Joining the secret police would probably render you safer (note the comparative) from being their target than trying to be an accepting bystander. The ‘best way to be safe’, i.e. ‘the safest way’, not the only potentially safe way.
Finding the least amount of cooperation you can “get away with” sets you up for being identified as a target. The worst case comes from underreacting, or from trying to find some middle ground which could be perceived as underreacting. Back to the MIT case, “leading” in the sense of “look, we ‘sacked’ the guy (in his emeritus activities) and destroyed his legacy even before anyone could even ask us for our reaction!”. Leading in the literal sense: being the forerunner, not a follower, showing a preemptive radical reaction to signal “see, we’re one of us, we’re leading the wave of punishing the evil professor”. “(Pretend to)” since clearly everyone involved there would like nothing more than the whole thing to go away, and to go back to business as usual once they’ve collectively passed the “we’re the most progressive/feminist/buzzword institution ever, see we even cut off our own hand! (figuratively)” test.
I do maintain the “typically, such isn’t an option”, since it referred to “stay neutral and wait until the whole things blows over”. I wouldn’t say “acceptance or even necessary obeisance” falls under that description, that would be along the lines of “join them”. Which can mean you’re safe. It’s just not the safest way, which is joining the secret police equivalent.
The “Gerstein Report” makes for fascinating reading, an SS scientist who purportedly sabotaged a lot of the gas production, was suspected of being a dissenter at various points, but always got away through being of high rank in the very organisation everyone was so fearful of.
Joining the secret police would probably render you safer (note the comparative) from being their target than trying to be an accepting bystander.
Under Stalin party members weren’t very safe. For Stalin is was more important to kill members of the party that might not be according to his standards than it was to kill random people without any political power.
It was quite easy to pick the wrong side in inner party battles.
Joining the secret police would probably render you safer (note the comparative) from being their target than trying to be an accepting bystander.
Stalin’s purges around 1937 show otherwise.
Finding the least amount of cooperation you can “get away with” sets you up for being identified as a target.
That depends—first, I’m arguing for the “hide in crowds” tactics, not for the least possible amount that doesn’t get you shot immediately, and second, you are assuming the “nowhere to hide” scenario. Since we are speaking about SJWs and such, some people and organizations are forced to declare their positions, but a lot are not.
I wouldn’t say “acceptance or even necessary obeisance” falls under that description, that would be along the lines of “join them”.
But right in the parent post you talk about the necessity of “being the forerunner, not a follower, showing a preemptive radical reaction to signal”. I continue to think that passive acceptance and active participation are very different things.
Certainly if you can thoroughly evade the spotlight that’s a good alternative and one most of us are taking right now, as we speak. Such situations do exist historically as well, no doubt, you mentioned one.
I didn’t mean to overly generalize in the first comment, as you say I was assuming a “nowhere to hide” scenario because in this particular case (and similar cases these days) that’s what it was: the Twitter spotlight (the modern Eye of Sauron) was about to shine upon them, and they needed to frame their role thus that it reflects a positive light. Like meeting drunk soccer fans in an alley, you gotta declare yourself to be a friend of their club, if they friend/foe query you.
Generally/Typically I do think that it is the easiest way (note the superlative, “the safest way”) to evade prosecution when you’re one of the prosecutors yourself. But of course that’s hard to quantify, let alone when the domain spans across human history.
I didn’t mean to say that typically there are no alternatives which could also keep you safe, or that the safest way is always to join the most radical part of the winning faction. But even if you’re including a margin a safety in that “least possible amount”, that still puts you closer to the crazy’s bad side than being one of their bannermen. If they can target e.g. Richard Dawkins / UVA / Lewin they can target anyone.
Which is why, of course, ahem, I wholeheartedly support the crazies. If they asked …
That might be an interesting morality discussion, but would probably be high on heat and not so much on light.
But let me point out that you bet heavily on the crazies winning. To return to your soccer hooligans example, your choice might be between being beaten up in an alley (if you refuse) or landing in jail for aggravated assault (if you agree and join them in persuading other teams’ fans with boots and broken bottles).
