Draft:Bears and crocodiles analogy
We have to reconcile two contrasting pieces of advice that people often say:
- Always be willing to fight. Don't appease people or they will walk all over you.
- Avoid the fight. It's not worth getting injured over small things, even if you win.
People who always live by Advice 1 will get in needless fights.
People who always live by Advice 2 will get taken advantage of.
Clearly a balance should be found. I propose another way of looking at it:
- Advice 1 is for when you're dealing with a crocodile.
- Advice 2 is for when you're dealing with a bear.
Let's unpack what that means...
Both crocodiles and bears are extremely aggressive. Both can kill you - but for very different reasons, in general:
- The bear sees you as a threat to its territory. It might be paranoid that you're trying to eat its children, etc.
- The crocodile just wants to eat you. There is no negotiating.
This is an analogy for types of people (enemies) you might deal with:
(chronically following Advice 1 would make you the bear, btw)
TODO
Before i finish writing this page, gotta figure out how to address a few nuances:
- mixed enemies who sometimes act crocodile-like and sometimes bear-like: how common are they? is it a continuum?
- what about crocodiles who masquerade as bears, in order to try and have more legitimacy?
- specific examples: hitler, putin, isis, ...
- wars are most often between two bears, each thinking the other is a crocodile?
- bar fights are often between two bears?
- what about domestic abuse cases, how would they be understood by this model?
- what about for defenseless people, any advice or there just isnt?
- so who are we giving advice to? individuals and nation-states, teach them how not to be a bear? negotiate better? what's the solution really?