My wife returned home quite shaken the other day. She and her sister-in-law had experienced a rather negative interaction with an older man in a local supermarket that we frequent. What started as an accidental clash quickly escalated and started to get out of hand.
When my wife looked around for support, no-one intervened. There was clearly an injustice happening and it was loud enough for spectators to realise these two women were uncomfortable and yet everyone just looked away and refused to step up.
Eventually, they managed to find a security guard and even then it was a bit of a mission to get the situation resolved because no-one seemed to know how to respond.
I can only imagine it would have gone down a lot differently if I had been there, or possibly not happened at all because that man would not have taken the same chances he did.
WHEN DO WE GET INVOLVED?
I heard a similar story from a blogger friend of mine recently where there was an altercation in a supermarket. She ended up intervening when a customer started verbally assaulting a checkout lady. The customer, an older man again, started screaming profanities at her and again no-one intervened. the injustice was obvious, but no-one knew or cared enough to get involved.
I have heard of racist encounters in local Cape Town restaurants where a group of black customers were asked to move to a different table to make space for a white family. Or a black family was refused entry to a restaurant on the phone because “It was full” only to have white friends of theirs make a booking and be told, “Absolutely, there is a lot of space.”
A guy on the side of the street beating up his girlfriend. Someone being rude and obnoxious to someone behind a counter at a store. Someone throwing a tantrum in a restaurant. We see it all the time. But why do we do nothing about it?
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
I always think back to the movies ‘A Bug’s Life’ and ‘Antz’ when these situations of injustice arise. Tiny little insects outnumbered in either case and yet when they realise that there are much more of them and rise up they are victorious.
Bullies are often quite easy to embarrass and overpower. Their momentum comes from the fact that they are seemingly in control. So a loud voice or a violent stance or the idea that they are the one that needs to be listened to. But the moment that the crowd steps forward they are usually quickly silenced and dealt with.
Which is what needs to start happening more in South Africa. As soon as we spot injustice happening around us, someone needs to step up and be bold in our statement of, “This is not happening. Not on my watch.” And then everyone else needs to quickly jump in and assert their agreement. This is the way we will see justice happen more frequently and more effectively.
I am not calling for a violent response in any way. Just men and women who will put their hands up and say, “That is not cool. You need to stop.”
It often takes that one brave person to get the ball rolling to help give others the courage to add their voices. Are you going to be the one?
Have you ever witnessed an injustice like this and not gotten involved in any way? What was it that held you back? What might make it easier for you to assert your voice the next time you see this?