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Monday, October 19, 2009

GENOCIDE!!!!


                                    

This is a topic that has always intrigued me. What is Genocide? Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group. Examples include : Rwanda, the Holocaust, Amalekites, Armenians etc lol.
I have always wondered, how it is possible for  HUMAN BEINGS to stand aside and watch while genocide is committed by some people against another group of people. Even during World War 2, no nation went to the Jews defence until they realized that Hitler planned to take over the world. It sickens me when I realized that the only reason other nations entered the war was not because of the plight of the Jews. But for the fact that Hitler was threatening their own national security.

When Rwanda’s turn rolled around, no nation went in to stop it. Afterall, it was not in the interest of anybody to stop a bunch of Africans from killing each other. Everybody waited till the murders were over, then every nation including the UN rushed to see who could be first to offer up apologies, vowing that that sort of genocide would not be allowed to take place again in the world.

Right now as I am typing, there are people who are being systematically and deliberately exterminated in Darfur, Sudan. Is anybody doing anything to stop it? No. And I will tell you why. They are waiting for the genocides in Darfur to end, and then they will rush out to the microphones with their “apologies’ in hand and give the best speeches and then call it a day. Human Beings as a whole are not capable of understanding large scale murder. Stalin said it best, “one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is statistics”. When I talk to some of my Christian friends about genocide, they are horrified, they abhor it, they rebuke it, etc. But then I point out to them, the genocides that took place in the bible. When I point that out to them, they respond by saying “Oh he’s God, he can do whatever he wants” or they say “That was in the Old Testament” our God has changed, he is more merciful.” My friends were able to rebuke genocides committed by men, but they were incapable of rebuking genocides committed by a “God”?

In some cases, I’ve seen some of my Christian friends pray to God to stop the genocide taking place in Darfur, and I usually think to myself “What are these people praying for? Or who are they praying to? The same God who stood by and watched/ignored the cries/pleas/prayers of his own “chosen people (Jews)” as they got slaughtered by a dictator claiming to be doing “God’s Will”?
Now, why would that very same God now give a crap about a bunch of “Africans” getting slaughtered in the desert? Like forreal though, everyone knows that God does not give a crap about Africa or Africans.

My point is this, we as humans should learn to rebuke evil no matter who it is committed by. You can’t excuse Genocide on one level, then rebuke it on another level. Sooner or later, you become apathetic to genocide. I feel that we as humans have become “numb” to large scale deaths, afterall if the people being killed are not family, friends, relatives why should I care? This was the same mentality people had in World War two until Hitler decided to come for them as well. The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it. People like you and I, who wake up every morning fully conscious of people being systematically slaughtered and we do nothing about it. What really pains me is the apathy, we really do not give two shits about people getting exterminated. I came across this quote concerning Apathy. "Apathy and evil. The two work hand in hand. They are the same, really, Evil wills it. Apathy allows it. Evil hates the innocent and the defenseless most of all. Apathy doesn't care as long as it's not personally inconvenienced"

In conclusion, the genocide in Darfur will continue, until one side gets tired of killing and the other side gets tired of dying. Then maybe, peace talks will start and then the “International Community” will again issue another apology vowing that this sort of “genocide” will not be allowed to take place in our world again.*STORY* Then fools like me, will go and do research papers on “The Genocide in Darfur” just like fools before me went and did research on the “Genocide in Rwanda” so that I can get a good grade. Why are we able to seat by and watch as human beings get slaughtered, and we do not even pressure our governments to do anything. Why? Because it does not affect us directly. Classic example of Human Selfishness but I summit to you, that genocide might not be happening to you right now, but one day it will surely come to your own country, your own tribe or even your own religious group.
"First they came for the Jews but I did not speak up - because I was not a Jew
Then they came for the Tutsis in Rwanda but I did not speak up - because I was not a Tutsi
Then they came for the Africans in Darfur but I did not speak up - because I was not an African in Darfur.
The day will come when people will come for "us" to, and there will be nobody to speak up for us.
Hitler of German was responsible for 21 million deaths.
Mao of China was responsible for 34 million deaths.
Stalin of Russia was responsible for 62 million deaths.
My Question to you all is : When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it??
Jesus himself said "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

27 comments:

Naijababe said...

well mr man. what your saying is true but how do u suggest we go about making these killings stop? iam appauled by it and ashamed that Africa can sit back and allow such to happen but what can i do myself? my mere words cannot stop the slaughter of a young boy or girl. this does not mean that i will not do what i can to cause change but united we stand and divided we fall!
as for the "God" thing...i have my own personal beliefs so let's not get into that one!

