The Communal Costs of Individual Compromises
There once was a man who ran a small fruit and vegetable shop.
And each morning, after carefully arranging his onions and carrots in the front window, he would release a deep sigh and put up a small sign in the corner that stated:
“Workers of the world, unite!”
Seeing as he lived in the center of communist Czechoslovakia, this was somewhat to be expected. The other shops in the area included similar language in their windows and you could find these exact words scattered across newspapers and official government pamphlets and documents.
And while he didn’t particularly believe in it, he put this sign up precisely because everyone else did. He knew that if he didn’t, he would stand out; that if he didn’t, it would raise eyebrows and bring attention to him and his business; that it would invite questions about where he stood and who he was.
By placing the sign in the window, he was making a quiet bargain with the system:
I’ll play along, and you’ll leave me alone.
And this is how he maintained his sense of control and comfort.
This story, written originally by Václav Havel in the 1970s, invites us to consider how we might find ourselves making similar bargains with systems of oppression.
Bargains that might look like:
“I’ll wear those uncomfortable dress clothes at work, because that is what is expected. Anything else would draw attention toward me.”
“Instead of pushing back on that racist comment from my mother-in-law, I’m going to bite my tongue and not rock the boat.”
“I’ll keep my head down, even when decisions don’t sit right with me, because speaking up might put my job and my financial stability at risk.”
To some extent, making bargains like this – on a small scale and large – help us to survive. Like the shop-owner in the story, they help us maintain our perceived sense of control and comfort.
But in what ways can these bargains cause harm to our communities?
The shop-owner’s personal decision (and others’ making the same bargain) contributed to the illusion that everyone supported the government; it gave power to the system and the status quo; it limited the likelihood of solidarity and resistance.
When I maintain my Spotify subscription (despite the platform running ICE ads) or continue shopping on Amazon, it contributes to a permission structure amongst my friends and family to do the same. Just as the opposite can also be true: when Heather and I stick to our boycott of Target (and share why with our people), we strengthen the conditions for others to join us.
The actions we take, the words we use, the bargains we opt into or not shape our shared reality.
And so, an invitation for each of us in the coming weeks (and I am definitely including myself in this, because this is hard, hard work):
Take responsibility for the face of the world. (To borrow the words of historian Timothy Snyder.)
When we choose to put ourselves on the hook, in the ways we can, to make an impact on the public sphere, we create space for others to do the same.
Share how this moment is impacting you with the people around you.
Engage in craftivism and make your work public.
Attend protests with kids, friends, and family.
Chalk sidewalks with messages of love and care.
Write op-eds about the things that matter most to you.
Show kindness to strangers, especially in moments when there are other, easier options.
There are an infinite number of pressures to make the same bargain as the shop-owner: to trade our values for our comfort; to stay silent in the face of harm; to opt for what is easy rather than what is just.
But just as the shop-owner made his choice, we can model another path for our communities.
