--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The question is really a kind of apathy…" description: "\"“The question is really a kind of apathy and ignorance, which is the price we pay for segregation. That’s what segregation means. You don’t know what’s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/james-baldwin-995_apathy_the-question-is-really-a-kind-of-apathy_1490466.jpg" --- # The question is really a kind of apathy and ignorance… ![“The question is really a kind of apathy and ignorance, which is the price we pay for segregation. That’s what segregation means. You don’t know what’s happening on the other side of the wall, because you don’t want to know.” quote by James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/james-baldwin-995_apathy_the-question-is-really-a-kind-of-apathy_1490466.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/james-baldwin-995_apathy_the-question-is-really-a-kind-of-apathy_1490466.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/james-baldwin-995_apathy_the-question-is-really-a-kind-of-apathy_1490466.jpg) > ““The question is really a kind of apathy and ignorance, which is the price we pay for segregation. That’s what segregation means. You don’t know what’s happening on the other side of the wall, because you don’t want to know.”” [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Segregation stems from apathy and ignorance; people avoid learning about the other side. **In simple terms:** Segregation is caused by willful ignorance. Key Takeaway Combat ignorance with education. Themes segregation ignorance apathy Mood critical empathetic Type social educational When to use this quote - civil rights activism - community dialogue - educational programs Key Concepts social justice racial dynamics knowledge gaps Questions to Reflect On - What drives people’s apathy? - How can societies foster curiosity? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy/) [Civil rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Race relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race-relations/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Segregation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/segregation/) ## Related quotes > [Segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wallace/segregation-now-segregation-tomorrow-and-segregation-forever/) [George C. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wallace/) > [What is the difference between apathy and ignorance? I don't know and I don't care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-the-difference-between-apathy-and-ignorance-i-don-t-know-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is within the hearts of people a deep desire for peace on earth, and they would speak for peace if they were not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peace-pilgrim/there-is-within-the-hearts-of-people-a-deep-desire-for-peace-on-earth/) [Peace Pilgrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peace-pilgrim/) > [“Sometimes I wonder if they live in a state of apathy or ignorance, or if they are passive, but when I consider what continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsering-wangmo-dhompa/sometimes-i-wonder-if-they-live-in-a-state-of-apathy-or-ignorance-or/) [Tsering Wangmo Dhompa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsering-wangmo-dhompa/) > [“The Milliken decision was pivotal in the postwar history of race relations, for it badly hurt whatever hopes reformers still maintained of overturning de…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/the-milliken-decision-was-pivotal-in-the-postwar-history-of-race/) [James T. 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Don't dump no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/got-orders-from-headquarters-they-makin-coffins-fuh-all-de-white/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [“The liberal philosophy of race relations emphasized the stigma of segregation and the hypocrisy of a government that celebrates freedom and equality yet denies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-liberal-philosophy-of-race-relations-emphasized-the-stigma-of/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“To really change the world, we have to help people change the way they see things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/to-really-change-the-world-we-have-to-help-people-change-the-way-they-2/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“The time has come to realize that the interracial drama acted out on the American continent has not only created a new black man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-time-has-come-to-realize-that-the-interracial-drama-acted-out-on/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“Yet, if the American Negro has arrived at his identity by virtue of the absoluteness of his estrangement from his past, American white men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/yet-if-the-american-negro-has-arrived-at-his-identity-by-virtue-of/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“I don't give a damn if there's any hope for them or not. But I know that I am not about to be bugged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/i-don-t-give-a-damn-if-there-s-any-hope-for-them-or-not-but-i-know/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“There appears to be a vast amount of confusion on this point, but I do not know many Negroes who are eager to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/there-appears-to-be-a-vast-amount-of-confusion-on-this-point-but-i-do/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“In the context of the Negro problem neither whites nor blacks, for excellent reasons of their own, have the faintest desire to look back;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-the-context-of-the-negro-problem-neither-whites-nor-blacks-for/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) ## More by James Baldwin > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“The South is very beautiful but its beauty makes one sad because the lives that people live, and have lived here, are so ugly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-south-is-very-beautiful-but-its-beauty-makes-one-sad-because-the/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“All cultures have, furthermore, an economic, social, and political base, and no culture can continue to live if its political destiny is not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/all-cultures-have-furthermore-an-economic-social-and-political-base/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“I remembered that life in that room seemed to be occuring beneath the sea, time flowed past indiffrently above us, hours and days had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/i-remembered-that-life-in-that-room-seemed-to-be-occuring-beneath-the/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“No. It would help if I were able to feel guilty.But the end of innocence is also the end of guilt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/no-it-would-help-if-i-were-able-to-feel-guilty-but-the-end-of/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“Perhaps now, though, he had hit bottom. One thing about the bottom, he told himself, you can't fall any further. He tried to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/perhaps-now-though-he-had-hit-bottom-one-thing-about-the-bottom-he/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“What kind of friendship have you had? Or for that matter...what kind of love affairs?