Would You Fight Back?
A post bubbled up this week from 2019 asking how well you’d fare in rebelling under an oppressive regime. The answer is—as you’ve probably guessed—depressing. It couches the question within the story of The Handmaid’s Tale. How many people would rise up and fight a corrupt system?
Few will fight Gilead after carefully weighing up the consequences – after all, the most likely outcome is failure and obliteration. What drives forward fights against an oppressive society is a rival vision – a vision of equality, liberty and justice, and a sense that these should be defended, whatever the consequences.
You need to read the whole article to understand why people may not be happy but still allow things to happen. The article also points out: “Hannah Arendt famously argued, the atrocities of the Holocaust were made possible by normal people, manipulated into conforming to a horribly abnormal set of behavioural norms.”
Food for thought.
3 comments
Well, I am certainly good at harassing people who post nonsense on Facebook anyway. :/
That’s a fascinating article and gave me much to think about. Before I clicked over, I was thinking, “of course I would speak out, rebel.” But when I really think it over, I’m not so sure I would have the fortitude to do so (risk averse).
This makes me think of the 4th F I recently learned goes with Fight/Flight/Freeze. The neuroscientist at the workshop I was in said that before any of that happens, we first Flock — check out what others are doing. We do this without thinking. I’ve started becoming aware of it happening.
I never thought I would be a fighter because I used to alway do the freeze or flight strategy, but when a political issue threatened my child’s life, I became a fighter. I will, without a doubt, fight for the rights and freedom of my child. Unfortunately, I think this is how most people respond to politics. They make us angry but then we ignore. It isn’t until it threatens your life or your loved ones life that you realize how much you are willing to fight and willing to do anything to protect them.