History Main / PacifismIsCowardice

* TechnicalPacifist: The pacifist ''claims'' to be a pacifist but has no problem unleashing methods of retaliation that are [[CouldHaveBeenMessy potentially-but-nobody-got-hurt]] (or actually were but the pacifist wasn't actually the one who pulled the trigger) lethal. The pacifist, thus, is claimed to be a coward because he can't find the courage to [[AtLeastIAdmitIt admit he's violent]] or do his own dirty work.

* '''Pacifists Are (Called) Cowards:''' When pacifists, regardless of them being actually cowards or not, are mocked by other people for being cowards. (Note that this disregards whether ''the work'' thinks pacifism is bad or not.) Compare TheSoCalledCoward when they're revealed to be really brave.

* ''Film/ThePatriot'': The film averts this. The main character initially opposes the rebellion that grows into the American Revolution, and specifically says, "I will not fight. And because I will not fight, I will not send another to fight in my place." However, he later winds up joining the war anyways [[ItsPersonal to avenge his murdered son]].

* ''Film/{{Maverick}}'': In the film version, the eponymous hero tries to talk his way out of fights specifically BECAUSE he's a coward. This is PlayedForLaughs; he has a incredibly fast quick-draw and handily wins a fistfight against several opponents, but if it's up to him, he'd much rather just play cards.

* ''Film/{{Maverick}}'': In the film version, the eponymous hero tries to talk his way out of fights specifically BECAUSE he's a coward. This is PlayedForLaughs.

-->-- '''Neelix''', "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS1E14Jetrel Jetrel]]", ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''

* ''Anime/{{Trigun}}'': A recurring argument throughout the series is how much of Vash's pacifism[[note]]he's willing to shoot his gun, but extremely reluctant to shoot to kill, [[TechnicalPacifist deciding instead to use crazy skill shots and mind games to make threats back off]][[/note]] is just plain cowardice, [[GodzillaThreshold especially when it comes to fighting]] [[BigBad Knives]] and [[QuirkyMinibossSquad the Gung-Ho Guns]], who have made it perfectly clear that they absolutely will not stop until they are either dead or have killed all of the humans on Planet Gunsmoke (in actuality, their true goal [[TargetedToHurtTheHero is to break Vash]]). This argument that occasionally brings Vash and [[TheLancer Nicholas D. Wolfwood]] to blows.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fanfiction writers are constantly at war between the two types of the trope regarding Adrien and his choice to take the high road with Lila and allow her to continue to lie her butt off to his friends until she exposes herself. DependingOnTheWriter, he can be either a DirtyCoward who uses pacifism as an excuse to avoid conflict at any cost and willingly allows Lila to bully Marinette and manipulate their friends in the name of "peace"; or he's a well-intentioned but severely misguided soul with no idea how to handle tough social situations and not enough information about Lila to know just how much of a ManipulativeBitch she is, who is called a coward anyway by his betrayed and formerly manipulated classmates after the truth comes out. Examples of these tales include ''Fanfic/BurnTheWitchMiraculousLadybug'', ''Fanfic/BurningBridgesBuildingConfidence'', ''Fanfic/RaiseYourVoiceAgainstLiars'' and ''Fanfic/TheKarmaOfLies''.

* ''Series/MadamSecretary'': "The Ninth Circle" seems to come to this conclusion. Jason [=McCord=] is expelled from a Quaker school after he breaks a school bully's nose for [[YourMom insulting his mother]]. He apologizes for lashing out physically, but flatly refuses to apologize for defending Liz, and the dean doesn't consider this sufficient.

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': [[FromNobodyToNightmare Before he became the Dark One]], Rumpelstilskin was a wool-spinning peasant whose decision to leave the army in the midst of the ogre war had earned him the reputation of a coward.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E26ErrandOfMercy Errand of Mercy]]", both Captain Kirk and Commander Kor frequently describe the natives of the planet Organia as cowardly and liken them to sheep (meaning "timid", not "conformist") because they don't want to fight the occupying Klingons. Subverted when the Organians reveal themselves as [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien energy creatures]] who have the ability to stop both the Klingons and the Federation, but chose not to interfere until matters escalated to all-out war.

* TheSoCalledCoward: The pacifist (or otherwise unwilling to be violent) character is actively bullied by the conflict-mongers for their cowardice, and thus is more surprising [[LetsGetDangerous when they finally cut loose]].

* MartialPacifist: He's actually a well-trained fighter but he believes in solving things the peaceful way first and then only resorted to violence when it's absolutely necessary.

