# "Complacency is complicity", or the limits of radicalism

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complacency-is-complicity-or-the-limits-of-radicalism/1022749>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [September 4, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complacency-is-complicity-or-the-limits-of-radicalism/1022749 "2025-09-04T16:07:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complacency-is-complicity-or-the-limits-of-radicalism/1022749/32 "2025-09-06T06:53:28Z")

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Once again, the language of the OP really ignores the huge realm in the middle between the two sides. I don’t ascribe to the POV where those who take no action are absolved of responsibility, nor do they carry the same guilt as those actively destroying Democracy. I do admit however, that the eventual winners of such conflicts will sometimes make such an absolutist judgement, causing much bloodshed.

We had a troubled thread with many similarities that began with the sparking point of Trump 2.0:

> [@The People that anger me the most: The "Independents" who voted for neither](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-that-anger-me-the-most-the-independents-who-voted-for-neither/1016615):
>
> They didn’t vote for Trump. So, I’ll give them that. They didn’t vote for Kamala either, or maybe they didn’t vote for Hillary either, or for Biden? And their reasons? Some conservative on a college campus felt uncomfortable. Or some transgender person is competing in sports somewhere. Or DisneyWorld has DEI in hiring. Or Fauci said something once that wasn’t completely correct. And let’s not forget about our all-time favorite: Hillary’s private e-mail server!!! These people that just c…

Repeating one of my quotes from the cited thread (I spell it out in more detail later, but this serves)

> [@The People that anger me the most: The "Independents" who voted for neither](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-that-anger-me-the-most-the-independents-who-voted-for-neither/1016615/105):
>
> It is arguable that they do have a moral obligation. Oh, not a strong one, but in any quasi-representative government, or other form of collective punishment (I kid but only just), making a choice has consequences for _everyone_. Which, they and the rest of us, are finding out.
> 
> NOTE, this is a sliding scale, there is NO moral equivalency between voting for Trump and NOT voting. One is an active effort towards converting the USA to one of the many flavors of authoritarianism, and the other is a passive abrogation of responsibility. One is a mortal sin as it were, and the other venial. But it still has it’s consequences.

So yes, complacency can be an abrogation of responsibility. And that’s not consequence free, or judgement free (from me, others differ) - but it’s not in any way equivalent.

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