No Hand Went Up

All the problems we face in the United States today
can be traced to an unenlightened immigration policy
on the part of the American Indian.
--Pat Paulson

A heckler once
interrupted Nikita Khrushchev
in the middle of a speech
in which he was denouncing
the crimes of Stalin.
You were a colleague
of Stalin’s,
the heckler yelled,
why didn’t you stop him then?
Khrushschev apparently
could not see the heckler
and barked out,
Who said that?
No hand went up.
No one moved a muscle.
After a few seconds
of tense silence,
Khrushchev finally said
in a quiet voice,
Now you know why I didn’t stop him.
Instead of just arguing that anyone facing Stalin was afraid, knowing that the slightest sign of rebellion would mean certain death, he had made them feel what it was like to face Stalin---had made them feel the paranoia,
the fear of speaking up, the terror of confronting the leader, in this case Khrushchev. The demonstration was visceral and no more argument was necessary.
--Robert Greene
The 48 Laws of Power

Johnny Cash: Custer

John Trudell: Crazy Horse / Custer's Luck