Edited by Jim McCrory, Wednesday, 28 Jun 2023, 19:34
When studying Social Science some years ago, I learned
of the Kitty Genovese murder in 1964.
Apart from being chased down the street, sexual
assault and then murdered, what made this case
more shocking was the bystanders that ignored Kitty’s screams
for help.
This came to mind whilst reading Kathrine Boo’s shocking
testimony to life in Mumbai’s slums in her bookBehind the Beautiful Forevers.
She writes about a one-legged girl whose is set on
fire by quarrelsome neighbours, many bystanders gather and watch like it’s the
next episode in a soap opera. She writes,
“The adults drifted back to their dinners, while a few
boys waited to see if Fatima’s face would come off.”
Fatima’s husband in a effort to get her to hospital is
shunned by rickshaw drivers concerned about their rickshaw seats becoming
bloodstained.
I see the expression "Enlightenment now" in books and the media. Just exactly what do we mean by it? In what ways have we become enlightened?
Enlightenment Now
When studying Social Science some years ago, I learned of the Kitty Genovese murder in 1964.
Apart from being chased down the street, sexual assault and then murdered, what made this case
more shocking was the bystanders that ignored Kitty’s screams for help.
This came to mind whilst reading Kathrine Boo’s shocking testimony to life in Mumbai’s slums in her book Behind the Beautiful Forevers.
She writes about a one-legged girl whose is set on fire by quarrelsome neighbours, many bystanders gather and watch like it’s the next episode in a soap opera. She writes,
“The adults drifted back to their dinners, while a few boys waited to see if Fatima’s face would come off.”
Fatima’s husband in a effort to get her to hospital is shunned by rickshaw drivers concerned about their rickshaw seats becoming bloodstained.
I see the expression "Enlightenment now" in books and the media. Just exactly what do we mean by it? In what ways have we become enlightened?