Neutrality on controversial topics can feel like the safest option, but in some conversations it can become even more controversial and uncomfortable. There are many people who choose to stay silent to avoid conflict, but in reality staying silent is louder than speaking out. Silence in the face of adversity allows individuals to continue the injustice: it protects the problem rather than preventing it, and it lacks accountability.
People choose to be neutral thinking it’s going to avoid the hard part, and the hard part is picking a side. You can’t be blamed for the consequences of your opinion if you don’t have an opinion to begin with, right? People stay silent thinking that it shields them from those consequences, but instead of stopping harm and hate, their silence serves as fuel toward keeping that harm and hate alive and only helps keep the world the same.
Social psychologists have researched and studied this for years when it comes to the bystander effect. In the 1960s, Bibb Latané and John M. Darley theorized that more witnesses to a crime can lead to inaction amongst them due to the assumption that someone else will intervene or report the crime or that because nobody else is intervening that it’s not as severe as initially thought. The theory suggests that when people see others staying silent, they are more likely to stay silent as well, causing a chain reaction.
Social media is like this as well. People like myself who are chronically online know just how insane the internet is. People tend to scroll past offensive comments, jokes and videos without saying a thing, thinking “What’s one comment going to do?” or “How is speaking up going to do anything?” But here’s the thing: one comment does do something.
Public silence only shows that it’s okay to say inappropriate, offensive things like that. Silence in the face of these comments is almost like an approval of them. A study on neutrality in the Journal of Experimental Psychology by Rachel L. Ruttan, Gabrielle S. Adams and Katherine A. DeCelles found that when people see someone staying neutral on controversial issues, they’re more likely to consider them as problematic as people who are expressing the opposing viewpoint, if not worse.
As well as advocating online, I believe you have to stand up for something. Speaking up can be scary, especially during this time in our world where speaking up can almost feel like our safety is on the line or whatever we say will follow us. I get it – nobody wants to look dramatic, but advocating will not destroy your aesthetic, it shows your values. Your aesthetic means nothing if it means you’re ignoring real-life problems and real people.
And here’s the thing: this isn’t about fighting or winning arguments. It’s about how being scared and choosing silence keeps matters the same, guaranteeing no change or differences. By speaking up and acknowledging issues that are going on, whether that be by advocating, helping someone or protesting in real life, you do one thing that silence cannot, and that’s create change.
So next time you’re online and scrolling past offensive posts and comments, or you’re reluctant to make a post addressing something important going on, ask yourself: do you want to be a bystander who is helping the problem continue, or do you want to make a change?
