"When you side with a man, you stay with him. And if you can't do that, you're like some animal! You're finished! We're finished! All of us!"

I believe loyalty to be the most overrated of all ostensible virtues. All it really requires is for one to choose a side, vigorously defend it, and never stray from this unbreakable commitment. No matter the factors external of this allegiance. One can hardly criticize standing by a longtime ally in a time of need, but what if the situation is not that simple? Perhaps circumstances now differ vastly from when the pledge was made? If you join the military based on a perceived just cause, only to find yourself slaughtering unarmed children, is loyalty not the greater sin? Loyalty in and of itself is morally neutral, it is where that loyalty is oriented that counts.

History's worst have often been the most loyal, at least to their own cause and compatriots. A history of zealotry and genocide, outwardly hostile to all who oppose, and internal malfeasance met with a wall of silence. This is not a coincidence, it is by design. The joy of shared barbarism. The cruelty is the point.

"Their shared laughter at the suffering of others is an adhesive that binds them to one another."

Yet most don't enter into a blood pact with further bloodshed in mind. Often they awaken years later, barely recognizable to themselves, brought to a point of inhumanity through years of unquestioned loyalty. All I'm saying is, at some point, one must wake up and smell the burning scorpion. The signs may not always be so obvious as a literal skull emblazoned upon your hat, but they are usually lurking.

In my mind, the single biggest red flag a person can raise is constant emphatic talk of having the back of their friends and family. On its face, it is a sentiment that's hard to disagree with. My advice if you meet such a person... run, as far and fast as you can. If you lack the proper shoes for running, at least ask yourself a question. Just why is this person so emphatically extolling the virtue of loyalty? What situations are they getting into that it appears to be a life or death mindset? What kind of prison yard reciprocity is expected of you in exchange for this loyalty? If you're not in a literal warzone, loyalty to such a person is likely more trouble than it's worth. Punishment Park put it nicely, with an exchange that now carries eerie prescience.

"Do you know the difference between a patriot and a Chauvinist? Chauvin was an officer under Napoleon. His loyalty was so absurd, that we got the word 'Chauvin'. Which is Chauvinistic, an absurd loyalty."

It is at (or ideally before) the point of absurdity that we must rein ourselves in. Are you loyal to a concept that remains alive, or is it simply a commitment to words that you once uttered? Trust your brain and soul of today, not your vocal chords of yesteryear. Ernie Borgnine makes a great case for such examination of loyalty, however lacking in self-awareness Dutch may be.

"He gave his word to a railroad. That ain't what counts! It's who you give it to!"

Sam Peckinpah had no delusions about honor in the West. He sought to tell an ugly story of men scratching for survival at the door of extinction, and he hit every note perfectly. The incredible match cuts and overall sense of editing rhythm instills an unrelenting feeling of desperation and danger. The off-kilter score occasionally detracts, yet still contributes to the unique tone. It frequently felt like a New Hollywood take on the obligatory comic relief within a John Ford film. It's quite incredible how I'm filled with a similar sense of euphoria when the credits roll on a Ford or Peckinpah film, despite their vastly different approach.

A personal anecdote, extolling the virtues of disloyalty.

Was it an act of disloyalty for me to renounce all support for the Parramatta Eels after their devastating 29-0 capitulation to the North Queensland Cowboys in the 2005 Preliminary Final? Well, sure it was. Yet after scream-crying, snapping my flag in half, then storming off to sleep outside... I had a revelation. I was a decade into an abusive relationship with my rugby league team, and they were never going to change. More importantly still, I fundamentally lack the emotional stability to exist as a hardcore fanatic of any sports team. My cheek was still crimson from illogically slapping myself at the full-time siren. I was only 15 years old, with my whole life in front of me. I decided that I didn't need these blue and gold sea serpents adding to my woes for a lifetime to come. 

True to my word, I never supported the Eels (nor anyone else) again. I still enjoy sports, but I prefer to cheer for constantly evolving narratives, rather than one team. These days, I mostly just like to fire up NFL RedZone on Sundays, smoke several joints, and watch it rain touchdowns for seven hours straight. Here's a picture of me at a recent NFC Championship Game.

As for the Eels, true to their loser nature, they have still yet to win the premiership in my lifetime, extending the drought to 1986. If that heroic championship day ever does arrive for them, I will not celebrate like a fanatic would, as I was not there for the struggle. But I will possess an elegiac smile for that 11 year old boy, whose heart was irreparably broken on the night of September 30th, 2001. A tragic fall from grace as brutal and dramatic as the '07 Patriots. An event that came as an aftershock to 9/11, but perhaps impacted my worldview with greater severity. For me, the third tower was not Building #7, it was the 2001 NRL Grand Final.

"Now it's just another show. You leave 'em laughing when you go."