A few days ago, images from the Poetry Park in Marijampolė spread on social networks. It was captured how one teenager was pulling another by the hair, hitting her with a phone, while bystanders were busy filming and no one even tried to help the victim.
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After learning about this incident, Dominykas Dirkstys shared his opinion.
“A very disgusting and painful situation. But what I don’t understand the most are those kids who stood nearby, filmed, and did nothing. Every single one of them are the last fools and idiots.
When a girl is being beaten in front of you, as a man, you have to stand out from all those filming and stop the situation. But not a single one appeared. A flock of sheep.
I kindly ask the youth, don’t be sheep in such situations. Standing nearby and filming another person’s humiliation is not non-intervention. It is cowardice and a complete lack of values.
I hope those kids will seriously think about what kind of men they want to grow up to be,” Dominykas wrote.
These words of D. Dirkstys received quite a bit of support, but Sergejus Maslobojevas – another fighter and Dominykas’s future opponent in UTMA – offered a different opinion. According to Sergejus, Dominykas himself should also reflect.
“Dominikas, I read your post and agree, the situation is indeed disgusting and condemnable. I sincerely rejoice that at least in this situation you said the right words. I fully agree that manliness and courage lie in action defending the weaker, not in passive observation. But before calling the youth a ‘flock of sheep’ and ‘fools,’ it’s worth pausing for a moment and looking in the mirror. Whose footsteps are those young people really following?
Followers always adopt the behavior models of their authorities. When the content you create is based on provoking people on the streets, asking stupid questions, jumping, waving fists in front of passersby’s faces, and your sidekick films all this for social networks, you yourself are forming exactly that culture. You show that humiliating another person, discomfort, or conflict can be entertainment and a way to gather views.
So why are you surprised now that when they see real violence, young people don’t rush to defend the weaker but first pull out their phones? They are simply repeating what they see every day on the internet and what their authorities present to them as ‘cool,’ ‘funny,’ and acceptable behavior.
And to those boys who stood and filmed that day, I want to say one thing. If even one of you is reading this now, remember next time: being a man means not being afraid, not filming, but defending. If the weaker is being harmed, your place should be between the abuser and the victim, not behind the phone camera. That is the difference between a woman and a man. And ‘woman’ here is not about gender, but about character and behavior.
Quoting the words of a truly wise person: ‘Don’t waste time arguing about what a real man should be. Just be one.’
Therefore, Dominikas, if you really want to see a different society, start with yourself. Show your followers an example of a mature, responsible, and respectful person, and don’t turn conflict into entertainment. Educate them with your real actions, not performances for views.
Children and teenagers don’t learn from sermons, they learn from what they see. Therefore, every public person must understand that with an audience comes responsibility. The example we show today will determine what kind of men and what kind of society will grow tomorrow. Because so far, I see a growing generation of cowards,” wrote S. Maslobojevas.
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