This is nothing more than a thinking-out-loud piece provoked by Kropotkin's "The Spirit of Revolt" and Greenwald's recent allusion to it.
I'm facing some moral dilemmas arising out of Occupy and am interested in how other Kossacks respond to analogous circumstances. If you have a few minutes, maybe you can read through these hypotheticals and respond to the poll. Elaboration in the comments would provide further, appreciated illumination.
Fear of the Crowd
Fear of the crowd is something we have all experienced. It can present itself in a couple of different contexts:
Issue-oriented:
Someone tells an ethnocentric joke in your crowd. Most of your peers either laugh or smile in response. You're offended, even though you're not a member of the ethnic group targeted by the joke.
Do you:
Join in the fun = -2 points
Say nothing and remain facially neutral = -1 points
Show facial disapproval = 1 point
Reprove the joke teller = 2 points
Reprove the joke teller and those who joined in = 3 points
Person Oriented:
Someone in your presence picks on someone out of rhythm with the majority because of appearance, (assumed) sexual orientation, ethnicity, some other factor or combination of elements. Your peer group signals that its members either concur in bullying or consent to it. You are faced with a tough choice. Stand up to the crowd and risk alienating them or, even worse, becoming their new target, or acquiesce.
You:
Join in the fun = -2 points
Say nothing and remain facially neutral = -1 points
Show facial disapproval = 1 point
Reprove the tormenter teller = 2 points
Reprove the tormenter and those who joined in = 3 points
Now let's take it up a notch. Up to now, it's been fear of losing connection with some group who's revealing their immoral tendencies. Now let's consider more concrete circumstances.
Fear of Consequences
Non-physical consequences:
You work for an organization that's doing something immoral. Perhaps you're a soldier who witnesses a civilian slaughter and coverup. Maybe you're a GS or Xe employee. Maybe you're a cop who is ordered over and over to abuse peaceful protestors.
What do you do:
Up your gung ho commitment to your paymaster = -2 points
Grudgingly go along - = -1 point
Report any wrongdoing personally witnessed to the next flunkee up the line = 0 points
Quit = + 1 point
Collect the dirt, find a dependable outlet and then quit = + 2 points
Physical consequences:
You're fed up with the bullshit. You're ready to resist The Man in all his manifestations. You join up with a group of like-minded folks, and find yourself at a direct action resisting the foreclosure of a house. Cops approach with billy clubs and pepper spray.
You:
Jump up and beg them to let you go home = - 2 points
You jump up and run the other way = - 1 point
You behave like the UC-Davis resisters = + 3 points
So how did you do? I'm a sucker for standing up to crowds, but I have enough beefs with authority these days that getting arrested is not among my goals. Tough choices all around. And here are words to consider:
Men of courage, not satisfied with words, but ever searching for the means to transform them into action,--men of integrity for whom the act is one with the idea, for whom prison, exile, and death are preferable to a life contrary to their principles,--intrepid souls who know that it is necessary to dare in order to succeed,-- these are the lonely sentinels who enter the battle long before the masses are sufficiently roused to raise openly the banner of insurrection and to march, arms in hand, to the conquest of their rights.
Peter Kropotkin, "The Spirit of Revolt"
Bonus points:
If your behavior on DailyKos actually conforms to this picture you've formed of yourself, give yourself an extra 3 points.