared to involve in the situation by at least we can make a phone call and save someone's life. If people didn't play a role of bystander Ms. Kitty Genovese wouldn't get murdered in front of them.Therefore I believe we should try our best for not being a bystander.
ReplyDeleteI Believe this quote is saying that it is undesirable to be a victim or perpetrator. But it is even far worse to be a bystander. Because being a bystander means that you are standing by and doing nothing basically. If we are all one and family you cannot be a bystander. We need to protect each other and be an ally rather than a bystander.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with Ishrat's statement because when I initially read the quote, i felt it had to deal with shaping your values. Yehuda Bauer is trying to explain that we should not pass away the opportunity of being a bystander which holds so much power to make a difference. You have the advantage as you are not a victim nor a perpetrator. Make it so that you feel like it is your responsibility to do something.
ReplyDeleteThis quote simply mean that no one person should stand aside when an obstruction of justice is taking place. Nobody should let someone physically hurt someone else. As a bystander, it is your obligation as a citizen to help out another citizen when they are need, whether or not they are of the same gender, ethnicity, or religion as you. This should be the case especially if someone is out numbered and appears tobe in trouble.The bystander should attempt to diffuse the situation before something happens. So, this qoute means that you should always attempt to help, never just stand by.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ishrat, as being an outside observer inherently grants you more of an objective viewpoint surrounding the situation as opposed to being the victim or perpetrator, The bystander holds so much more influence and control over the situation as they in theory possess the ability to potentially save ones life and prevent future crimes from being committed by having a criminal seized. The quote is essentially saying one should avoid being a bystander since they hold so much power and that their role in the triangle between victim, perpetrator and themselves is in essence innately the most influential as they are the only ones who can control the outcome of the other two.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, this quote is saying that the worse thing in a situation is to be a bystander. It is even worse than being a victim and a perpetrator in a situation. It is defining the role and power of a bystander, which is in essential, an enormous amount. But I also with Ishrat that a bystander has the most objectivity of the situation unlike anyone else involved.This makes me think back to the articles we read about Kitty Genevese and how no one even attempted to help her. The bystanders were almost just as responsible as the man who stabbed her a numerous amount of times. If someone had called for help, Ms. Genevese may not have been dead. This goes to indicate that people can be selfish sometimes and do not want to tackle danger in any way directly or indirectly easily. Sometimes, they don't have to even put in the effort to save someone in need, especially if that person in need is a stranger. If that person wouldn't have been a stranger, the chances of the person being helped is higher.
ReplyDelete