Literary Obligation

Today I am reflecting on Elie Wiesel's death.
What a life.
My earliest knowledge of him came in sixth grade, where Night was standard reading within the extensive Holocaust literature section of the agenda.
 I had a morbid fascination with the Holocaust, especially the concentration camps. I found it unbelievable that people would do that to other people. My sixth grade mind didn't understand why the persecuted didn't just band together and overthrow the bad people.
  Thinking about Wiesel and his legacy- written and otherwise- makes me question my own writing legacy. It makes the paranormal genre feel too frivolous and wasteful.
  Granted, Night was written after horrific events that Wiesel lived through- it wasn't like he had been pondering how to produce a meaningful work that would touch millions of people. He needed to write Night, and his experiences were horrendously unique.
   Before I piss off countless authors, let me clarify- the world absolutely needs fiction, in all of its many genres. Humans need to be able to immerse themselves in other worlds, meet strange people, go on wonderful journeys that they can't experience in real life.   It lends color, perspective, and imagination to the world we live in, a world that is often very dark and awful.
  However, with the knowledge of how words can spawn needed revolutions and desperately sought massive change, are we obligated to "fill a humanitarian quota"? Especially for those of us that dabble in the "frivolous genres" (this is my own personal opinion, not trying to piss anyone off. But compare Night to say, a paranormal romance- see what I'm driving at?)
  Should we be satisfied at filling our genre, and hoping that our readers get enough out of our work to make it worthwhile? Or should we challenge ourselves to intersperse our normal writing with more meaningful work and cast a wider net of influence? 
   I am not trying to say that genre writing is easier, not at all. It still takes an incredible amount of discipline and planning and teeth gritting as heavier fiction or non-fiction. It's still sit-butt-in-chair-writing. Absolutely.
  This post in large part is just me trying to organize my own feelings about it. I remember how my sixth grade teacher gave us very good, very in-depth questions to answer about Night. I don't remember any of those questions except for one- the one question that focused on the title of the book. I think it was something along the lines of, 'What do you think is the significance of the book's title? Why did Wiesel name this book, with this subject matter, Night?'
   If the title of your book can be the cause of a 250 word essay, you're on the right path.

 I'm interested in my readers' opinions on this subject. Please leave me comments, and if this post really got on anyone's nerves, understand I mean no malice. I myself write in the paranormal genre, and this post is just a reflection of my inner struggle about the importance of the genre.

KR