According to Dictionary.com, the word ‘complicit’ is the word of the year for 2017. In a Washington Post article by Amy B. Wang, she explains the meaning, “choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act, especially with others”, in today’s political climate.
This is in fact the perfect word for our times. Combatting complicity comes with a heavy price tag, which is why bystanders are reluctant to raise their hands up in resistance. The primary reason for this is that most people don’t have a choice because of retaliation.
In my book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire, I advise people on how to safely expose wrongdoing. If you implement the twelve actions I clearly elucidate, you can become part of the solution to the greatest challenge of our times.
Andrew Faas is a Public Voices Fellow at Yale University
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