The ultimate tragedy is not the acts of the bad people but the silence of the good people

 By Tarang Jain

(Final ASL Speech)

This quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. brings to mind the word 'acquiescence'. Acquiescence - the reluctant acceptance of something without protest. What if the Mathura rape case, Nirbhaya case had been ignored by the public? What if it had become just a headline and not sparked a nationwide candlelight marches or forced the government to make changes in sexual crime laws?

I remember a poem by a resistance fighter that we read in 9th class in our history chapter about the rise of Hitler, it raised the question if other people had not simply become inured to the pre-eminent policies, would Hitler have risen to power; would the holocaust have been the cause of their death?

First they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

Imagine a world where the people didn't protest against the atrocities faced by their fellow beings. To me, that would be truly an utmost dystopian world.

When people choose to remain silent, these actions set out ripples in the society. The young think it's acceptable for them to do so too. What do you think will happen when society will be based on these unscrupulous grounds? 

With this question, I would like to conclude my speech hoping that whenever we acquiesce, we think again and decide against it. 

Thank you!