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/what-kind-of-friendship-have-you-had-or-for-that-matter-what-kind-of/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“For these are all our children, we will all profit by or pay for what they become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/for-these-are-all-our-children-we-will-all-profit-by-or-pay-for-what/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“Every society is really governed by hidden laws, by unspoken but profound assumptions on the part of the people, and ours is no exception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/every-society-is-really-governed-by-hidden-laws-by-unspoken-but/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“In those days my mother was given to the exasperating and mysterious habit of having babies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-those-days-my-mother-was-given-to-the-exasperating-and-mysterious/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“He was suggesting that all Negroes were held in a state of supreme tension between the difficult, dangerous relationship in which they stood to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/he-was-suggesting-that-all-negroes-were-held-in-a-state-of-supreme/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“In the beginning—and neither can this be overstated—a Negro just cannot believe that white people are treating him as they do; he does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-the-beginning-and-neither-can-this-be-overstated-a-negro-just/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“If the world wasn't so full of dead folks maybe those of us that's trying to live wouldn't have to suffer so bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/if-the-world-wasn-t-so-full-of-dead-folks-maybe-those-of-us-that-s/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“I am very much concerned that American Negroes achieve their freedom here in the United States. But I am also concerned for their dignity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/i-am-very-much-concerned-that-american-negroes-achieve-their-freedom/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“The paradox—and a fearful paradox it is—is that the American Negro can have no future anywhere, on any continent, as long as he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-paradox-and-a-fearful-paradox-it-is-is-that-the-american-negro/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) [Explore all 312 James Baldwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) ## More Apathy quotes > [If possible, I want to hear POLITICS defined without either sympathy or apathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/if-possible-i-want-to-hear-politics-defined-without-either-sympathy/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Try to greet troubles with apathy. Hello's are never what they used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-swellers/try-to-greet-troubles-with-apathy-hello-s-are-never-what-they-used-to/) [The Swellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-swellers/) > [Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/apathy-can-be-overcome-by-enthusiasm/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [Insect politics, indifferent universe. Bang your head against the wall, but apathy is worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-henley/insect-politics-indifferent-universe-bang-your-head-against-the-wall/) [Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/) > [“And there's a freedom in apathy, a wild, dizzying liberation on which you can almost get drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/and-there-s-a-freedom-in-apathy-a-wild-dizzying-liberation-on-which/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [For he who is not deaf, half a silence is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/for-he-who-is-not-deaf-half-a-silence-is-enough/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [“Just because a person is silent doesn’t mean there’s no message.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/just-because-a-person-is-silent-doesn-t-mean-there-s-no-message/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“If someone with a high level of authority were to ask me, "Suzy, how can we make people so incredibly stupid and apathetic, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/if-someone-with-a-high-level-of-authority-were-to-ask-me-suzy-how-can/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“It takes more than one kick in the pants to reverse a lifetime of unplanned apathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/it-takes-more-than-one-kick-in-the-pants-to-reverse-a-lifetime-of/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [“Use the apathy of your logic to solve your problems and then the passion of your soul to enjoy life after that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelos-michalopoulos/use-the-apathy-of-your-logic-to-solve-your-problems-and-then-the/) [Angelos Michalopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelos-michalopoulos/) > [“The fundamental basis by which the court’s decision might be made is, in itself, imperfect and subject to contradictions. There is very little consideration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/the-fundamental-basis-by-which-the-court-s-decision-might-be-made-is/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [“The young woman had read a good many novels, and she had seen a good many films; this education by newspaper, serial and film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-renard/the-young-woman-had-read-a-good-many-novels-and-she-had-seen-a-good/) [Maurice Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-renard/) > [Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie... But rather mourn the apathetic throng - The cowed and the meek - Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-chaplin/mourn-not-the-dead-that-in-the-cool-earth-lie-but-rather-mourn-the/) [Ralph Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-chaplin/) [Browse all 619 Apathy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The question is really a kind of apathy and ignorance, which is the price we pay for segregation. That’s what segregation means. 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