Name

Teacher

Ap. Lang, 1A

27 March 2024

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Compare and Contrast Essay

In William F. Buckley's essay "Why Don't We Complain?" and in everyday life there is a

common struggle whether to stay quiet or speak out. Both Buckley's essay and real-life situations

explore why people sometimes choose not to voice their concerns.Buckley's essay asks why

people often do not complain when things are not right. He tells stories to show how many

people just accept things as they are even when they are unhappy. Buckley thinks this happens

because we are taught to avoid trouble and doubt that speaking up will change anything. By

looking at some of my own personal examples the reader can decide whetherit is better to speak

up or stay quiet. By looking at both sides, we can learn more about the importance of finding our

voice in different situations.

First, one faithful day I went to a restaurant, walked over to the counter, and proceeded to

give the cashier my order after making sure they were paying attention. Instead of the cashier

treating me like a normal customer and explaining that they were not ready for my order. The

cashier got very upset and started to rip into me saying things like “Why are people so rude” and

“I'm clearly not ready for you to order, can’t you tell” trying to be as respectful as I possibly

could I replied with “Ok, I’m very sorry please tell me when you are ready” They cashier then
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looked at me with a disgusted look. Not trying to think about it much I just sat and waited. About

ten minutes later I still had not gotten my order in and was starting to ask if there was a problem.

The cashier got incredibly angry and just walked away on her phone. In that case I feel like it

was better to speak up and try to get my order in, but I feel like if I stayed quiet, I would have

had a better chance to not upset the cashier even if it was not really my fault. On the other hand,

if I did not do anything I would have been waiting there for way too long and that would have

been a waste of my time. I think that speaking up in those types of situations are better than

staying quiet because it can help you move along with what you are trying to do and if the

cashier does not want to serve you it is better to figure out quicker rather than sit and wait there

for too long.

Second, I remember a time when I was lifeguarding, and someone was unfairly criticized

by our supervisor during a team meeting. Even though I knew it was wrong and wanted to

defend my colleague I stayed quiet. I was worried about what might happen if I spoke up, I

thought that I would get in trouble or seem disrespectful. I chose to go along with what everyone

else was doing and stayed silent. This situation shows how tough it can be to decide whether to

challenge unfairness or just stay quiet, especially when there is a fear of going against authority

figures. I personally believe that I could have done a lot better in this situation and feel really bad

for letting him get in trouble that he hadn’t done wrong, but on the other side if I had spoken up I

could have gotten in trouble with him and even though it is the right thing to do it is still a tough

decision to make and caused a lot of inner turmoil. This is a massive problem with authority

figures and how they can act, sometimes causing situations that are difficult to navigate through.
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In addition, many people tend to stay quiet when they witness unfair treatment, such as

incidents on public transportation. For example, I once saw a pregnant woman politely ask a man

if she could have his seat. However, instead of responding kindly, the man was rude and refused

her request, even adding insults. It was really upsetting to see the pregnant woman visibly

distressed and forced to stand for the rest of the journey. This situation shows that common

rudeness and lack of empathy can be in public places. This incident also shows how people often

choose not to speak up when they see something wrong. The man's behavior was unkind and

showed a lack of consideration for others. Rather than helping he made the situation worse. It

serves as a reminder of the importance of treating others with kindness and respect, especially in

public spaces where everyone should feel comfortable and supported. Even though I was too

young to speak up for the woman being ten years old. Other people should have tried to speak up

for her to try to make her feel better. This is an all-around terrible experience that nobody should

have to deal with, especially while pregnant, but if someone looks at it from the other way. The

man could have had a weapon and done something more harmful. Causing a worse scene or

someone getting very injured.

I remember a time in middle school when I was part of a group project. We had to do a

significant research project together, but one of my teammates was not doing their share. They

did not do any work, did not say much when talking about the project, and did not seem

interested in the project. I felt frustrated and worried about the project, but I did not say anything.

I was scared it would cause problems in the group or make things awkward. I did not know how

to talk to my group mate about it without making things worse. I stayed quiet, hoping someone

else would handle it. As the deadline got closer it was clear my group mate’s lack of work was
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hurting the project. I ended up doing extra work to make up for it staying up late to get

everything done, but it still was notenough, and the project suffered because of it. Looking back,

I see that not speaking up made things worse. My silence let my group mateget away with not

doing their part. This taught me that it is important to speak up even if it is hard to make sure

everyone does their fair share in a group project. This is another massive fear of speaking up in

awkward situations is that I felt that it would make the situation so much worse.

In conclusion, reflecting on the experiences shared and the insights gained, it becomes

evident that the choice to speak up or remain silent in various situations carries significant

implications. From William F. Buckley's observations on societal not doing anything and just

watching to personal encounters with wrongdoing and unfairness, the importance of advocating

for fairness and standing up against wrongdoing cannot be overlooked. While it may be scary to

confront someone. Avoiding confrontation has massive consequences. The consequences of

silence can be far-reaching and hurt change in the future. The examples show the difficulties

everyone can face when navigating the decision to speak out against unfairness. Whether it be

confronting rude behavior on public transport, addressing unfair treatment in group settings, or

speaking out for rude situation in society, the act of speaking up requires courage. While there

may be fears of backlash or discomfort that come with going against the regular behavior of

staying quiet, the long-term benefits of wanting fairness and humanity outweigh the temporary

discomfort of confrontation. Moving forward, it is essential to recognize the power of speaking

up against rudeness or unfairness. By provoking kindness and respect in society. We can create

environments where individuals feel safe to speak out against acts of wrongdoing without fear of
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reprisal. Even though it may be hard it is better for the entire world to be fair and speak up

against wrongful acts.