Is silence violence? Sometimes, it probably is. But, more often than not, choosing to be silent may say more about your own self-awareness than it does about the situation you chose to not speak into.
Discussion
Context: Situations of Injustice
Action: being neutral
Consequence: being on the side of the oppressor
Your quotes do not really fit the scope of my quote. Please do not confuse the context.
Rather than discussing the consequence, you seem to disagree more with the whole body of the argument which dissolves any platform for discussion.
Let's try it this way, with small steps:
Do you agree with the context:
A. Is there a situation of injustice?
I’m not sure, hence my silence
Being silent is legit.
Disagreeing with the quote is something else:
- If you cannot apply the quote to the current context because you are unsure, it does not mean that the quote is illogical.
- You being unsure does not change the fact, that the quote is based on real world experience, where a situation of injustice is evident.
- Agreeing or disagreeing cannot be based on sentiment or doubt in general. It has to be based on logical reason.
Let’s say some of the people on the bus behind them are unaware of whatever injustice (I truly don’t know what is going on). Are they on the side of the oppressor?
The quote is by Desmond Tutu (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu)
Today, neglecting a situation of injustice in context of African Anti-Apartheit history would be foolish. In that time, there could be people unaware, neutral or even actively supporting the oppressors. The picture seems to be later, so yes there could have been people unaware of injustice caused by colonialism, sitting in the bus behind. They were accepting the status quo, because it was indifferent to them. It is surely not possible to be aware of every injustice in this world. Also it might be legit to say "It is not my problem, but THEIRS".
All a matter of perspective and belief onto humanity. If there is no feeling of connection to other ethnicities (or races how it is called in some places) then of course, there can be no empathy, thus no interest to see from an oppressed perspective.