Social Responsibility or…… “Not My Responsibility”

Is it considered acceptable to condone a behavior as long as you are not the one that is the actual perpetrator??
So many instances come to mind when I think about this.                        

What immediately comes to mind is the fact that when you walk down any urban, predominantly Hispanic or Black neighborhood there’s bound to be three things: A liquor store, a Laundromat, and a Chinese food take-out restaurant. Are we oblivious to these things simply because we tend to walk pass them as if they commonplace and expected? Or are we contributors to them?

Originally the thought came to mind when I was I thinking about society as a whole and where we stand in comparison. When do we hold ourselves accountable for the way our neighborhoods are run, or do we find it easier to just throw our hands up carelessly?

The change must start with us, right?

The notion that most residents in many of these neighborhoods are not permanent could be a contributing factor; or more importantly that in low income, lower middle class parts of the city the residents have no control over what is put in their neighborhoods to begin with. For many of us it’s just that we don’t care enough to put the wheels in motion to start the change. We actually take advantage of the late night craving for greasy Chinese food, or a bottle of something from the corner liquor store. Now don’t get me wrong, I am all for supporting local businesses that will flourish and make our communities better. In this case maybe the Laundromat is the least harmful, but one on every other block may be a bit much.

So the question then becomes, are we guilty for donating to such businesses that do not portray any positivity? Should we be grateful to have these  so called “conveniences” or do we just walk pass and keep our mouths shut awaiting the day to “move on up”?