“Courage is about doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared. Have the courage to act instead of react.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes
(Author’s note: This is a large topic to me, so please consider this an initial scratch to the surface.)
We like to be “in,” “inside,” “in the know,” “part of the crowd.”
There are some people, though, who do not yearn to be inside the barn with everyone. They are Outsiders.
Think of an instance, either at work or with friends and family, when you felt at odds with them. Someone tells a nasty joke. It happens. So you look down at your feet while everyone laughs. But to stay “inside,” you must be quiet and accept the joke. And the mean-spiritedness.
Literature, art, and social sciences often show being “outside” as not a good place to be. Shunned by peers, left out of celebrations, and generally not liked, being an Outsider is an exercise in alienation and separation. Taking Nature’s lessons about pack animals, we know that a pack member kicked out the group is more vulnerable to become preyed upon. So, not a status generally sought.
But for the Outsider, this is where he/she can breathe. And pursue their aim. It takes courage to be there. We are raised on stories of heroic individuals who fight injustice, take great personal risk to follow dreams, and stay the course. But then one might ask: Are these courageous people crazy? Do they not realize what it might cost them? Are they not afraid?
In this piece, I’d like to explore two movies that portray Outsiders. This is about how effective they can be, and what results when someone steps out of the usual framework and acts according to their own beating drum.
The 2016 film “Spotlight” follows the fast-paced, oftentimes tense, story of an elite group of investigative reporters at the Boston Globe. How elite is the Spotlight team? They pick their own stories — cases in the news that will take years to untangle. Then a new editor at the Globe arrives, ignores that model, and assigns the group to follow up on some stories of sexual predation by Catholic priests. The Spotlight team reacts amongst themselves: who does this guy think he is, telling us what story to pursue? And how does he think we can collect secret information and go up against the powerful Catholic Church in Boston?
The team eventually gets on board, uncovering far more than they expected. But the kerosene on the fire comes from two Outsiders: the newly installed editor Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), who has directed the Spotlight team to investigate this thread, and an attorney Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci), who represents the victims of sexual abuse. Both Outsiders have intensity of purpose and pursue their goals without backing down.
Here is a conversation between the attorney, Garabedian, and one of the Spotlight reporters, Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo).
Garabedian: You work hard, Mr. Rezendes, are you married?
Rezendes: Yeah.
Garabedian: Your wife doesn’t mind you working all the time?
Rezendes: Oh, yeah, she does.
Garabedian: That’s why I never got married. I’m too busy. What I do is too important. Your new editor, he’s a Jew, right?
Rezendes: That’s right, yeah.
Garabedian: Well, he comes in and suddenly everybody’s interested in the Church. You know why?
Rezendes: Mmmm.
Garabedian: Because it takes an outsider. Like me. I’m Armenian. How many Armenians do you know in Boston?
Rezendes: Steve Kurkjian, works at the Globe.
Garabedian: (laughs) Oh. That’s two. You should get a prize or something. What are you, Italian?
Rezendes: No, I’m Portuguese.
Garabedian: From where?
Rezendes: East Boston.
Garabedian: Really? East Boston, you don’t sound like it.
Rezendes: (shrugs)
Garabedian: This city, these people, making the rest of us feel like we don’t belong. But they’re no better than us. Look at how they treat their children. Mark my words, Mr. Rezendes, if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.
This dialogue clip reveals that the Outsider recognizes his status as being “off the grid.” It’s not the major influence in their choices, the aim is much larger. In this case, it’s protection of the vulnerable children being preyed upon.
The real life Spotlight team won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the stories they published. The film won the 2016 Oscar for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
“The Big Short” is another film that follows the true story of a classic Outsider. Actually, many of the characters in this breakneck-speed movie are Outsiders. Mark Baum (Steve Carell) is one of them. Baum is in an unresolved state of grief for his brother who committed suicide. He is the Outsider that most interested me in the film. (Michael Burry, the eccentric ex-physician who first spotted the tsunami headed towards Wall Street, is definitely the other Outsider in the tale). Baums’s fire is a mixture of revulsion at the corruption he confronts and his need to change his insensitive nature. He still feels guilt about his lack of response to his brother’s suffering.
This conversation takes place towards the end of the movie when the stock market is diving. Baum’s trader, Vinny Daniel (Jeremy Strong), sitting on the steps of the New York Stock Exchange, picks up the call he’s urgently awaiting from Baum. It’s time to close out their short positions. Baum is elsewhere, sitting alone at a small table on a balcony.
Vinny: Mark, hey, it’s a bloodbath up here. Morgan Stanley stock has lost half of its value, down to $23.10. It’s in a freefall, wanna talk to you about pulling your money. It’s now or never, Mark. We gotta sell. (no response) Mark, can you hear me? (still no response) Mark, are you there?
Baum: Paulson and Bernanke just left the White House. (long pause) There’s going to be a bailout.
Vinny: Well, they had to. Right?
Baum: They knew. They knew the taxpayers would bail them out. They weren’t being stupid, they just didn’t care.
Vinny: Yeah, cause they’re fucking crooks. But, at least we’ll see some of them go to jail. Right? (Author’s note: that never happened.)
Baum: I don’t know, I don’t know, Vinny. I have a feeling that people will do what they always do when the economy tanks. They will be blaming immigrants and poor people.
Vinny: Mark, can we sell now? The fund will make almost a billion dollars. You’ll clear $200 mil, Mark.
Baum: You know, once we sell, we’ll be just like the rest of them. You know that.
The last line is most interesting, because Baum clearly doesn’t want to join the crowd, because he has contempt for them. Yet, he is one of them. That is his dilemma.
One may conclude that Baum’s aim was to make money, loads of it. Not save the children. This is Wall Street we’re talking about. But the conflict of knowing how to knock the system sometimes requires that you be in it.
I would argue that Baum’s achievement was saving himself. He finally broke open his heart and cared for others.
So, is the Outsider a snob? Depends on who’s talking. But the blather of the outside world and the drain of dealing with people who want to maintain status quo is annoying to an individual with strong purpose.
So, perhaps there is a solitary quality to the Outsider, and that’s necessary. And of course, there is the dislike of authority.
Advances in science, the arts, and literature have most often been the result of an Outsider’s perspective. Innovation is the result. This is the way communities improve outlook and practices. This leadership can move the needle for everyone. Steve Jobs comes to mind. Maya Angelou.
Sometimes it is a courageous drive to lead others. Nelson Mandela.
We could debate as to who belongs in this group. We may’ve even had our own moments when we separated out and pursued a righteous goal, with what courage we could muster.
I can identify two Outsider moments in my life, situations where I bucked a corrupt system alone and followed my own sense of duty and integrity. Everyone around me discouraged my actions. But when these situations resolved, I was proud of my standing up. So, I’ve had a small taste of it. Very satisfying.
You may have Outsider moments in your life. Take some time to think about it. There are benefits, and I hope if you experience outsider status at any point, that you enjoy being there.