It made an instant
impression on me.
I don't know what to say about some of our media anymore. I guess
they're easily deceived too. We're so
desperate and vulnerable for anything that offers hope. And hear
nothing until that day it is announced to us "over the air". Finally
there's hope. Salvation at last! Freedom.
In fact, Hugo and Joe Sheehan sitting at the table on the front panel at the
beginning of that 'Council convention back in DeKalb that Saturday morning heard
J. David Williams announce it to us all from the lectern. How he had
just heard it too .. 'over the air'
as "a public service announcement".
Hugo shot from his chair:
"This has got to stop!"
I remember when a counselor (actually, she was the Director of
it all) I knew and liked back in New Jersey in the early 70's told me about
the latest she had heard. A wonderful and attractive "older woman" who
I liked immensely. Perhaps it would not be wise for me to confess I
was in love with her (I never told her that! .. alas, maybe I should have!
.. oh, what therapy that would have been! .. oh well, just dreaming..).
Anyway, someone of
sophistication and intelligence. Who cared very much about me.
And saw me for free knowing I couldn't afford it.
The $public service announcement$ had deceived her too. Gosh, I almost
went for it myself. I'm so grateful for our self-help movement and
Ed Mysak
in particular for directing me into some competent therapy I could afford as
well as his frank
comments on it all "[he's] my good friend but he should be strung up
for what he's doing" -- we're
so desperate for anything we hear offering hope. Convince our parents. Go into debt. Whatever
it takes.
When inevitably it all breaks down we're told it's *our* fault if
we're still stuttering. We haven't followed the instructions we've
been given "not to stutter". We're back to our old habits. We
haven't been doing what we've been told. We're told what is wrong with
us. And who is to blame. Maybe some have the courage to say:
"C..c..can I have m..m..my
m..m..m..money b..b..b..b..b..b..b..b..back?"
No, we're told, the directions in the fine print on the
warrantee "not to stutter" haven't been complied with or something.
And once again told that we are wrong.
How does it go? Something like: "take responsibility" or
whatever. "Laziness" -- haven't been doing
enough exercises or whatever. Inevitably, it's all our fault. Blame the
victim. And it's so easy to do to us. We don't complain.
Just get poorer. Believing what we've been told. Desperately
looking for hope and salvation promised in the next $public service announcement$.
"This has got to stop!"
I was in the elevator afterward when I heard Joe Sheehan shaking his head as
he commented privately to Michael Hartford about how he feared for Hugo. For the
$public service announcement$ has money and lawyers. Money to
pave the way for more $public service announcements$ and lawyers to gun down
anyone who gets in the way. But where did all that money come from?
"This has got to stop!"