why are people so afraid to speak up for what is right?

Question

and afraid can't be

Answer 1

Because they're afraid of criticism and the consequences of their freedom of speech.

Answer 2

'Right' is an extremely subjective word - not as much as 'truth', but close.
Also might is often greater than right.
Being a non conformist you pay quite a high price, speak out and you are often ostracised.
Conforming in extreme circumstances can save your life, but lead to the death of others. However, most people would choose to save themselves.
The more conservative a society the more reluctant people are to speak out. It takes a very strong individual to stand up and say something that they know the great majority will shout them down for.
For example: the actor who plays Borat did a very camp gay character. In ones of the progs he went to a staight rodeo and stayed in character the whole time. He was lucky to come out of it unscathed! Although I don't like his comedy I do have respect for someone who has the strength to do that.
Many great leaders are obnoxious individuals because it takes a lot of arrogance to have an unpopular views and be open about it - it is easy if you never talk about it of course.
When I see things go on in the street I am always surprised at the amount of people who do not get involved, when there is NO ambiguity about right and wrong in the situation, but people are rightly worried about getting hurt.
A man in London a couple of years ago was stabbed and died because he had a go about someone dropping litter! There have been a few incidents like this. When people are prepared to take life for so little people do get really afraid, and it is a logical reaction.

Answer 3

Sheila got close. I believe it's because we've been beat up so badly from childhood, where we are constantly told things like, "Kids should be seen and not heard", "Stop telling lies," "Don't do this", "Don't do that", we become afraid as children to speak up. We don't feel good being criticized at every turn, and we want to be accepted. So we decide (at a young age) the way to be accepted is to always agree with everything and never speak up. Then based on our childhood decision, we carry that into our adulthood, inexplicably unable to speak freely when faced with something with which we disagree. Specifically when faced with something with which we disagree, or in some way engenders an emotion within us, we become afraid to speak. So the next question might be, what can we do about it.?

Answer 4

They are not speaking up becasue they are confused. Consider some of the issues. Do you invest thousands of dollars into the veins of a cancer victim, say 'Platinole', and the Doctor, and the Family know the victim has a aggressive glinoma, and his fate is sealed. Or do you save the dough for the victims family, and the Doctor's are unhappy, violates their training to save everyone to the bitter end. What do you say when the Pope tells the poverty stricken people of Haiti to have many more children and not to use birth controll This puts a strain upon a significant portion of the Catholics. and the confusion grows when leaders do and say things that conflict with baxic survival. Current insanity over the nuclear program of Iran is causing rip tides of ethics. Maybe we should allow them to attack us for free once a year, thus reducing their need to bring this world to an end. Or do we waste them and 6000 yrs of history just to save are own jaded necks. Do the Palestinians have a case, and why should we care, afterall, just a few decades ago we firebombed Tokyo to the tune of 600,000 dead, and didn't bat an eye. Thank you Curtis LeMay. Would we be better off if we killed every single Palestinian on earth? Would the Iranians be next. Should we wait to get nuked ourselves before we do the flat, black, and glows in the dark scene. Do we innoculate whole populations against all known diseases, just to have a third world countrys population soar, and they die of starvation. These types of issues have caused us to get very quiet. The wisdom of the ages will not solve these thorny questions, and only dumbell followers of some dogma wiill jump up and condemn us to another dark ages with their mantra that God is telling them what to do. Thank you 700 Club. If nothing else, it's going to get exciting, where's my video cam/

Answer 5

I'm not afraid to speak up about anything....People don't always agree on what''s right and wrong but as far as being afraid to speak up.....I' not ...never have been ....In this day in age I dare say some think they'll be tossed in the slammer if they voice an opinion or speak up on things....What a world.

Answer 6

Fanny Blood I completely disagree with you. I am a conservative and I would lose my job if I ever spoke out. I can't say anything. I constantly get attacked when I talk about the Lord Jesus Christ. I can never talk about how I object to the sin of homosexuality. I get trashed for everything I say mainly because with live in such a liberal society. But you know what. I will never shut up as long as I am still living and breathing and I will never try to reinvent God's laws to accommodate a sinful lifestyle. I will always tell the truth, love others and lover the Lord.

Answer 7

'Because some people cannot stand or deal with the truth'.

i have no qualms about this answer;except to say that even yesterday philosophers and the like were discussing the VARIOUS MEANINGS OF "TRUTH".
According to one of the best(Sir karl Popper,who has lectured in the U.S.)there are at least 3;(he favors the 'correspondence theory OF Truth').

