SBF,
I don't think the intent is to denigrate the clear heroic defiance as you put it by many individuals. The reason....is almost immaterial in my mind. I think the issue is that the perception, and of course the narrative coming from the branch is that as a group JW's were this massive united affront that nobody could quite understand because they could just walk out of there if they signed a piece of paper.
that is certainly what i once believed.