In On the Waterfront, the difference between Traitors and Whistleblowers isn't very clearly defined other than by the character Terry. Terry goes against the unethical mob to stick up for the people they are oppressing. Although the mob considers this act to be one of a traitor, this is where instead he should be considered a Whistleblower, because he is standing up for more than himself and is trying to benefit many other people. A whistleblower's actions usually stem from something personal, but the realization that other people have been affected by the same corruption is what pushes the whistleblower to act. In Terry's case, the murder of his brother is what starts his revenge. Everybody agreeing is what keeps him going on his difficult journey to defeat the mob.
I think the difference between a Traitor and a Whistleblower is that a whistleblower's actions are benefitting not only themselves, and stand up against something on a large scale, such as a problem in society. A Traitor acts out of a mean nature, trying to get someone in trouble just to get them in trouble. Something that a traitor would do is help someone steal a pencil, and then tell on the person they were helping. A whistleblower in this situation would argue against the high price of a pencil to help everyone else.
No comments:
Post a Comment