Cara Conaway Post 4

     "If you aren't part of the solution, are you a part of the problem?" To answer that question I would say that it depends on you're awareness of the problem. If you do not know that a problem even exists, how can you be a part of the solution? One could argue that by being ignorant of the problem you are already a part of the problem because you are not doing anything to stop the problem in the first place. Only when you step up and try to change things do you switch over to becoming a part of the solution. I suppose this can be true in certain situations. Take something like recycling. Say someone throws all of their trash in one bin, puts it out on the curb, and thinks nothing more of it. They have almost no knowledge of the fact that its better for the earth if we recycle and reuse certain items and put them in a separate bin. So when their recyclable waste products are thrown in with the rest of the garbage, they are the hurting the planet and those in it, unaware of what they're doing. This, I don't see as being against the solution. Just being ignorant of the solution. Now say that someone tells them they should separate their trash and tells them why, but they keep on doing what they've been doing, choosing to ignore the wrongness of their actions. This is when "if you aren't part of the solution, you're a part of the problem" rings completely true. This same principle applies to the human trafficking situation that is described in Sold by Patricia McCormick.
     At the begininning of the book, Lakshmi is unwittingly forced into the world of prostitution. Even then she is cunningly deceived by her "Auntie" and "Uncle husband". They do not seek to help the girls who are made to become sex slaves, they want only for their personal needs to be satisfied and for their lives to improve, even if it means being immoral. He chooses to be a part of the problem by conniving girls into trusting him. "It is all so confusing. I am afraid of this man. But I also feel grateful that he will protect me from the bad border men with guns.' .... 'Don't be afraid,' he says. 'I will take care of you'" (77-78.)  Lakshmi's Uncle is not the only one of is a part of the problem. Even the police officers that are employed to keep things like prostitution from happening are letting it happen. Mumtaz, the head woman at the Happiness House, bribes the men into staying quiet, and they remain silent, even as cruel and inhumane events take place. Along with the law enforcers, the people of the city and the people of cities all over the world ignore the injustices because they feel it is not their duty to do anything, they don't know what to do, or they are afraid to do something. Prostitution and human trafficking will continue to happen until people step up and acknowledge the problem, and choose to become a part of the solution.