PASSING NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26451, 3 May 1947, Page 2

PASSING NOTES

By thy words thou shalt be condemned!—New Testament. Heaven save us from the nonsensical verbiage of the psychology department of our University in explaining pacifism! We can respect the honest Quaker or conscientious objector even if we disagree with him. But consider this jargon by Mr John Money, a lecturer on psychology addressing the Dunedin branch of the Peace Union on “ Psychological Aspects of Fighting and Pacifism.” He said that if a dog is taught that when a bell rings he is to open a box for food end gets an electric shock on opening the box—- “ Its reaction is one o£ tantrum behaviour," and. later on, “ the dog ceases to protest and makes a withdrawal response, attempting to have nothing to do with the whole situation.” Fancy that! Surely anyone could have told him that if you torture a dog he will become angry and then sulk. But that is too simple. We must talk about “ a withdrawal response ” and having “ nothing to do with the whole situation.” But why torture the dog? . With growing astonishment we read that “just as the dog is faced with conflict” (which is absurd, as he wisely refuses to face the conflict) so “ most children learn that their parents love them but can become harsh beings wh6 administer punishment often for no apparent reason'.” Most children learn nothing of the sort, as nine times out of 10 they know they are justly punished. But the lecturer assures us that the child’s reaction is a “ temper tantrum.” or, in older children. it becomes “ delinquent activity.” The children make a “ passive withdrawal response,” suffer from “ frustration.” and, in short, the cork blows out later on. Now, my experience is that even if wrongly punished a healthy child says, “ Some one has upset mum or dad to-day.” and he soon forgives and forgets. Mr Money must have knowledge of a world of horrors I have missed. Words are. of course; the most powerful drug used by mankind. —Kipling. But worse follows. The lecturer tells us these frustrations may produce crime, nervous breakdowns or creative art as safety valves. This seems hard on artists, but it may explain some pictures I have seen. But we are not done yet, as frustration may also lead to war or pacifism. The lecturer says: Pacifists are not very different from fighters. It is just that they are fighting against another group. How simple it sounds! The subtle suggestion is that it does not matter whether you fight against your own country by resisting conscription or fight the enemies of your country. It seems that there is only a trifling difference. The lecturer then mentions a second group of frustrated people who are “ easily forced into the services.” Now these people who are forced to serve have nervous breakdowns or go insane and completely withdraw from the scene. So Mr Money concludes thus— Tlie process of withdrawal is sometimes arrested by the use of creative thought and creative activities. As soon as one thinks one will not help but see the irrationality of relieving one's pent-up frustrations by fighting other people who really had not much to do with causing them. They become pacifists with a deep sense of social problems and social reform. In other words, Heil Hitler! The Chancellor might have a look at this department. Clearness is the most important matter in the use of words.—Quintilian. A correspondent sends me the following extract from the National Insurance Act (Imperial) First Schedule Part II: — For the purpose of the Part of this Schedule a person over pensionable age, not being an insured person shall be treated as an employed person if he would be an insured person were he under pensionable age and would be an employed person were he an insured person. Fortunately my correspondent does not ask me to say what this jargon means but I gladly pass it on to the Psychology Department of the Otago University as it seems to be their cup of tea judging by some of their language I have quoted elsewhere in this column. It is ill arguing with the master of thirty legions.—Favorinus to Hadrian. It is generally agreed that one main reason for the weakness of the League of Nations was that the United States and Russia were not members. But now that we have these two great World Powers in the United Nations we seem no nearer the goal of creating an International Police Force to act promptly in preventing war by an aggressor than before. The military staff of the Security Council cannot agree on how to create such a force, or how large it should be, or "what contribution should be made by each country. Even if there were such a force any one of the five Great Powers can veto its use against itself or against any other nation. Possibly by good luck they might all combine to suppress war by minor Powers but this would still leave any great malefactor unpunished. In short, the United Nations seems to have no teeth and if it had it might be prevented from using them. It remains in the meantime a mere debating society How can a fire brigade put out a fire if one member of the fire brigade can prevent its use? Even if there were no veto, full agreement between the great lowers is essential to world peace. At present we are apt to suppose that because the United Nations exists there is no danger. In short, we have the illusion of security but no real security so long as there is no effective machinery to prevent war. Now. infidel. I have you on the hip. —Shakespeare It looks as if the seamen, cooks and stewards have been hoist with their own petard. From time to time they have clamoured for higher wages until some of them are now more highly paid than the captains and officers. On the other hand, the captains and officers complain that their claims for an increase have been ignored—perhaps because it was thought that they were not powerful enough to enforce their claims by striking. Suddenly they dropped a bomb into the camp and said that unless they got a rise in pay they would all resign. Then something like this happened:— Ship’s cook: Oh captain, my captain, do not desert the ship, or my mates and I will be’ out of a job. We plead with you and your officers to be loyal. Consider the grave situation of the country. Captain: Did you consider the country when you demanded and got higher pay than wc get? Is your job as responsible as ours? We are all resign- . ing as a protest. Cook: But can you not achieve a swift settlement of your claims, so that shipping can proceed uninterrupted at this vital hour? We beg you not to be selfish. Captain: As the war is over, the war bonus of £l2 a month should be withdrawn, and then the court can do justice to all. You are the biter bit, and we have given you a Roland for your Oliver. Cook: Oh captain, my captain! Have mercy on us. for our hearts bleed for the country. Civis.