Steven Pinker -- How the Mind Works - Hampshire High Italian ...

Hotheads | 411only when the threatener has no choice but to carry it out and the targetknows it. Otherwise, the target can threaten the threatener right back byrefusing to comply. The Doomsday Machine is an obvious example,though the secrecy defeated its purpose. A hijacker who threatens to blowup a plane if anyone tries to disarm him will have a better chance of seeingCuba if he wears explosives that go off with the slightest jostling. A goodway to win the teenagers' game of chicken, in which two cars approacheach other at high speed and the first driver to swerve loses face, is to conspicuouslyremove your own steering wheel and throw it away.With threats, as with promises, communication can be a liability. Thekidnapper remains incommunicado after making the ransom demand sohe cannot be persuaded to give up the hostage for a smaller ransom or asafe escape. Rationality is also a liability. Schelling points out that "if aman knocks at the back door and says that he will stab himself unless yougive him $10, he is more likely to get the $10 if his eyes are bloodshot."Terrorists, kidnappers, hijackers, and dictators of small countries have aninterest in appearing mentally unbalanced. An absence of self-interest isalso an advantage. Suicide bombers are almost impossible to stop.To defend yourself against threats, make it impossible for the threatenerto make you an offer you can't refuse. Again, freedom, information,and rationality are handicaps. "Driver does not know combination tosafe," says the sticker on the delivery truck. A man who is worried thathis daughter may be kidnapped can give away his fortune, leave townand remain incommunicado, lobby for a law that makes it a crime to payransom, or break the hand with which he signs checks. An invading armymay burn bridges behind it to make retreat impossible. A college presidenttells protesters he has no influence on the town police, and genuinelywants no influence. A racketeer cannot sell protection if thecustomer makes sure he is not at home when the racketeer comesaround.Because an expensive threat works both ways, it can lead to a cycle ofself-incapacitation. Protesters attempt to block the construction of anuclear power plant by lying down on the railroad tracks leading to thesite. The engineer, being reasonable, has no choice but to stop the train.The railroad company counters by telling the engineer to set the throttleso that the train moves very slowly and then to jump out of the train andwalk beside it. The protesters must scramble. Next time the protestershandcuff themselves to the tracks; the engineer does not dare leave thetrain. But the protesters must be certain the engineer sees them in