Adverse Effects of Indifference or Apathy

Answer

Adverse Effects of Indifference or Apathy

Indifference or apathy can narrowly be described as the state of being emotionless, callous, passive or numb with respect to matters of grave importance. An indifferent person is a bystander who consciously or subconsciously chooses to ignore the pain, suffering, and anguish of others simply because of the belief that they are personally unaffected or have no legal or moral obligation to act. As Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor puts it in his speech dubbed “The Perils of Indifference”, apathy is seductive because it appears to be much easier than taking action (Wiesel, 1). In that sense, it is more dangerous than anger and hatred, it is an end since it is always to the detriment of the victims, and it is a sin & a punishment (Wiesel, 1). Many of the world’s tragic evils such as crimes against humanity, human trafficking, sex trafficking, Female Genital Mutilation, child labor & prostitution, child marriages, drug trafficking, and the like have occurred and will recur primarily because the Peoples of the world have chosen to turn a blind eye and continue with their lives as individuals, nations, or societies. Indifference or apathy carries many adverse consequences.

During the Holocaust, there was a category of people who were known as the ‘bystanders.’ The bystanders were powerful individuals, nations, or international organizations that were aware of the ills that went on in Germany yet they chose not to act (Wiesel, 1). Another category of bystanders herein were the natives in Germany and Europe who were close to the events or were even within the premises of the Auschwitz concentration camp. These included civil servants and civilians. Although some of these individuals claimed that they were not involved in the events therein, it is apparent that they did not speak out or act. As Elie puts it, the degree of indifference portrayed by these two groups was part of the punishment that was suffered by the victims of the Holocaust. Regardless of the proximity, the bystanders remained numb to their pain and anguish and were merely treated as an abstraction or concept. 

The ugliest side of apathy is its replicative nature. From as far back as the periods of institutionalized chattel slavery, to the times of the Holocaust, it is quite apparent that there has been an established international culture of apathy. It is for this reason that the ills at the Auschwitz concentration camp seemed accepted at one point. The adversity is that apathy tends to gain root as a culture, and it extends to other matters including environmental issues. Despite the fact that alarming climate change concerns have been raised time and again, many individuals see the problem as being too “depersonalized or distant” thus they become inactive in that respect (Juneman & Pane 45). This widespread apathetic tendency indeed leads to inaction in this respect and the global warming effects continue lingering, to the detriment of the entire human race.

Apathy is also contagious. Based on a study that was conducted by Leander, Sanders, and Shah, it is apparent that when people see indifference, they tend to interpret it as an indirect signal to disengage (229). This is especially so when the subjects in question have a lack of sufficient commitment towards the underlying goal or task (Leader, Sanders & Shah 229). The study also revealed that participants who had a chronically high level of commitment to the goal sought to pursue it regardless of the exposure to indifference (Leader, Sanders & Shah 229). When this study is interpreted in the context of awareness and action regarding climate change, for instance, it quite clearly explains the source of the variations in commitment with respect to this matter, considering the fact that the protagonists, antagonists, and the bystanders are all exposed to one thing; indifference. It is also quite apparent that the bystanders are highly likely to join the antagonists’ camp since they have a lack of sufficient commitment towards the underlying goal. Indifference or apathy has many adverse consequences, some of which go to the heart of the very existence of the human race.

Indifference or apathy is the state of being emotionless, numb, callous, or passive with respect to matters of grave importance. It is ignorance or lack of concern towards the pain and suffering of others or any looming or present negative matter that is considered abstract; such as climate change. An apathetic individual is generally described as a bystander. Apathy has dire adverse consequences since it is replicative and contagious.