Joining the secret police would probably render you safer (note the comparative) from being their target than trying to be an accepting bystander. The ‘best way to be safe’, i.e. ‘the safest way’, not the only potentially safe way.
Finding the least amount of cooperation you can “get away with” sets you up for being identified as a target. The worst case comes from underreacting, or from trying to find some middle ground which could be perceived as underreacting. Back to the MIT case, “leading” in the sense of “look, we ‘sacked’ the guy (in his emeritus activities) and destroyed his legacy even before anyone could even ask us for our reaction!”. Leading in the literal sense: being the forerunner, not a follower, showing a preemptive radical reaction to signal “see, we’re one of us, we’re leading the wave of punishing the evil professor”. “(Pretend to)” since clearly everyone involved there would like nothing more than the whole thing to go away, and to go back to business as usual once they’ve collectively passed the “we’re the most progressive/feminist/buzzword institution ever, see we even cut off our own hand! (figuratively)” test.
I do maintain the “typically, such isn’t an option”, since it referred to “stay neutral and wait until the whole things blows over”. I wouldn’t say “acceptance or even necessary obeisance” falls under that description, that would be along the lines of “join them”. Which can mean you’re safe. It’s just not the safest way, which is joining the secret police equivalent.
The “Gerstein Report” makes for fascinating reading, an SS scientist who purportedly sabotaged a lot of the gas production, was suspected of being a dissenter at various points, but always got away through being of high rank in the very organisation everyone was so fearful of.
Under Stalin party members weren’t very safe. For Stalin is was more important to kill members of the party that might not be according to his standards than it was to kill random people without any political power. It was quite easy to pick the wrong side in inner party battles.
Good point.
Stalin’s purges around 1937 show otherwise.
That depends—first, I’m arguing for the “hide in crowds” tactics, not for the least possible amount that doesn’t get you shot immediately, and second, you are assuming the “nowhere to hide” scenario. Since we are speaking about SJWs and such, some people and organizations are forced to declare their positions, but a lot are not.
But right in the parent post you talk about the necessity of “being the forerunner, not a follower, showing a preemptive radical reaction to signal”. I continue to think that passive acceptance and active participation are very different things.
Certainly if you can thoroughly evade the spotlight that’s a good alternative and one most of us are taking right now, as we speak. Such situations do exist historically as well, no doubt, you mentioned one.
I didn’t mean to overly generalize in the first comment, as you say I was assuming a “nowhere to hide” scenario because in this particular case (and similar cases these days) that’s what it was: the Twitter spotlight (the modern Eye of Sauron) was about to shine upon them, and they needed to frame their role thus that it reflects a positive light. Like meeting drunk soccer fans in an alley, you gotta declare yourself to be a friend of their club, if they friend/foe query you.
Generally/Typically I do think that it is the easiest way (note the superlative, “the safest way”) to evade prosecution when you’re one of the prosecutors yourself. But of course that’s hard to quantify, let alone when the domain spans across human history.
I didn’t mean to say that typically there are no alternatives which could also keep you safe, or that the safest way is always to join the most radical part of the winning faction. But even if you’re including a margin a safety in that “least possible amount”, that still puts you closer to the crazy’s bad side than being one of their bannermen. If they can target e.g. Richard Dawkins / UVA / Lewin they can target anyone.
Which is why, of course, ahem, I wholeheartedly support the crazies. If they asked …
The problem is that they commonly ask for corpses of infidels as proof of your sincerity.
If it comes down to it, better their corpses than my own. Since I’m in this body, and not some other one.
That might be an interesting morality discussion, but would probably be high on heat and not so much on light.
But let me point out that you bet heavily on the crazies winning. To return to your soccer hooligans example, your choice might be between being beaten up in an alley (if you refuse) or landing in jail for aggravated assault (if you agree and join them in persuading other teams’ fans with boots and broken bottles).