On The Waterfront
In the movie "On the Waterfront" many characters are forced to make a decision based on their own ethical code. Terry doesn't want to rat on Johnny Friendly because he doesn't think it's the right thing to do. However as the story progresses and he sees Johnny kill the people that stand up to him he begins to want to testify. When Johnny kills Charlie he is finally willing to testify in court. The priest wants to bring Johnny down. He tries to get people to testify in court. He convinces Doogan but he is killed before his appearance in court. The priest is finally able to convinve Terry and his appearance in court was crucial to the downfall of Johnny.
I think you are speaking up when it is for the greater good. If your decision benefits a lot of people than it is speaking up. You don't do it for selfish reasons. You do it because you want to help other people besides yourself. I think you're being a "stool pigeon" when you do it for personal gain. If you hurt people just so you can get ahead then that makes you a traitor.
posted by abc @ 1:54 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
I was a little confused when you said that as Terry sees people who stand up to Johnny being killed, he wants to testify. This sounds like Terry was willing to maybe sacrifice his life in order to expose Johnny. I don't know if this is what you meant it to mean, Barry, but in any case, I don't think Terry wanted to go that far.
I definitely agree that one is a whistle blower when it benefits a lot of people and a traitor when it hurts others. When one stands against something in order to help people instead of oneself, they should absolutely be considered a hero and a good person.
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