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by Meow Meow 1BadMutha TBMF on September 28th, 2007
Yes, according to Sir Edmund Burke. And I agree.
by GuitarPlayer92 on September 28th, 2007
Definetly. I think indifference is one of the main causes of evil because then the good people don't make any effort to stop it.
by anonymous on September 28th, 2007
Evil flourishes period. Whether or not we do something doesn't change the fact it happens. But looking on and doing nothing could e a form of evil too
by macdjug-Paxvobiscum on July 11th, 2008
Not necessarily.It would depend on the situation. Sometimes doing nothing is the right course of action. Evil needs something to feed on and in some situations if you don't accommodate, it starves.
by American idle on October 2nd, 2007
Evil flourishes when bad men do something.
by iwnit on September 28th, 2007
1) As if good women didn't count!
2) Good people try to find a good replacement for themselves if they go on holidays.
3) if good things are not done, bad things could eventually happen.
by TAPriceCTR s son is wearing his COAT on November 22nd, 2008
also when good men do not have the power to do anything influencial. if you are a good person at a bank when it is being robbed by someone who you could not take down you would be stupid to try and stop it.
by Gingerminx on December 30th, 2007
I agree with the statement on a one to one basis, if one man does nothing then another can commit an evil act. But on the whole no, because like everything I believe there is balance in the universe, so good is balanced by bad.
by LynfromNM on December 30th, 2007
I agree with the quote. If good people don't challenge evil and eradicate it, the evil deprives good people of their rights.
Here are some examples. Because there are evil people allowed to bully, intimidate, harm and threaten, I can't go for a walk at midnight if I want to. It's too dangerous. Because of evil people my grandchildren can't go to the park by themselves to play, or roam the neighborhood on their bikes and skateboards without close adult supervision. MY freedom is restricted by evil people, and so is yours. You need someone to walk you to your car after working late. You can't tell someone your name on the internet without risking identity theft. You can't get on an airplane wearing a burqa. When evil is insinuating itself, people who are different are treated with suspicion.
Maybe these seem like minor things to you, but it's a slippery slope. Our freedoms slip away because we are afraid to tell the bully to stop and because we rely on the government to do the dirty work rather than digging in ourselves and taking responsibility.
by buxtonite ..slowly losing my mind on October 1st, 2007
yes yes yes ...just look at Burma and nth Korea again we do nothing
by Skipps on October 1st, 2007
I believe that evil is unavoidable. No matter what someone does to be good, that someone will always do wrong by someone and therefore be evil. It's all relative. Doing nothing may be viewed as evil by someone, but one may see it as good. To answer your question, I believe it depends on the situation at hand also. Like, Good man watching his neighboor kill the kittens that his cat just had with a lawn mower (I'm sorry if this is offensive, but this is one of the worse senarios I can think of). The man can stop him, but then he'd be interfering with his neighboors affairs, which could either be considered evil or good.
by ladyshakespeare on November 22nd, 2008
absolutely
by Tom D His servant on July 11th, 2008
Yes evil will FLOURISH when good men do nothing. As a Christian, I realize evil will be in the world until Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead. However, God orders good people to actively oppose evil, not simply to avoid doing evil.
I found a short article that has what I think are some good statements, and biblial verses, concerning this issue. I do not know about the particular church, so make no recommendations concerning that. The points made do seem accurate and thought provoking.
http://www.padfield.com/1997/goodmen.html
Here is a taste of the article:
"They Are No Longer Good
When good men do nothing, they are no longer good. Many have the mistaken notion that good is merely the absence of doing that which is wrong. Not so! One is good not merely because he does no evil, but because he is actively working for what is good. "Let him eschew evil, and do good" (1 Pet. 3:11). James explained, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17)."
God bless,
Tom D His servant
by Anonymous on December 30th, 2007
Hitler: The Rise of Evil (in the very end has this quote)
by killdrphil - reasonable for a madman on December 30th, 2007
No. Not really. Most people by far are not evil and will never become evil. So, if good men do nothing there will be evil people existing but evil will never dominate. And, that's because of a thing called a conscience.
by John vonHartmann on October 2nd, 2007
Look at what happened when the French said "prove it"....it came marching down the boulevard under a Nazi flag. If the 'good' sit and watch the world go by, the evil ones will do what they want, unchallenged. If the good do something to prevent or hinder evil, the evil will not flourish. Unless, of course, the good are really evil...right Sharpton?
by needtoknow on July 11th, 2008
I wo uld think so, absolutely.
by Margee on November 22nd, 2008
“Evil flourishes when good men do nothing.”
~British statesman Edmund Burke
If 'good people' are doing nothing does that make them any better than those, 'bad people' who are doing something? The quote should be, 'Evil flourishes when good people wait.'
In the events of the Holocaust, the evil or "bad people" were the Nazi's, the people who were carrying out the orders, and taking pleasure in killing innocent people. With the Nazis being the bad, that then would make the, "good people doing nothing" the citizens who weren't the victims of massive genocide and antisemitism. The non-Jews, non-Roma, non-disabled, non-African, non-homosexual, the said 'approved German's,' the socially accepted, the other countries who weren't directly involved; those were the "good people."
Because of their waiting, 6 million people suffered. When WWII ended fewer than 300,000 Jews were saved. Evil flourished. And Evil will continue to flourish as long as good people wait.
Margee Murray
by Anon y mouse on November 22nd, 2008
Yes, always.
by Discipline on November 22nd, 2008
Evil is good men turned bad and good men is when evil men turned good, so if there were no men to start with, we would not have evil or goodness to keep us busy. Take one away and the other can't exist alone.
by Sodapop on November 22nd, 2008
absolutely
by P. W. Pasobrio loves Marines on October 1st, 2007
Very much so. It also makes you just as guilty if you stand by and do nothing.
Have you touched glitter in the past 24 hours?
by Megan1976 on February 10th, 2012
| 4 people like this
What question isn't being asked here?
by Ombliss22 on February 10th, 2012
| 1 person likes this
If you had the choice of anywhere in the world to retire, where would you go?
by surfbiker on February 10th, 2012
| 1 person likes this
If you have symptoms indicating mental illness and you thus claim to be insane, because insanity means you don't know either, are you sane?
by Kangarus on February 10th, 2012
| 1 person likes this
What is up with Giorgio Tsoukalos' freaking hair? It get crazier every time I see him. Does the guy fly or take a space portal to the set?
by Occams Electric Razor on February 10th, 2012
| 1 person likes this
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Comments
Exactly. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
by Jodie44 on October 2nd, 2007
Well hello again, Jodie.
by Meow Meow 1BadMutha TBMF on October 2nd, 2007
I promise, I'm not stalking you! You're just...there! LOL. But it's a good there, so don't get me wrong. Hey, are you a cat lover? If so, I got a video for you. "Herding cats" an old EDS TV commercial. Hilarious.
by Jodie44 on October 2nd, 2007
If you *are* stalking me, bring it! LOL. I do love cats but I am so allergic it's not funny. Do I just Google for the video?
by Meow Meow 1BadMutha TBMF on October 2nd, 2007
Here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8
by Jodie44 on October 2nd, 2007
Thank you.
by Meow Meow 1BadMutha TBMF on October 2nd, 2007