If you are a dissident and your government is threatening you and your family/friends and demands a public apology and to publicly recant/renounce your beliefs, would you do it? Why or Why Not?
They "promise" to stop harassing you if you do it. Do you take this deal?
Depends on what's at stake and how serious these threats are. I wouldn't let my family be murdered over my political beliefs.
I would; it's just words.
Can't really resist if you're dead or in a murder camp.
Sure. I can lie. 🤷♂️
Could use the time they are not harassing me to get away where they can't get me again to continue talking shit.
get away
Oh sweet summer child... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit_bans_in_China (your country could do the same)
People still manage to smuggle themselves out. I don't expect it to be as easy as getting a plane ticket.
Some North Koreans still manage to escape.
In 2013, I posted on Facebook, urging my Czech friends not to vote for the eventual winner of their Presidential election, Milos Zeman. I called him and inept drunkard, and compared to him to the then Slovak President, Ivan Gasparovic. The next day, the Slovak police paid a visit to my parents (I've been living abroad by then), and offered not to create problems for them if I deleted the post, because Mr. Gasparovic was offended by being compared to Mr. Zeman. As soon as my parents called me, I dropped everything and deleted the post.
This was in a presumably democratic member of the European Union, and I didn't even think twice. I'd probably self-censor if I lived in a dictatorship. Sorry; I'm no hero type. I do have my opinions and express them when able, and don't when it would cause problems for me or my family. I think I'm just an average person.
Sorry; I’m no hero type. I do have my opinions and express them when able, and don’t when it would cause problems for me or my family. I think I’m just an average person.
No need to be sorry, most of us aren't heroes either.
the f we are living for then. To live in a place that people in power tell others what is allowed or not allowed to be said... Sounds like soviet union to me.
I'm not saying you are wrong or anything, or what you did was wrong. I'm not hero too, but thats way above of what i consider to be tolerable.
I like to think I would stand firm for important beliefs.
But I pray to God I'll never have to find out the hard way.
My answer is "more weight"!
Based The Crucible reader
+1
Great question. The denouncement doesnt cost you anything, but everything to be gained - your family safety, but there is no reassurance that the promised would be held by the other side. And it might be used again as, black mail. I'd denounce myself and move my family away if possible as soon as possible
Depends if I could leave the country or not.
Can you trust them to follow through on their end of the bargin?
Depends on country. For example: People's Republic of China usually lets go of small-time dissident after they publicly apologize and say that they got "tricked" by the "evil west" or something like that, at least that has been their M.O. for a while. From my understanding, and I do not support CCP btw, PRC isn't as murdery as compared to, say, Russian Federation.
(High profile ones do get disappeared tho 👀)
This question is subjective, it really depends. But I mean, if you refuse, its guaranteed a bad result, if you do, you might get off on a slap of wrist. It's your choice, and this question being vague is the entire point; so... given that you can't be certain of the results, what would you do?
Family comes first. Now maybe there's some wiggle room to decide which choice serves my family better, but my motivation would always be to serve my family the best I can.
That being said, I'm a fifty year old man with 5 kids. If one of my kids was in the same position I might quietly cheer them on for resisting if it was just them and me. But I'd have to encourage them to consider their siblings as well if that was the situation.
100% I'd recant. More enjoyable to not be locked away as a political prisoner, and way easier to overthrow the government that way, too.
I think this is an excellent question. People often forget about threats to families/friends, and only consider their own lives.
It's of course very context-dependent and I'm sure different people have different beliefs. For example, if your friends and families are ardently against the government and would be willing to risk a lot, and you are having an impact, you might just ignore the threats.
And in a way I think if more people think like that, it's best, as that makes blackmail to friends/family worthless.
In most other scenarios, I would give them one chance. After all there is other good that can be done in this world. However, if they show that they can't be trusted. I'd consider that I have nothing left to lose, and go hard.
I really don't understand why regimes do this. Like everyone with two brain cells to rub together know the person recanting is not being truthful. But then again almost two thirds of my country at least tacitly supported an open fucking idiot with "concepts of a plan".
It's to show that they have the "power" to make people do whatever they want. Sure, the average Janes and Joes know that apology was half-assed, but they now know that the government will come after you if you do anything out of line.
Nope. What I'd do is call out the religious rulers of our world who want to lie, steal, cheat, and murder their way to Armageddon (Armageddon is the final attempt by Lucifer in murdering all of Messiah Yeshua's followers). They're not Khazars as most think (as I'm a crypto Khazar myself, so I'm convinced); for we're employees of a higher religious power: Roman Catholic leadership.
Edit: I wouldn't care if I died for it, as I would be essentially faithful to the end.
wut
And yet it moves.
You're asking a lot of questions like this. Are you okay?
Sorry, my thoughts have been spiraling.
I'll take a break. Sorry, didn't mean to be annoying lol. It's just that there are questions that come to mind and I just have the urge to ask it to get it off my mind.
You're not annoying at all. Actually I'm happy to see activity. I mean are you worried about being persecuted as a dissident?