Rejecting a powerful person’s advances can be an act of principled self-respect.
Evidence
I adored Mario and was impressed with his raw talent and the fact that he could not be bought by a superstar; I personally had whored myself for much less in my day. Mario, in his thick New York accent, said, “It was the principle of the thing. Who does the bitch think she is? Because she’s a star, she thinks I want to fuck her.” — Dolores DeLuce, Blow Jobs, 231
Categorization
- CANDY: Mario turning Madonna down on principle makes a funny, memorable star-anecdote.
- XREF: connects to: Self-respect can outweigh substantial material gain — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 223; Rejected socially desirable roles can become the basis of an identity. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology: Key Readings, 4125; Self-definition through exclusion restores self-respect to atomized individuals — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 836 (+1 more)
Broader Connections
- Self-respect can outweigh substantial material gain
#expands(0.82) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 223 - Self-definition through exclusion restores self-respect to atomized individuals
#corroborates(0.78) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 836 - Recognizing one’s potential for evil can lead to greater self-respect and resistance to oppression.
#expands(0.75) — Jordan B. Peterson, 12 Rules for Life An Antidote to Chaos, 168 - Rejected socially desirable roles can become the basis of an identity.
#expands(0.72) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4125