March 24, 2008
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Featured Question
We’ve heard it a million times: “If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” True or false?
We’ve heard it a million times: “If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” True or false?
Comments (39)
TRUE! if you’re not actually doing anything to help solve the problem, you are part of why the problem isn’t being solved.
false! just because one does not desire to be a solution.. does not make them a problem… that desire is why history changes. why there are people like Jon of Ark, Plato.. and this list is longer..
true
True
too many people complain about a problem that exists but neglect to help the cause.
this is tough there are way to many things beyond our control as a human being and while we can try to be a part of the solution sometimes that option is not available.
depends on the problem. but if you’re referring to the tobacco problem, it’s false. it’s entirely possible to have a neutral stance on it. if a non-smoker is not actively fighting tobacco use, i don’t see how they’re part of the problem. they’re not supporting the tobacco companies in any way. they’re not encouraging tobacco use with their actions. they’re just not involved.
under the phrase “if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem” every citizen who’s not a part of a law enforcement institution would be considered part of the crime problem. any country who doesn’t get involved in another country’s war would be considered part of the problem between them. any person who sees a couple arguing and doesn’t step in to solve it would be considered aid to the disagreement they’re arguing about.
the only time i see the phrase being 100% true is if the problem was apathy.
True story.
There’s two sides of the fence.
True. Good or bad pick ONE. If you dont chose to do good than you’re sitting around doing what!?
props for coming up with a creative ad campaign, but get over yourselves. my body = my choice and my right.
False, because it can be that you’re not involved in the solution, but you aren’t involved in the problem. God, how I hate it when people try to use the either/or fallacy and expect gullible people to fall for it!
that’s what propaganda is all about badnarikchick. and it works.
True. With regards to smoking, I get on any friend I see smoking. I would not let anyone smoke right in my presence…I mostly agree, but sometimes its hard to get started with speaking up.
False. Very, very false. Just as the whole “If you’re not with us, you’re against us” ideal is completely false. Frankly, quotes like this place undo guilt onto people. A person should be able to choose to abstain from getting involved in a conflict, without risking being turned into a villain.
And for the record, the tobacco companies (or “big tobacco”, whatever the hell that means) had nothing to do with me choosing to start smoking. I made that choice when I was 15, and I’m the one who bears the responsibility of that decision. Tobacco companies aren’t allowed to advertise in my country, so I doubt they zapped some subliminal messages into my head. Blaming them for smoking takes away personality responsibility — smokers know about the dangers, and do it anyway. We’re the ones to blame for our addictions, not the tobacco companies. If there wasn’t any demand for the product, they’d all go out of business.
Teach kids to be responsible for their own actions, don’t convince them that anything they do wrong can be conveniently blamed on some vague, ambiguous evil.
it really does depend on a lot of things. But mostly, it’s true.
FALSE!
Sounds a lot like George W. Bush when he stated to the world that you are either ‘with us’ or ‘against us’
Just because you are not solving a particular problem doesn’t mean anything. Problems are different for everybody.
To a pro-life person–a pro-abortion person may be part of the problem and vice versa.
To make a blanket statement such as ‘if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem’ is a very scary way of thinking. It’s not only insulting at a personal level to suggest we are all droids and think/act/desire the same things but those types of thoughts are what can spawn hatred, war, communism, slavery and other massive problems humans have had over the past 10,000 years.
that’s true in most cases but ultimately you shouldn’t get involved in other peoples buisness let the make fools out of themselves.
i smoke but i see nothing wrong with everyone is going to die who cares what rate it happens, smoking is good it mellows you but don’t smoke to be cool that’s dumb..
Definitely false. No hesitation in saying so. Sometimes the problem is entirely irrelevant to you. However, the statement may be true in SOME cases (such as not helping a friend stop smoking, but hanging around when they do and unintentionally encouraging them).
wow the my body my right kid has no fucking idea.
its my right to not have your fucking smoke in my lungs
if you want to take your drugs smoke your cigarettes fucking go for it
but people have the right to clean air and a ozone layer that isnt depleting
True.
@wating_4_u -
Total bullshit. If I’m smoking one measly cigarette half a block away from you, it’s not affecting you in the least. Sure, it’s annoying when a smoker lights up in a bus stop or on the train, but I’ll do whatever the hell I want when I’m in my own home or outdoors and away from other people, thank-you-very-much. If you honestly think that cigarettes are in any way contributing to global warming beyond the most minute of levels, you’re bloody well nuts.
