dear internet,
so i just watched sophie sholl, the final days. a german flick, and really quite better than i was expecting.
so lets say you were being questioned in a situation you know you could not win with logic because those accusing do not follow logic. guilty until proven innocent situation. the punishment you are facing is death. the only way to mitigate your sentence is to not only give up your ideals and claim to be just a follower, but to also give up the names of others. if you did one, you would probably keep your head but would see harsh punishment. if you did both, you would probably live with lesser punishment. if you follow your ideals and give up no one, you die.
what do you do?
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I am a wuss, so I'd have to give up something . . . but I guess it would depend on what the situation was and who would be affected that would determine if I'd toe the party line, so to speak, or rat people out. Of course if I suspected they'd really just kill me anyway no matter how much or little information I gave them, I might find some as-yet-unknown strength and stonewall the b *ds.
I honestly have no idea if under threat of torture I'd be able to be as idealistic as I hope. Ideas worth dying for? Haven't encountered many of these so far... But other people, now that's different. In the case of Sophie Scholl, it was her brother who was involved (although if I remember correctly, he was caught along with her), as well as some close friends. I could imagine choosing to die in order to protect your loved ones.
As a German, there comes a point in a person's life when you have to ask yourself: What would I have done in Nazi Germany? I think I'd have been capable of small acts of human kindness, such as hiding a person or lying to the authorities on someone's behalf. I don't think I'd have been cut out for the really big stuff, as in the French Résistance or Claus von Stauffenberg. Of course, you never know. I still know many people who must have just closed their eyes and refused to believe in all the atrocities. Good people, but they just didn't want to know. I can't claim that couldn't have happened to me.
I would like to believe that I would hold onto my ideals and die for them, but I'm not honestly sure what I would do. I've lived a life too cushy and protected to really know. But I would really really really like to believe that I am strong enough to not give in.
I totally agree with fiercenailbunny. Just think 1984. They always find a way to break you down eventually, no matter how much you'd like to believe you wouldn't.