Neutrality

Neutrality is a concept we see emerge in both Night and Finding Beauty in a Broken World. In Wiesel's nobel-prize acceptance speech, Wiesel denounces neutrality because it helps the oppressor more than it will ever help the victim. To remain neutral is an act of cowardice, a desire to preserve oneself. At the same time, staying quiet motivates the oppressor because they are seeing no resistance or opposition to their actions.

The United States of America has been involved in varying degrees of neutrality since the beginning of WWI; the majority of the time, it is at the expense of other countries and peoples. In Finding Beauty in a Broken World, the secretary general working in Rwanda expresses great disgust at America's lack of desire to intervene on Rwanda's behalf. He says, "Abstinence is not the answer. We remain invisible to the United States" (233). Although America is the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world, with force capable of eradicating a genocide in an undeveloped country, they chose not to. Terry Tempest Williams's critical response accuses the U.S for being the cause of the genocide: "This is a hell of our own making. There were those who killed an those who looked away..." (227). As Uncle Ben once said, "with great power comes great responsibility." Although Spiderman figured this out, it seems the U.S is still having trouble taking control of the problems of the world.