Sudden Principled Stand: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''With all due respect, sir, I was not trained to murder the innocent.''|'''Phoebus''' in ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]''}}

Things are not going well. Everyone around you gets more cynical and less caring for each day: [[It Gets Easier]]. What started out with good, or at least neutral, intentions, ends up more self-serving or antagonistic. The descent has been so slow and so drawn out in time that is has just crept up on everyone.

Then! Someone says "Enough!", usually surprising everyone around them, and makes them remember why they are really there, or what they used to be. This can be in a confrontation with someone in a position of authority, who finally is coming too close to dragging themselves and everyone else over the [[Moral Event Horizon]], but it can be triggered by other factors as well. The [[Sudden Principled Stand]] can of course also be done with only two people present, the one giving the order and the one refusing.

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== Film ==

* In ''[[The Apartment]]'' there's Bud's climactic refusal to let Sheldrake use his apartment for a tryst with Fran after her {{spoiler|suicide attempt}}.

* Phoebus against Frollo in ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'', as quoted above.

* In ''[[The Lion King|Lion King 2]]'' Vitani refuses to attack the Pridelanders even when ordered by [[Abusive Parents|Zira]], because she was convinced by Kiara's [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|heartwarming]] speech. In response, Zira threatened that Vitani would die as well. In turn, ''the rest of Zira's followers'' refused to attack the Pridelanders.

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* In the opening of ''[[Heirs of Alexandria|The Shadow of the Lion]]'', Abbot Sachs has, with the help of several [[Knight Templar]], apprehended some children in a church, that he claims are enacting satanic rites. Erik reminds the knights that the kids are most likely innocent, have sanctuary in the church, and can only be removed by order of the parish priest. This sets up Erik as a moral center for the knights, and a conflict with the abbot.

* The [[Vorkosigan Saga]] by [[Lois McMaster Bujold]] has several examples:

** In ''[[Vorkosigan Saga|Falling Free]]'', Bannerji doesn't refuse to fire at and destroy the ship that the Quaddies escape on per se, but he demands a [[Bothering by the Book|proper work order]], signed by the Hazardous Waste Management Officer, and with an Environmental Impact Assessment attached. This gives the ship time to escape.

** In ''[[Vorkosigan Saga|Shards of Honor]]'', when Sergeant Bothari refuses to rape {{spoiler|Cordelia}} as per Admiral Vorrutyer's orders.

* ''[[Deryni]] Checkmate'': The day after the Curia excommunicated Morgan and Duncan, its leaders, Archbishops Loris and Corrigan, tried to push through an Interdict on Morgan's duchy as well. The previously neutral Bishop Cardiel spoke against the measure, precipitating a schism within the Church. Cardiel argued that it was unjust to punish the people of Corwyn for the actions of its duke and left open the possibility that Morgan and Duncan were morally innocent. The conflict escalated as other bishops, including Arilan and Tolliver (Corwyn's bishop) joined in, accusing Loris of supporting a rebellion against the king and promoting genocide against the Deryni.

* The entire plot of ''[[Trail of Glory|1812: The Arkansas War]]'' hinges on this trope, in that the [[The United States|United States]] is forced to address slavery in the 1820s instead of the 1850s, and in a far more direct way. It's not too sudden, but then it involves an entire ''nation''.

== [[Live Action TV]] ==

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[[Category:Morality Tropes]]

[[Category:Sudden Principled Stand]]

[[Category:Scenes]]