Time to stand up against injustice

Rae Pattison, Las Vegas

Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013 | 2:02 a.m.

In response to Nicholas Kristof’s Sept. 25 column, “The boy who stood up to injustice in Syria”:

How many times have I seen injustice but remained silent because of fear of the ramifications of challenging authority, whether in the workplace, an HOA, or government or corporate agency? I can’t count. Sometimes it was a matter of the time and effort it would involve to “stand up.”

We are the apathetic silent majority. In Europe, hundreds of thousands take to the streets to challenge perceived injustice. Americans don’t do that. And if we don’t even stand up for the injustices perceived in our neighborhoods, schools, churches, communities, workplaces, government and corporate entities, then how can we be expected to get excited about injustices at the global level?

By the time we realize that what happens in places like Syria ultimately affects our lives as Americans, it will probably be too late.

If a seventh-grade boy can stand up to injustice in Syria, we can stand up to injustices, big or small, at the local, national and international levels.

Remaining silent endangers the lifestyle and work style we are so busily trying to protect.