Armed peasants could seize land yet feared guarding a single hostage

Evidence

As long as their ambiguity persists, the oppressed are reluctant to resist, and totally lack confidence in themselves. They have a diffuse, magical belief in the invulnerability and power of the oppressor. The magical force of the landowners power holds particular sway in the rural areas. A sociologist friend of mine tells of a group of armed peasants in a Latin American country who recently took over a latifundium. For tactical reasons, they planned to hold the landowner as a hostage. But not one peasant had the courage to guard him; his very presence was terrifying. It is also possible that the act of opposing the boss provoked guilt feelings. In truth, the boss was “inside” them. — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 158

Categorization

• SHARE: A striking anecdote for anyone into the psychology of internalized domination — concretizes what ‘the oppressor is inside them’ means.