Yes, that's an interesting point, Neil. I can imagine big strong men imposing their will by force in the Stone Age, but behaving this way now probably isn't a good idea.
But what we're seeing now is that all of these institutions, just like the universities, just like the law firms, just like the cultural institutions, are making these decisions with a kind of figurative gun to their heads.
They must have known they would never see their family or Sparta again and yet they stood here and fought anyway despite not just repeated calls to surrender but a carrot as well as a stick.
For the first time in memory, clout-- that's what we call it in Chicago-- clout, sheer bullying force that was at the heart of Chicago politics, clout was no longer in the mayor's control.
But he's just subpoenaing every mob guy he could get a hold of and dragging them in front of Congress and browbeating them and humiliating them at times.