Gratismut (“Free courage”)
You can also read this article in German here
Recently I read the term "free courage" in a discussion about people who speak out in campaigns on social networks with seemingly courageous statements, but basically have nothing to fear for it. It is not real courage, but opportunistic behaviour.
Since the term fits wonderfully with the zeitgeist behavior of many people in politics, media and social networks, the psychological background will be examined in more detail here. Unfortunately, the phenomenon is still little researched and also highly tabooed, since the behavior displayed usually corresponds to the prevailing majority opinion. Usually only those who swim against the mainstream are really brave.
"Free courage is an attitude with which statements are made or actions are committed that do not entail any risks, dangers or negative consequences. [In contrast, true courage] means standing alone or in a small group against a majority.”
Understanding and definition
The term "Gratismut" was coined 60 years ago by the German writer and philosopher Hans Magnus Enzensberger. His understanding of free courage was: "Free courage is an attitude with which statements are made or actions are committed that do not entail any risks, dangers or negative consequences, i.e. do not "cost" anything and are completely "free". However, since the premise for courage consists of potential risks, dangers and/or negative consequences, i.e. a potential "sacrifice", Gratismut as free courage is a contradiction in itself.
Of course, one could simply speak of cowardice instead of free courage, but there is (intentional) sarcasm inherent in this neologism, since free courage is associated with an openly flaunted, moral self-exaltation, whose groundlessness and arrogance is either not understood or deliberately ignored.
True courage has always been rare – and is becoming precious
True courage has always been rare. It means standing alone or in a small group against a majority. In particular, the socialpsychological conformity and obedience studies of the 1960s and 1970s showed that in normal population groups 10% to a maximum of 25% of the subjects showed real civil courage. Being brave means taking risks and making sacrifices. Real courage involves overcoming fear, while free courage is a self-expression.
The risks of courage are, for example, that you are stigmatized and abandoned, lose friends, destroy your career or lose privileges. In the worst case, you can lose freedom or even life. I'm not talking about incomprehensible conspiracy theorists. They also feel brave, but at their core have the problem of not being able to decipher reality and seeing abysses everywhere.
“Publicly shown courage is a classic male virtue and belongs to the formerly highly esteemed male role model. It is particularly important to emphasize this, as this gender role is nowadays often seen only negatively”.
Courage brings freedom – free courage brings applause
Especially in dictatorships, the rulers and their henchmen know how to intimidate people with physical or psychological threats of violence in such a way that the quota of courageous people is getting lower and the price of courage is getting higher and higher.
Nevertheless, our history shows that these courageous people existed again and again, even in German history in the resistance against the Nazi regime and later the GDR regime. Publicly shown courage is a classic male virtue and belongs to the formerly highly esteemed male role model. It is particularly important to emphasize this, as this gender role is nowadays often seen only negatively. However, it also had and still has advantages that should not be forgotten today. The great freedom fighters – Wilhelm Tell of Switzerland, Martin Luther King of USA, Nelson Mandela of South Africa – showed this behavior and were also very alone and on their own in their courageous struggle for freedom.
However, this does not mean that women have not shown this courage. There are also many historically proven examples of this. And often these courageous women have invoked male role models, from Jesus to Martin Luther and Martin Luther King. The difference between men and women is in the numbers. There have been significantly more men in history who have shown this courage publicly. Women as mothers had to be more cautious just because of their children. But the classic, self-sacrificing male courage alone refutes the myth of patriarchy as an all-explanatory model of rule and oppression.
Male role behavior also stems from the male role in evolutionary psychology of proving oneself in conflicts through courage. Today, all people with a clear view, desire for humanity, rejection of tribalism and the will to social enlightenment are called upon to show their flag and backbone against the sectarian tendencies of identity politics and group-related misanthropy (especially against older, white men). Because in today's society racism against non-whites has decreased more and more, the new forms of discrimination and racism must be considered and combated. The lines of conflict no longer run where the pseudo-courageous want us to think. Otherness in the sexual and ethnic sense has arrived and been accepted in the centre of society. They no longer have to be enforced and defended there. The focus must be on the now marginalized and discriminated against. These are old people (because of youth mania), men (because of radical feminism) and conservatives (because of left-wing dominance).
Free courage is hypocrisy
Gratismut (“free courage”) is courage that you don't really need. As an example: Anyone who speaks out in Germany for "marriage for all" no longer needs courage. This is accepted in the majority of society. But anyone who speaks out in favour of gay marriage in an Islamic-influenced country needs real courage. His courage can cost him a lot: persecution, imprisonment, life.