What is true (or right)in one part of the planet may not be so in another, (though
Popper constantly explains,in his various works,that we must learn-and-try-and-try-again,to use mistaken rightness-our mistakes-to review our knowledge and correct it).
This might seem 'overblown' or even 'easy' to say;this could well be.And I therefore think we could just have arrived at exactly the same point,the same juncture,as those people who are so afraid to speak up for what is right.
So much so that those people you ask the question-of are likely to be more like me,possibly Sir karl and a very great number of others.
And on this christmas day in the year 2007,
i will go further (and this may or may not be due to my mainly self taught Popper -ianism);ive done it-not always spoken up for what is RIGHT,on each of my occasions-and as im not so special i think therefore that others have done as i have done.
It would take a virtual Saint to have done what you have asked in ur question;And i claim that one of the very best scholars of the 20th century,Popper,would agree with me.
For i find it difficult to do "what is right",
and this hasnt much changed in my half century-of-life(just over).
But this neednt be an insurmountable barrier; E.g i and lots of others have the good religion and creed of christianity to help; We also have the benefit of the help or experience of other religions;Not forgetting those who help and actively seek peace with their Neighbors whilst not practising or belonging to any religeous persuation.
Dont think i just write these words without thinking again of 'speaking up for what is right'. I or anyone could be held hostage at any stage,even tonight,what will i say or ask for or beg for then(forgiveness,perhaps.)

Although its a difficult world and a terribly difficult life for many,we must not give up hope.Rightness and truth really go hand-in-hand with kindness,help,peace and friendship. Even if one says these are god-given things i can go along with that;for its obvious that we need more;And i for one am fairly sure that there are lots out there who can and do give us good examples of what to reasonably expect.
And so reasonably good expectations,as well as action!

Answer 8

when I was growing up I noticed that I got punished more for telling the truth than I did when I lied... Societies don't seem to like change.. the problem with them is the people who are in power are the ones comfortable or beaten by the status quo... What is right usually requires change... why are people afraid to change... did we stop looking as a species for peaceful solutions?.. do we ignore solutions that require work?... Do we rest on the laurels of those who came before us?... Are we deluding ourselves into thinking we are better today?... We are afraid, because when we speak up we are torn down... that is a symptome of a problem... and usually that problem is caused by the practice of religion.. which DEMANDS we not question it's authority... to many people are afraid to challenge the churches out of habit.. still today it's an epidemic.. as if the word religions is a command for automatic respect...Respect is something to be EARNED... not something given away ... Religons have never EARNED respect, certainly not at the level which it demands of us... Religions began by making us fear for our lives.. it's a long standing tradition on earth to not want to get killed... and through that it, the church, makes us afraid of change.. which causes us to be apathetic to the world, to the problems .. which makes those who speak up too few in comparisson to those who argue against change... speaking up for right means pointing out the wrong.... and today the great wrong is religion.... it's time to speak out against it. it's only religion, why are we afraid?

Answer 9

Propaganda interferes with capacity to speak of what is right. Fear of their family being harmed if they speak up. Torture,Rape,Murder. In any country given over to greed these things can happen. Propaganda if revealed by a person could either result in beatings ,get the person killed, an accusation of ignorance if the person knows of propaganda in amounts such that what is right is buried under a huge pile of it.Of course propaganda is evident if a person were to understand most violence is based on an artificial system called The Economy and an illusionary thing called wealth.Belief things underground elsewhere are for Humans . Belief,Gold,Platinum,Diamonds, are of real value. They are not. Violence that occurs is over these things and who controls them. When one wants these lies are told about how evil others with them are. No one can be fooled as long as they keep in mind thie belief Earth is to be despoiled is what is Wrong.People do speak up just falls on deaf ears. Greed truimphs.Phobias March On.

Answer 10

Because we've been conditioned to WANT to be part of the "in crowd" and that "belonging" to a group is everything. Everyone knows everyone thinks the same way they do, for the most part, meaning that if they stick their neck out, MOST people are still going to cling to their part within the group and are unlikely to even TRY swimming against the easy current, even if they believe in the cause that cost their friend their head because they don't want to lose their own spot on the gameboard. Why do you think we have so much disparity between classes? Cliques? Gangs?

People buy/decorate houses and have parties for friends they have no connection to whatsoever because that's what they think is important to "belong" to THE group they've been raised to want to be part of (often foregoing their own natural "comfort zones") and stifle whomever they really are to suit the group.

Everyone clings to what they think they belong to, no one has the courage to be themselves anymore. People who do go against the trend/current are almost immediately belittled or squashed and shoved to the bottom to start over, until a few more brave deviants join the boat and it becomes an "in" thing.

Answer 11

The reason I would think this is so is because people in general are afraid what other people might think. They are scared they might not be accepted into whatever group they are in because of standing up for what they feel is right, or what they believe in.
People shouldn't be afraid, because standing up for what is right, is the right thing to do. They shouldn't care what other people think, which I believe is the biggest culprit. If they get over that thought of caring what other people think of them then they would most likely stand up for what is right. =)