Ignorance and Oedipus

Neglecting to acknowledge a situation that does not directly affect the bystander is them making the choice to be ignorant.  Bullying happens everyday in schools across the U.S. and the peers of the students stand by and neglect to stop the bully.  Eyesonbullying.org says that the main reason so many people are bystanders is because they are afraid of being bullied, they do not want attention, or they do not know what to do (What Can YOU Do?).  In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus refuses to accept that he killed his own father and married his mother.  By denying the truth, Oedipus lets the situation worsen and his people begin to look poorly upon him as their leader.  The more Oedipus shielded himself, the worse things got for him.  Later in the book, his mother killed herself, he stabbed out his eyes, and he lost all his children and power over Ithaca. Ignorance is not always bliss; choosing to ignore a real issue is not doing anything helpful. In reality, it is harming the situation. Bullying is a problem seen all across the U.S. and can be stopped by getting bystanders to take action.

"What Can YOU Do?" Eyes On Bullying. IGM Global Work, 2008. Web. 27 May 2014.