When thinking about a historical moment usually a divided world does not come to mind. The decision we make becomes historical. Alford writes that we choice; however, "we have already made the choice a thousand times before in similar, less dramatic situations, even if we did not know it at the time" (70). It seems reasonable to access that since people make decisions based on past experiences our choice is already made. As we mature and experience more we might make better informed choices, but they all stem from our morals and those do not change. Our choices present a pattern for our beliefs and ideals which we continue to follow in all our choices. Alford states, "we have chosen by how we have lived our lives up until this point., Then our lives choose for us" (70). All the past choices we have made we have made based off of our morals so when we are presented with a more dramatic dilemma our choice is already made. Our actions throughout our life become the basis for our choice yet now the decision is made unconsciously. It's as if all the decisions we have mold our think tank and it goes off of past decisions.
As Alford talked about siding with the aggressor, the reason behind it struck me as simple, but one I had not thought of. He says, "We don't help because we are terrified of helplessness, a terror that our competitive culture does little to assuage. Perhaps it is fear of being substituted for the victim that leads so many to side with the aggressor..." (71). I believe that most people in our society are afraid of becoming a victim. It has a negative connotation. When one thinks of a victim, you think of someone who is weak and vulnerable. Nobody in our society wants to be percieved this way. Since our society looks down on victims I believe this is why we do whatever it takes not to become one. Whistleblowers, on the other hand, are becoming the victim. They stand up for the others and instead of the others becoming the victim, the whistleblower takes the heat. The whistleblowers act of becoming the scapegoat establishes his status as a victim. The whistleblower is subjected to losses such as his job, career, home, and family, attributed by the organization. The losses inflicted on the whistleblower by the organization make him the victim. In the first part of the quote, I personally relate to Alford when he says we are terrified of helplessness. A couple months ago my friends grandpa got diagnosed with cancer. I see her grandpa often and look up to him. He works down at my barn fixing small things for my friend. When he came down one day, I noticed that something had changed. His face had lost the color it once had and he seemed in pain. He has choosen not to have chemo and I could see in his eyes that he had already accepted defeat. As I noticed all this I just wanted to leave. I didn't want to accept the helplessness of this man and I myself did not want to feel helpless. I think the two go hand in hand; not only are we afraid of helplessness but we are afraid of being helpless. I didn't know what to say to her grandpa because I felt I didn't have anything to say that would be insightful about what he was going through. I couldn't relate to his experience or his decision and that made me terrified because I was helpless
I think that the helplessness that Gabby expressed relates to how the whistleblowers are unable to relate to their stories. Alford frequently mentions that they are disconnected and are "strangely absent from the chain of events he or she has set in motion" (53). All of these emotions reflect the fact that whistleblowers have lost meaning in their lives and cannot come to terms with the truth that they have discovered. Alford discusses the meaning of life and relates it to Freud's answer that it is "love and work" and concludes that, "The meaning of life depends on our ability to remain in a love affair with the world" (52). When whistleblowers are punished for trying to make the world better and, therefore, love it, they come face to face with a number of truths that no one would like to admit exist (some of which are listed on pg 49).
ReplyDelete"Stories are defined by their end....because [whistleblowers] does know [the meaning of his story] that he cannot find the end. Then he would have to learn the meaning of what he already knows" (48). This awkward state of being, I believe, creates this feeling of helplessness because there is no reality for the whistleblowers, they are outcast from society and have nothing left to hold on to. The events that take place surrounding the whistleblower and his story are larger than the whistleblower and he cannot control them, helplessness is thus the logical result. To have that feeling and no sense of belonging or knowledge of truth is terrifying; it is no wonder that people refrain from helping in case this will be the result.
I would like to add to Laura's well-put comments regarding the meaning of life according to Alford. He states, "We make the world meaningful with our love, and the world makes our lives meaningful by being lovable" (52). If someone, such as a whistleblower, gets stuck in a negative or pessimistic frame of mind, it will be harder for them to feel love in the world. You need to put out love to receive love. If you stop loving the world, it won't love you back, and for you the world will become a darker and darker place. I think this is what happened to some of the whistleblowers Alford discussed. They lost their faith in humanity and felt the world was no longer worthy of their love. They stopped putting out love, hence getting no love back, and thus confirming their negative view. This downward spiral and self-fulfilling prophecy does not only happen to whistleblowers of course, but can happen to anyone who has had a devastating personal experience.
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