Afrikim said...

Three words for you...SYSTEMATIC POPULATION CONTROL

Azazel said...

Thanks hun..
Good question @ what can you do to make the killings stop.
In reality hun, there is little or nothing one can do. I mean u can travel there and join red cross, but in other to stop these killings you need the collective effort of the international commmunity

Azazel said...

Lol so Jezebel..
U saying that by letting genocides happen, we have population control indirectly??

Anonymous said...

You know,I think Nigeria actually sent troops to Darfur for peace keeping. They probably won an award or sumn for maintaining that position in all of Africa.
About the killings, no one wants that. It's true that we can all be selfish but at the end it's not a one man thing, we all need to work together and spread the word.

Azazel said...

Lol the same nigerian soldiers that raped women in darfur? But ur definitely true @ we got recognised for it.
Nigeria sends a lot of peacekeepers to troubled places in africa.

Anonymous said...

china should stop importing oil from the govt....it funds the genocide

Azazel said...

Ur right ttolla. But china has it's own interests @ heart. And china alone is not to blame, the genocide has been going on before china started importin oil from sudan.
We are all responsible for their deaths, afterall if our own family members were being systematically slaughtered, we would go and help them. But now others are dying, we sit back and watch.. Why?

Myne said...

My Question to you all is : When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it??


I wish I had an easy answer but I doubt anyone does. Very thoughtful post.

Azazel said...

There is no easy answer to it My new hitman.
I was just wondering, what happened to the days when human beings valued human life. I was just talkin to somebody and they were like, other nations can't go in and stop it because it is very complex.
I don't understand what is "COMPLEX' about human beings dying?

EDJ said...

@Azazel, the world is COMPLEX! I really wish countries WOULD go in and stop violence like this when it is actually happening but we know that politics & politicians don't work like that.
Shey people were complaining about my blog when I wrote my Op-Ed that Obama doesn't deserve the Nobel Peace Prize...well HERE is something he could have done to warrant such an award.

It is politics that stops people from responding to things like this. Individuals can only do so much without the help of their government. No-one wants to delve into the mess that is Darfur unless they have Hazmat suits on and the promise of a disinfectant bath when they get out.

Azazel said...

Lol smh am really disappointed in some of u...
U all fail to see my point, time and time again.. I am not here to cast blame at one person, we are all RESPONSIBLE includin me for doing NOTHING!!!...
Afterall, we voted for Obama innit? Have we told him to go and do anything for Darfur? Oh please EDJ drop the facade, u, me and everybody who seats around and watches while these ppl get slaughtered are responsible for their deaths.
Please stop with all the finger pointing, everybody is responsible. Afterall, if ur own family members were being killed, would u wait till obama acted before u sprung into action?
*sigh*
An age is called Dark, not because the light fails to shine, but because people refuse to see it.

The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it
People like u and I EDJ, people like u and I who do nothing about it.

yugecin said...

interesting read

dmuragijimana said...

I did a presentation research on this topic...
you will be surprised at how many people don't care anymore
even Africans don't care about Africans...we are consumed by greed that seeing beyond that is impossible so we would rather kill each other.

Some people are truly broken and tender hearted with this, but that fraction is small

dmuragijimana said...

I did a presentation research on this topic...
you will be surprised at how many people don't care anymore
even Africans don't care about Africans...we are consumed by greed that seeing beyond that is impossible so we would rather kill each other.

Some people are truly broken and tender hearted with this, but that fraction is small

Azazel said...

Lol Reine.
I doubt I can be surprised, I have already come to the conclusion that a lot of people really do not care anymore..
Umm lol can u send me the research thing u did on this? Would love to see it.

