THE ACT OF INDIFFERENCE

We mark the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide this year.  Despite  warnings of imminent violence, the world failed to act and some 800,000 people were murdered within 100 days in 1994. As long as genocide remains a threat, we must continue to ask ourselves about the consequences of action - and of inaction. That is how we strive to fulfill the promise of Never Again!

You have the opportunity to say, "I will not be a by-stander." 

PERIOD 2: AMERICA AND THE HOLOCAUST

Complex social and political factors shaped America's response to the Holocaust, from Kristallnacht in 1938 through the liberation of the death camps in 1945. For a short time, the U.S. had an opportunity to open its doors, but instead erected a "paper wall," a bureaucratic maze that prevented all but a few Jewish refugees from entering the country. When do you think the government should have become involved in helping the Jews and what should it have done? What were the factors that prevented the government from helping Jewish refugees enter the country?

PERIOD 4: AMERICA AND THE HOLOCAUST

Complex social and political factors shaped America's response to the Holocaust, from Kristallnacht in 1938 through the liberation of the death camps in 1945. For a short time, the U.S. had an opportunity to open its doors, but instead erected a "paper wall," a bureaucratic maze that prevented all but a few Jewish refugees from entering the country. When do you think the government should have become involved in helping the Jews and what should it have done? What were the factors that prevented the government from helping Jewish refugees enter the country?

PERIOD 6: AMERICA AND THE HOLOCAUST

Complex social and political factors shaped America's response to the Holocaust, from Kristallnacht in 1938 through the liberation of the death camps in 1945. For a short time, the U.S. had an opportunity to open its doors, but instead erected a "paper wall," a bureaucratic maze that prevented all but a few Jewish refugees from entering the country. When do you think the government should have become involved in helping the Jews and what should it have done? What were the factors that prevented the government from helping Jewish refugees enter the country?

PERIOD 2: HOTEL RWANDA

We mark the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide this year. Despite warnings of imminent violence made by Canadian General Roméo Dallaire, the head of the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda, the world failed to act and some 800,000 people were murdered within 100 days in 1994. President Bill Clinton later reflected on the U.S. government’s failure to respond: “If we’d gone in sooner, I believe we could have saved at least a third of the lives that were lost... it had an enduring impact on me.”As long as genocide remains a threat, we must continue to ask ourselves about the consequences of action—and of inaction. That is how we strive to fulfill the promise of Never Again. Please post your thoughts about the film we watched in class.

PERIOD 4: HOTEL RWANDA

We mark the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide this year. Despite warnings of imminent violence made by Canadian General Roméo Dallaire, the head of the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda, the world failed to act and some 800,000 people were murdered within 100 days in 1994. President Bill Clinton later reflected on the U.S. government’s failure to respond: “If we’d gone in sooner, I believe we could have saved at least a third of the lives that were lost... it had an enduring impact on me.”As long as genocide remains a threat, we must continue to ask ourselves about the consequences of action—and of inaction. That is how we strive to fulfill the promise of Never Again. Please post your thoughts about the film we watched in class.

PERIOD 6: HOTEL RWANDA

We mark the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide this year. Despite warnings of imminent violence made by Canadian General Roméo Dallaire, the head of the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda, the world failed to act and some 800,000 people were murdered within 100 days in 1994. President Bill Clinton later reflected on the U.S. government’s failure to respond: “If we’d gone in sooner, I believe we could have saved at least a third of the lives that were lost... it had an enduring impact on me.”As long as genocide remains a threat, we must continue to ask ourselves about the consequences of action—and of inaction. That is how we strive to fulfill the promise of Never Again.  Please post your thoughts about the film we watched in class.  PERIOD 6 WILL POST COMMENTS ON MONDAY.

PERIOD 2: THE PIANIST

The motion picture, The Pianist, is based upon the true life story of Wladyslaw Szpilman and his family. Mr. Szpilman was one of the most accomplished musicians in Poland before the Nazis attacked the country in 1939. The film does an excellent job of explaining why it became impossible for the Jewish people living in Europe to escape the Nazis and showcases the plight of hundreds of thousands of Jews forced to live in the Warsaw ghetto. What did you learn from the film that you did not know before?

PERIOD 4: THE PIANIST

The motion picture, The Pianist, is based upon the true life story of Wladyslaw Szpilman and his family. Mr. Szpilman was one of the most accomplished musicians in Poland before the Nazis attacked the country in 1939. The film does an excellent job of explaining why it became impossible for the Jewish people living in Europe to escape the Nazis and showcases the plight of hundreds of thousands of Jews forced to live in the Warsaw ghetto. What did you learn from the film that you did not know before?

PERIOD 6: THE PIANIST

The motion picture, The Pianist, is based upon the true life story of Wladyslaw Szpilman and his family. Mr. Szpilman was one of the most accomplished musicians in Poland before the Nazis attacked the country in 1939. The film does an excellent job of explaining why it became impossible for the Jewish people living in Europe to escape the Nazis and showcases the plight of hundreds of thousands of Jews forced to live in the Warsaw ghetto. What did you learn from the film that you did not know before?

PERIOD 2: THE MILGRAM EXPERIMENT

TO BE DONE ON WED. Dr. Stanley Milgram defined obedience as “the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose.” What do you think encourages obedience? Is it fear of punishment; a desire to please; or is it a need to go along with the group? As some students watched the film Obedience, they laughed at the people receiving the shocks. How do you account for that laughter? Is it because something was funny or was there another reason? Those who study human behavior say that laughter can be a way of relieving tension, showing embarrassment or expressing relief that someone else is “on the spot.” Which explanation is most appropriate in this case? How did some of the volunteers act as they administered the shocks? What pressures were placed on them as the experiment continued? How and when did they decide to stop? Did you identify with any of the volunteers you observed in Obedience? What did you learn that you didn't know before you watched this film?

PERIOD 4: THE MILGRAM EXPERIMENT

TO BE DONE WED. Dr. Stanley Milgram defined obedience as “the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose.” What do you think encourages obedience? Is it fear of punishment; a desire to please; or is it a need to go along with the group? As some students watched the film Obedience, they laughed at the people receiving the shocks. How do you account for that laughter? Is it because something was funny or was there another reason? Those who study human behavior say that laughter can be a way of relieving tension, showing embarrassment or expressing relief that someone else is “on the spot.” Which explanation is most appropriate in this case? How did some of the volunteers act as they administered the shocks? What pressures were placed on them as the experiment continued? How and when did they decide to stop? Did you identify with any of the volunteers you observed in Obedience? What did you learn that you didn't know before you watched this film?

PERIOD 6: THE MILGRAM EXPERIMENT

Dr. Stanley Milgram defined obedience as “the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose.” What do you think encourages obedience? Is it fear of punishment; a desire to please; or is it a need to go along with the group? As some students watched the film Obedience, they laughed at the people receiving the shocks. How do you account for that laughter? Is it because something was funny or was there another reason? Those who study human behavior say that laughter can be a way of relieving tension, showing embarrassment or expressing relief that someone else is “on the spot.” Which explanation is most appropriate in this case? How did some of the volunteers act as they administered the shocks? What pressures were placed on them as the experiment continued? How and when did they decide to stop? Did you identify with any of the volunteers you observed in Obedience? What did you learn that you didn't know before you watched this film?