Demanding more influence and power for women today is an example of pseudo-courage, because this process has been going on for some time and will soon take place to the point of over-fulfilment. In 1900 it would have been brave! Already today, 10% more girls graduate from university than boys. A wonderful educational success for the formerly disadvantaged girls, a disaster for the boys. But where are politicians and equal opportunities officers committed to? Still with STEM girls' days for the winners of gender equality policy! That is free courage. Standing up for the former winners and today's losers, boys and young men, would be real courage!
Free courage is socially dangerous
Thus, free courage is characterized by the absence of greater risks on the one hand, and the showing of a big flap on the other. Those who are courageous for free do things that are ultimately harmless or simply inappropriate.
The pseudo-courageous woke activists do not demonstrate courage, but a willingness to show, often a compulsion to show supposedly braveness. This is the real driving force of Gratismut, namely the narcissistic drive to be seen and considered as courageous. The problem with Gratismut is that the observers are lured onto the wrong tracks and misled. They consider the statements and actions of the pseudo-courageous to be courageous without seeing through the narcissistic game behind them. The seemingly courageous behavior really is dogmatism and rigidity. When the audience realizes their error and seduction, it is usually too late. The resulting anger due to the deception is often not directed against the perpetrators, but against other, so-called scapegoats.
“Free courage means putting yourself in the limelight with behaviors for which you expect applause, even though you are cowardly and opportunistic.”
Gratismut and narcissism
Gratismut (“free courage”) occurs above all when a person wants to flaunt himself and impress others with his supposed courage. In doing so, he leaves no doubt about the noble courage of his behavior. So you have to prove to him the narcissistic show behind it. That is why the political and social resistance against the show of the pseudo-courageous is so important. At its core, such behavior is selfish and cowardly. No matter what situation or topic it is in the individual case, the free acting person is usually not really courageous, but opportunistic towards his powerful supporting peer group. At its core, it is a psychological negative behavior of weakness, fear and low self-esteem, but it is sold to the environment as a noble, or even risky act. Through free courage, the insecure persons can stabilize their fragile self-esteem.
Not only politicians, but also ordinary average people who are not in the spotlight or in the focus of public interest can behave in this way. Here, for example, you can try to gain an advantage within your own family through certain actions and behaviors. If a father does not take his own position towards his children, but supports the mother's educational guidelines, although he feels quite differently, this is Gratismut in a small, family context. Free courage means putting yourself in the limelight with behaviors for which you expect applause, even though you are cowardly and opportunistic.
Self-awareness almost impossible
The pseudo-courageous have little chance of recognizing the cowardice and stupidity of their behavior. Since they consider themselves in possession of moral superiority, there is no need to reconsider or even drop his own supposedly noble position. In order to track down one's own cognitive errors, it would require the ability to distance oneself from one's own strategies. However, this is usually not the case, as there is no pressure of suffering as long as the flimsy free courage strategy is not called out by others.
With free courage you can also collect a lot of medals and gratifications in mendacious societies. The leading media today celebrate the pseudo-courageous who stand up for things that have long been enforced and accepted, while the pressing issues of the present and future are left behind. As a rule, the pseudo-courageous people bring each other into play for medals and eulogies. This creates a fake system in which cowardice is honoured and self-awareness or even self-change becomes almost impossible. True courage is not recognized and honored. It would take a "Saul-to-Paul" revival experience to get out of the barren cycles of free courage.
German ‘Gratismut’
The German term "Gratismut" is hardly translatable. It reflects the possibilities of German language to present complex issues in a compact way without the behavior being specifically German. Should the term become better known, it has a good chance – similar to the German angst – to find its way into English. "Gratismut is when a person pretends courage" will then be the definition.
Men's Mental Health and Free Courage
To conclude, and returning to gender roles, it should be emphasized that it is important for both men and women to behave authentically and not opportunistically. This is especially true for men. who are currently struggling with old and new role requirements. They should not prematurely throw their traditions and archetypal patterns of behavior overboard. Perhaps these are still needed, as is now evident in the Ukraine war.
Showing real courage increases self-esteem, personal charisma, independence and autonomy. Courage is therefore a way to mental health, and in contrast free courage is a way to adopting a pseudo-personality, such as Mr Nice Guy.
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Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, legal advice, or other professional opinion. Never disregard such advice because of this article or anything else you have read from the Centre for Male Psychology. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of, or are endorsed by, The Centre for Male Psychology, and we cannot be held responsible for these views. Read our full disclaimer here.
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