* ''Series/KungFu'':

* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': While Kenshin Himura [[BadassPacifist is willing to fight if needs be]], he is considered a coward by his enemies and Saito Hajime because he refuses to use violence as a first course of action as well as not killing. The villains even constantly [[TargetedToHurtTheHero try to kill Kenshin's friends]] in order to [[TheyWereHoldingYouBack give Kenshin "proper motivation" to not hold anything back]].

* Played for laughs in ''Film/AntMan1'':

* ''Series/Babylon5'': Ivanova's ending narration in the season 2 finale [[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E22TheFallOfNight "The Fall of Night"]] expresses this belief.
-->"We came to this place because Babylon 5 was our last, best hope for peace. By the end of 2259, we knew that it had failed. But in so doing, it became something greater. As the war expanded, it became our last best hope... for victory. Because sometimes, peace is another word for surrender."

* ''ComicBook/GIJoe'': Doc was considered a coward for his pacifism. When the entire team got poisoned, Doc successfully tricked Cobra into giving him the cure in exchange for an empty case instead of the plutonium Cobra Commander demanded. At that point, the Joes changed their tune about him.

* ''ComicBook/DCTheNewFrontier'': Hal Jordan is treated like a coward by many because of his refusal to kill people. As the story is set during the 1950s, this is a case of DeliberateValuesDissonance. Hal calls out this attitude in issue #5 and his predecessor Abin Sur tells Hal that courage comes in many forms.
* ''ComicBook/GIJoe'': Doc was considered a coward for his pacifism. But then the entire team got poisoned and Doc successfully tricked Cobra into giving him the cure in exchange for an empty case instead of the plutonium Cobra Commander demanded. At that point, the Joes changed their tune about him.

* ''Anime/{{Trigun}}'': A recurring argument throughout the series is how much of Vash's pacifism[[note]]he's willing to shoot his gun, but extremely reluctant to shoot to kill, [[TechnicalPacifist deciding instead to use crazy skill shots and mind games to make threats back off]][[/note]] is just plain cowardice, [[GodzillaThreshold especially when it comes to fighting]] [[BigBad Knives]] and [[QuirkyMinibossSquad the Gung-Ho Guns]], who have made it perfectly clear that they absolutely will not stop until they are either dead or have killed all of the humans on Planet Gunsmoke (in actuality, their true goal [[TargetedToHurtTheHero is to break Vash]]). This is an argument that occasionally brings Vash and Nicholas D. Wolfwood (TheLancer of the protagonists) to blows.

** Caine is sometimes accused of cowardice or hypocrisy for his pacifism; the first episode even has a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive railroad crew chief]] comment on the supposed ValuesDissonance of a "man of peace who can fight like ten tigers."

* ''Series/MadamSecretary'': The episode "The Ninth Circle" seems to come to this conclusion. Jason [=McCord=] is expelled from a Quaker school after he breaks a school bully's nose for [[YourMom insulting his mother]]. He apologizes for lashing out physically, but flatly refuses to apologize for defending Liz, and the dean doesn't consider this sufficient.

** Frank Burns, in particular, was a straightforward patriot and took the United States' involvement in the Korean War conflict ''very'' seriously to the point that any anti-war sentiment he observed from his comrades in arms, he would often accuse them of being "bleedin' hearts" and give them rousing speeches about the disasters that would be heaped upon America if they were to just make peace with the enemy. On one such occasion, the 4077th is pinned down by a lone sniper, and Hawkeye and Trapper insist on surrendering in hopes that the sniper will cease his fire so they can tend to their wounded; both Frank and Margaret are appalled at the idea and are more concerned about maintaining the integrity of their positions as U.S. Army personnel rather than trying to help any wounded that may come in and be under fire.

* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''[=/=]''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'': A major theme in the games is that the Jedi's HeadInTheSandManagement approach to the Mandalorian war, which was partially done to avoid NeutralNoLonger, was a largely a result of cowardice on the Jedi Order's part due to their teachings. Both games have various characters critique the idea that Jedi's are guardians of peace who promote pacifism when possible, yet turned a blind eye to the state of the galaxy when it was needed.

* ''VideoGame/EverQuestII'' features the Ogres, a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy race of warriors well known throughout history for war and conquests]] as a playable race. Their racial questline in Freeport has you discovering the pacifistic followers of Quellious, Goddess of Tranquility, trying to peacefully resolve a conflict. The Ogre mentor tells you to bash their heads in, because anyone who doesn't embrace war and fighting is weak.

-->"So you were an artist! Big deal! Music/{{Elvis| Presley}} was an artist. But that didn't stop him from joining the service in time of war. And that's why he's The King, and you're a schmuck.

-->"So you were an artist! Big deal! Elvis was an artist. But that didn't stop him from joining the service in time of war. And that's why he's The King, and you're a schmuck.