Get off your bloody high horse. I’ll smoke if I damn well want to, as I know that it does NOT affect anyone other than myself. I always move away from people and ask them if my smoke bothers them, I never smoke indoors in a public place, and I’d never right up around a child. I love how you idiots will make up anything in order to villainize smokers. If you’re so concerned about your precious lungs, why don’t you do talk to the idiots who think that using coal, gas and oil for power is safer than using nuclear power — it’s the burning of fossil fuels that’s affecting people, not my god damn cigarette smoke. Christ.
@DomesticGoddess2582 - thers not only good or evil theres also neutral… if a husband and wife u didnt know were argueing and u passed by them would u butt in and try to fix it? i doubt u would… but according to what ur stating if u just passed by that man and woman and didnt do anything ur making their problem worse. really think about it… its not a simple question.
p.s. i dont mean to be mean or anything im jsut highlighting the facts
@solar_wolf - Yes if they were simply arguing I would pass by. Because at that point they would be on the same playing field, so to speak. HOWEVER if that husband had his wife pinned to the ground or hit her I would step in. If there was some sort of evil going on I would intervene if need be.
There is no middle ground between good and evil. Thats like saying that there’s a third option between God and Satan…. Same as there is no middle ground between light and dark. Either it’s light or it’s dark… The absence of light is dark. Absence of good is evil.
(Have more to say but need to go feed my kids.
Being nice also.
@DomesticGoddess2582 - fair point.
“Good” and “evil” are man-made concepts. In the grand scheme of things, there really is no “good” or “bad” — things just ‘are’. Regardless, there certainly IS a middle ground between good and evil. The world is far from being that black and white. Take, for instance, the average person; they’re capable of doing both the right or wrong thing, depending on the circumstances, their mood, etc. Same goes for actions — some are good, some are bad, most are somewhere in between. To lump everything in as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ just doesn’t work in real life.
Learn to see the shades of grey, people.
Well, you’re certainly not the solution to the problems of obesity advertising grease-filled Double Whoppers, are you, CPB.
TRUE.
What if the problem doesn’t apply to me? So I don’t care about it. Is it still my fault?
Self righteous.
Someone compared you to the bush administration earlier. I think that was a good analogy.
Trying to force your will on others, legislating your own form of morality.
If you don’t want to smoke, don’t smoke.
let me repeat that, because I think it makes sense.
IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SMOKE, DO NOT SMOKE.
But please have a little respect for me. I don’t go around trying to force people to smoke, why should you go around trying to force ME not to?
This is such an ambiguous question when it comes to cigarette smoking, which is what I assume is your central focus. To talk about this question holistically would be very difficult, and even though this is specified, the difficulty remains. It all comes down to your beliefs and personal responsibility.
1. You smoke and you see nothing wrong with it at all, including the addiction, cancer and the questionable ethics of promoting such a product. Then it stops there for you. You don’t even answer this question because to you, smoking isn’t a problem.
2. You don’t smoke. You don’t care one way or another about it. You don’t do it, not because its MORALLY wrong but just because you don’t like the taste or its not healthy. Then you would answer No to this question. Because to you, its all personal choice.
3. The last is the most difficult situation. You don’t smoke. But you think that there is responsibility that exists for the diseases and deaths caused by it. You might answer No believing in personal responsibility, which is valid. Then again you might answer Yes, you must take active part in solving this problem. But to what extent would you deem it that you’re part of the solution? How could you feel better if you only get your friends and family to stop? Would you just tell yourself you did all you could? IS IT all you can do? This applies to not just friends and family but to everyone. Unless you’re like these TRUTH guys who try to get everyone to stop, supposedly.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you say No to this question, pray or hope that people come to the realization somehow that they’re getting hurt and hurting the people around them. If you say Yes to this question, you damn well better make sure you’re ACTUALLY working to “fix” the problem.
True!
If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate.
False.
False
“good” and “evil” are such subjective words to begin with. let things simply be.
Nah, that’s the same logic as you are with us, or against us.
No, I think you have the option of indifference, which like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
TRUE
TRUE!
Completely true.
“Thou shalt not me a victim, thou shalt not be an perpetrator, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.”
if you arent involved in the solution, it doesnt automatically make you part of the problem. with global warming and things like that, the phrase does apply however, because if you arent participating, you are just making things worse