We, the human race, let apathy rule us

We watch the six oclock news to see what is happening in the world so that we can then walk out to pay $4 for a cup of coffee and sit around to discuss the trivialities of the day. Just a little over ten years ago we watched Rwanda suffer from the brutal murders of genocide, yet we, the human race, did nothing. Humans killing fellow humans. We watch movies like Hotel Rwanda and talk about how awful it is that things like that used to happen... but we fail to realize that it happens now, yes, even as I type this in my comfortable DC life where my concerns are getting papers in on time.

Are these atrocities in our past but not now?
BBC speaks differently:
Darfur SLA rebels get new leader
The biggest rebel movement in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region has chosen Minni Minnawi as their new leader.
More violence in Ethiopia capital
Three more people have been killed in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in a third day of clashes between opposition supporters and the police.
Palestinian boy shot in West Bank
A Palestinian boy has been transferred to an Israeli hospital after being shot by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.

Automatically, I want to become angry at the governments of the Western countries for their failure to act and stand up for human dignity. However, I must also realize that it is the people in these countries doing these acts that I should blame. Is it any one person or institution? NO.
The blame rests on everyone, from the highest to lowest.

Now, in response to this, is effective to change situations around the world by going on the ground with the UN or Red Cross? Or is it more effective to be some political figure changing the policy from the top?