Hmm; are we having a confusion about "being" an asshole, a permanent attribute, vs. "acting like" an asshole now and then? I don't think of the first formulation much, I use the second, as a description of particular behavior. It's extremely rare that somebody exhibits *so much* of the behavior that I feel any urge to apply the label to them overall.

Giving in to fear is, in itself, morally neutral, I feel. Sometimes specific behaviors that follow are not.