Darryl's Blog
How can they not intervene
When I was a kid, I remember wondering how the world could have let the Holocaust happen. I think I understand a bit more now. We repeat this mistake all the time.
I'm watching Hotel Rwanda tonight. I've procrastinated because I knew it would be brutal. The most haunting line so far comes after a U.S. journalist films people being massacred. The following is an exchange between the hotel manager (Paul Rusesabagina) and the journalist:
Paul Rusesabagina: I am glad that you have shot this footage, and that the world will see it. It is the only way we have a chance that people might intervene.Update: Example found here - "In Congo, 1,000 die per day: Why isn't it a media story?"Journalist: Yeah, and if no one intervenes, it's still a good thing to show?
Paul Rusesabagina: [Surprised] How can they not intervene when they witness such atrocities?
Journalist: I think if people see this footage, they'll say, "Oh God, that's horrible!" and then go on eating their dinners.
That's why I'm going over this summer to the Congo to help out for two weeks.
Trish:
That is amazing. Way to go.
we get so compartmentalized in our happy American lives and this sort of thing really makes us feel bad about all the luxuries we take for granted.
To think of the starving children covered in flies...mothers and fathers holding their dying children in their arms because they can do nothing else for them....simple things like vaccinations and vitamins could save alot of them.
Clean drinking water is a no brainer for us...we just prefer the taste of this or that brand of bottled water instead while we plan our 15 minute hot shower with the latest scented body wash.
Hotel Rwanda was a family movie. (we have teenagers, 16 and 18) we ask: Why did we ignore them? Why are we ignoring the Sudan crisis? the Congo crisis? the Ethiopian crisis? (no one knew anything about these countries so off we went to the internet: Darfur, Congo...)
....there is no oil there. they have nothing to give back to us. Its too big and goin on for too long to stop. what can we do?
somehow that movie has had all of us a little more concentrated on how we are living our lives daily and what we have we are thankful for.