Spesh said...

An unfortunate fact of life it is.........but thumbs up to you for disectn it like this!

Original Mgbeke said...

I get your drift, but how exactly do you want us to make these mass murders stop? Fly to Darfur with our blazing swords?
There are a bunch of fund raising activities and awareness geared towards stopping the Genocide...even in college days, our ASA would have events and all proceeds would go towards the situation in Darfur.

Aniwoos, interesting read. Azazel, na you be Controversy?

Azazel said...

@ My world
Thank u hun

@ Mgbeke..
Oh me am not saying u should fly over there with blazin swords, am just askin that u act just as u would act if ur family members lives where on the line. Now if u would be nonchalant to ur fam members being killed, then it's ok to be nonchalant to these other ppl being slaughtered.

Enoch said...

Wow! Nice post! Three thumbs up!

The idea of halting genocide is appealing to our better angels but I have long stopped having that wet dream after it became clear to me that game-theory dictates the foreign policy conduct of most nations. So, while a genocidal bloodbath takes place, be rest assured there are no bunch of govt officials genuinely mulling over the ethical dilemma or the moral imperatives of intervention, rather, you've got a bunch of strategists punching the numbers to see if the benefits of intervention (trade deals, political control, military ties, etc)aggregate sufficiently to warrant their help and that's assuming the genocide in question isn't a deliberate pawn push by those we might expect to step in and help. Btw, this so called strategic analysis is such that Human life and local protests are valued much less than the greenback equivalent of one barrel of oil, if valued at all.

No need denying it. We are all driven by individual interests and nations even more so. It is no different when we claim to be moral because the impetus is often a "soothing feeling" or "guilt avoidance" derived from doing good which is in itself selfish. Unfortunately, nations don't have a collective conscience to guilt trip on.

The next genocide will come and if the maths says there's nothing to benefit, it will run its course unperturbed. It is much cheaper to drag a geriatric mass murderer to the ICJ several decades after the fact than to roll out the tanks to stop the killing.

If you need help during a genocide, make sure you reside in a country of strategic benefit with goodies like; oil&gas, strategically located real estate for pipelines or military airspace, etc. And hope that those you look up to for help aren't instigators by proxy or don't realize its cheaper to hold out and just deal with the resulting government.

It is the way of the world.

oooops I did it again. Last long comment I promise.

Azazel said...

@ Enoch
Yep @ game theory lol, i learnt that this summer also.
So true @ human life is valued less than a greenback..
I've been screamin that for sometime now, it's a real shame..
That we humans have stooped to this level though.
I learnt this game theory thing from my interantional relations professor and it really opened my eyes. How ppl can sit and watch other ppl get slaughtered is beyond my comprehension. but then again we live in a realistic world, every man for himself. It always boils down to the fact that human beings are innately selfish and self serving

Lady X said...

I rather think everyone is missing the other point of this post.

Azazel said...

@ Lady X.
Which is?

Azazel said...

@ yugecin
lol u came over from nigerian mafia

Chiamaka said...

I get your point. i think it is our nature as human beings. when we have nothing to gain, we mind our own business. Like in my school, at times at night, a girl could shout something like 'rape!, help me'. what all other girls, including me would do, would be to run to our rooms and secure our doors and act like we had no other option. we tell ourselves that we are just girls so we have no strength to stop a rapist, but if it were any of our sisters, i am sure no girl would lock her door and listen to her sister being raped. so i think it is human nature. the very bad side of human nature. and i think we need to be made aware of this bad part of us, both on the small scale, and on larger scale like genocide. we should be willing to sacrifice even when we have nothing to gain. because you never know who might be the victim tomorrow. Nice post.

BTW: I never thought i'd make that statement on this blog. *nice post*. guess everything gets better with time.

Azazel said...

@ HYAW
I love u for this statement @ we should be willing to sacrifice even when we have nothing to gain. because you never know who might be the victim tomorrow

Thank u hun.. This is my point exactly.

Sherryktdb said...

Three words for you...SYSTEMATIC POPULATION CONTROL