I am currently taking a genocide prevention class here at Binghamton University. During the first week of classes, my professor asked us if we knew what was currently happening in Myanmar, to which the entire class responded with blank stares. We all mirrored each other’s looks of confusion, casting our eyes down at our desks or fumbling with something in our backpacks, hoping she wouldn’t call on us. I couldn’t even tell you exactly where Myanmar is in the world, let alone its current events. After the awkward silence, my professor told us that breaking news had been released confirming that there is currently a genocide being carried out in Myanmar. I stared at my desk in shame, everyone shifting uncomfortably in their seats. None of us knew what she was talking about. This is why we need to talk about genocide.
After class, our discussion about Myanmar stuck with me as I walked back to my dorm, but it was quickly lost in the events of the day, eventually slipping from my consciousness. We acknowledge the horror of the genocide in Myanmar, think about it for a little and then carry on with our lives, the issue of genocide seemingly out of our reach. Outside of my genocide prevention class, I have not heard a single person mention the genocide in Myanmar.
Perhaps some people are just as ignorant as I was, not even aware that it’s happening, or others may simply deem it as irrelevant to their lives, which is why open discussion should be fostered to bring light to this issue. Myanmar should not be shoved under the rug. The Nazi extermination of the Jews was not the only genocide; they are still occurring today.
By encouraging open discussions about genocide, people will become more engaged in the world. It is imperative that we abandon our role as bystanders and become actively involved in the issue. We don’t really talk about genocide, which, in part, contributes to the problem — the genocide in Myanmar does not affect our personal lives, and it’s not something that seems to be our responsibility. However, we cannot stand by idly and wait for the government to act. As members of the human race, it is in every way our responsibility to respond.
I can still remember the day that a Holocaust survivor came to my middle school to tell us his story. The details of the horrors he suffered have since slipped my mind, but I will never forget the main point that he wanted us to take away from his story: The good people did nothing. He must have repeated the phrase at least 10 times, making it clear that if people would have stepped in, maybe the Holocaust would have never happened. This still applies to genocides today.
When there is a genocide actively occurring in the world, we tend to fall into the same cyclical pattern of denial and inactivity, waiting for someone else to step in and moving on as if there were nothing going on. Genocide cannot and should not be silenced. We need to talk about this issue more openly. Whether it be in a classroom setting or open discussion held by the University, it is during these times that we can bring minds together to not only educate people on the issue, but work toward a solution. It is unacceptable to fall into the same pattern of ignorance. We need to take action, now.
Sophia LoBiondo is an undeclared freshman.