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PostPosted: 07 Mar 2017 19:29 
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In my language arts class I just finished reading Night, by Elie Wiesel. I have never read it before, but if you're not familiar with the story, it's written by a man who was in the Buna and Buchenwald concentration camps during World War 2. At the end of the book, the publishers had included his acceptance speech for his Nobel Peace Price.

I am not so prideful to compare myself to the likes of Elie Wiesel, or try to liken my experience in CS:GO as anything even remotely close to his experience in a concentration camp, but this part of his speech reminded me of why this clan is important to me, and why I make a big deal about it every time somebody is an asshole in our servers.

(I know even some clan members disagree with my behavior at times like these, so I thought I would share Wiesel's significantly more eloquent description here, in hopes of shedding a bit of understanding.)
Quote:
I remember: he asked his father: "Can this be true?" This is the twentieth century, not the Middle Ages. Who would allow such crimes to be committed? How could the world remain silent?

[. . .]

And then I explained to him how naive we were, that the world did know and remain silent. And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.

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PostPosted: 07 Mar 2017 20:09 
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I believe in this as well. I will have to read this book.

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PostPosted: 10 Mar 2017 00:53 
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It's a very touching novel and i loved reading it. Especially this page in the novel where they would be separated and never see each other again after sticking together for so long and his father had some last words to tell him but he had to go and never had the opportunity to tell Elie what it was.

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PostPosted: 10 Mar 2017 07:32 
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It's a very touching novel and i loved reading it. Especially this page in the novel where they would be separated and never see each other again after sticking together for so long and his father had some last words to tell him but he had to go and never had the opportunity to tell Elie what it was.
Wait, what? His father died after spending days speaking to Elie in complete delirium. The last things he told Elie was where he buried the gold. The best part about that scene, IMO, was Elie's complete and total honesty, where he admits to being glad that his father finally died and he could be free of the burden of having to look out for him.

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PostPosted: 10 Mar 2017 08:03 
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lol did you guys read different books?

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PostPosted: 10 Mar 2017 09:41 
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lol did you guys read different books?
Haha I have no idea, but I just finished the book this week so I don't think I could be misremembering.

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PostPosted: 11 Mar 2017 18:31 
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I definitely feel this way too. It pains me to see people stand back and not defend someone being bullied or hurt just for the sake of 'keeping the peace' or remaining 'neutral'. Especially as someone with a fair amount of societal privilege, I feel like the best thing I can do for someone being belittled or harassed is to try my best to give a voice to someone unheard.


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PostPosted: 12 Mar 2017 00:48 
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Good shit Amaroq. Thanks for sharing.


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PostPosted: 12 Mar 2017 12:50 
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Location: T͚̜͙͚̠̦ͬͧ̐ͬĥ͙͉͙̥̹̝͖ͮ̒̒̋ͤ̄eͭͫͭ ̥̤͔̽ͥ͐ͦͦͣỊ̒̎n̖͚̘͇̬̟te̻̥͇̳̲̲͊̂͆ͩr̝̯̦̼͔̖̻̽n͙ͬ͆̎e͔̰͎ͩ͋̀̚t̮̞͎̓ͨ́
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If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.

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