History Main / SuicidalPacifism

** Another episode had an entire planet of PerfectlyPacifictPeople who would not raise a hand against the Klingons invading their home planet, even when the Klingons start killing them. [[spoiler:Turned out they were psychic beings who only appeared in AFormYouAreComfortableWith and they weren't really hurt at all.]]

*** Exactly the same thing happened with the Organians in ''StarTrekTOS'' episode ''Errand of Mercy.''

** Eventually [[JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope jumping off the slippery slope,]] and into straight-up AxeCrazy. [[{{Understatement}} It wasn't pretty.]]

** Another episode had an entire planet of PerfectlyPacifictPeople who would not raise a hand against the Klingons invading their home planet, even when the Klingons start killing them. [spoiler:Turned out they were psychic beings who only appeared in AFormYouAreComfortableWith and they weren't really hurt at all.]

[[AC: {{Anime/Manga}}]]

** Somewhat occurs in Jesus' life (or more precisely, death) too, rather than fighting or fleeing he actually healed one of the people who came to take him to his death.

When the hero tries to [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped point out the flaws in their reasoning]] and convince them to defend themselves, [[CantArgueWithElves they will preach]] that he cannot be trusted due to the blood on his hands. If he tries to argue that [[MartialPacifist peace and liberty must be defended]], they may imply IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim. Of course, once the BigBad or {{Mooks}} arrive, he will be forced to take care of the problem.

This is what happens when the MartyrWithoutACause decides to try [[SuicideByCop suicide]] by [[ActualPacifist Pacifism]].

More seriously, when a person (or, heaven help them, [[HiddenElfVillage an entire people]]) believe that [[ActualPacifist actual pacifism]] is an ideology worth living ''and dying'' by. They believe that violence is intolerable, so fighting back is completely unjustified, much less ''killing.'' The suicidal pacifist won't even run or hide, they won't do anything at all. This is fine for relatively rational bullies and oppressors, who they might be able to shove off with peaceful efforts, which they may have done in the past. For plot purposes however, the threat they will face is manifestly tyrannical or genocidal/murderous.

When the hero tries to point this out and convince them to defend themselves, [[CantArgueWithElves they will preach]] that he can't convince them to abandon their ways when he himself has hands full of blood-- err, hands full of [[NonLethalWarfare bloodless violence?]] If he tries to argue that [[MartialPacifist peace and liberty must be defended]], they will say it's not worth killing for. Of course, once the tyrant arrives he will waste no time [[KickTheDog kicking them around]] and thanking them for rolling over so he can trample them more easily. Only heroes take guff, after all.

Typically, the hero has to convince him/them to [[TeachHimAnger learn to get angry]] or TrainingThePeacefulVillagers. Depending on the specifics, the suicidal pacifist(s) may be a StrawMan against pacifism.

[[AC:Religion]]
* Present in TheBible, in the apocryphal book of the Maccabees, where some Jews would rather let themselves be killed on the Sabbath than defend their lives. The eponymous family of the Maccabees decide to skip that rule in order to defend their country. (It's worth noting that most Jewish traditions, at least nowadays, are quite clear on the principle that working to save a life is a duty that must be embraced whatever day it happens to be.)
** Somewhat occurs in Jesus' life (or more precisely, death) too, rather than fighting or fleeing he actually healed one of the people who came to take him to his death.

** Somewhat occurs in Jesus' life (or more precisely, death) too, rather than fighting or fleeing for his life he actually healed one the people who came to take him away.

* In the StarTrekTOS episode ''Mirror, Mirror,'' the Halkans tell the Empire that they are willing to "die as a race" to "preserve what we are."

*** Exactly the same thing happened with the Organians in StarTrekTOS episode ''Errand of Mercy.''

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* Anakin, a few other Jedi, and some clone soldiers crash land on Manudin, an entire planet of [[ActualPacifist Actual Pacifists]] in an episode of ''StarWarsTheCloneWars''. When the Separatists arrive, the natives blame the Jedi for bringing them there, and their leader refuses to fight them for any reason.

* In ''SluggyFreelance'' the [[AnotherDimension Dimension of Lame]] (which is populated entirely by sickeningly sweet, naive, and innocent people) gets [[DemonicInvaders invaded by demons]] from the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Dimension of Pain]], who proceed to kill, devour, and rip out the souls of every human being who crosses their path. However, when a resistance group tries to organize, even the most psychotically violent individual on the planet can't do anything more than stub a demon's toe in self-defense without feeling unbearable guilt.
** Eventually the demons ''did'' begin to cooperate with the humans to a slight degree, but because the sheer number of helpless sheep to slaughter necessitated some organization on their part.

* [[DichterUndDenker German philosopher]] Oswald Spengler claimed in ''{{The Decline of the West}}'' that this meant the preference of slavery over death (by fighting). As he explained: At the battle of Cannae, 50000 Roman soldiers died. When the Mongols overran the metropolises of China and the Muslim world, the population didn't want to fight them, and hundreds of thousands of people died. Per metropolis, that is.
* One UndergroundComics artist had a father (also artist) who was like this. As he wrote in one comic, when the other kids would beat up the son for having "fish lips", the father would say "don't hit back, don't lower yourself to their level". [[SarcasmMode Thanks, dad.]]
* Thích Quảng Đức, the Buddhist monk who set himself on fire in a Saigon street during the VietnamWar as an act of protest. Note that he was not protesting the war itself, but the South Vietnamese government's persecution of Buddhists.
* Anakin, a few other Jedi, and some clone soldiers crash land on Manudin, an entire planet of [[ActualPacifist Actual Pacifists]] in an episode of ''StarWarsTheCloneWars''. When the Separatists arrive, the natives blame the Jedi for bringing them there, and their leader refuses to fight them for any reason.

More seriously, when a person or (heaven help them, [[HiddenElfVillage an entire people]]) believe that [[ActualPacifist actual pacifism]] is an ideology worth living ''and dying'' by. They believe that violence is intolerable, so fighting back is completely unjustified, much less ''killing.'' The suicidal pacifist won't even run or hide, they won't do anything at all. This is fine for relatively rational bullies and oppressors, who they might be able to shove off with peaceful efforts, which they may have done in the past. For plot purposes however, the threat they will face is manifestly tyrannical or genocidal/murderous.

* There was one of these groups in ''StarWarsTheCloneWars''.

* Anakin, a few other Jedi, and some clone soldiers crash land on a planet of [[ActualPacifist Actual Pacifists]] in an episode of ''StarWarsTheCloneWars''. When the Separatists arrive, the natives blame the Jedi for bringing them there, and their leader refuses to fight them for any reason.

When the hero tries to point this out and convince them to defend themselves, [[CantArgueWithElves they will preach]] that he can't convince them to abandon their ways when he himself has hands full of blood-- err, hands full of [[NonLethalWarfare bloodless violence?]] If he tries to argues that [[MartialPacifist peace and liberty must be defended]], they will say it's not worth killing for. Of course, once the tyrant arrives he will waste no time [[KickTheDog kicking them around]] and thanking them for rolling over so he can trample them more easily. Only heroes take guff, after all.

When the hero tries to point this out and convince them to defend themselves, [[CantArgueWithElves they will preachily snip at him]] that he can't convince them to abandon their ways when he himself has hands full of blood-- err, hands full of [[NonLethalWarfare bloodless violence?]] If he tries to argues that [[MartialPacifist peace and liberty must be defended]], they will say it's not worth killing for. Of course, once the tyrant arrives he will waste no time [[KickTheDog kicking them around]] and thanking them for rolling over so he can trample them more easily. Only heroes take guff, after all.

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