Individual Behavior

I find it interesting, that whether it was a perpetrator, a bystander, or a rescuer there is not one pattern that determines what the pre-existing charactersitics of each person was that motivated them to act one way or the other. It seems that th perpetrator and they bystander both claim to have acted out of fear or duty. Fear of what may happen to them or duty to the nation or their job. I'm inclined to sympathize. But when Barnett brought up the rescuer of the resister a light bulb went on in my head and I said, "oh yea, them!" The rescuer.

The rescuer shows that we are individually responsible for our actions. Not matter what the motivating circumstance is, people can still decide for themselves. They don't have to sacrifice morality or compassion.

I do find it interesting that many of the rescuers came from homes where they were taught to think independently. I also find it interesting that the majority of those rescuers were women. Barnett suggests this is because women were treated as minorities/marginalized. I'm sure a gender study could be done on this (if there hasn't been already).

But I'm thankful to be reminded of those who did not sit and do nothing. But stood and resisted on behalf of their endangered neighbors.