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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 28, No. 10. 1965.

Pettipoint

page 2

Pettipoint

Hell of a lot of idealism around this place—most of it from the Left. I believe that this is fairly typical of Lefts, actually. After all, the issue in, say, Vietnam, is not the wellbeing of the peasants, or the treaties we may have been foolish enough to get into. 'Tis the security of our native land. Of course, we justify this in the name of the peasants and the treaties—we're just as human as anyone else.

* * *

On second thoughts, perhaps we do have a very Left group. Didn't you know that the MRA was a Communist front organisation? Look at the facts—it infiltrates, it has a vague belief in what is "just" and "right" it is well-organised, it's world-wide (even monolithic), students belong to it. … Q.E.D.

* * *

Actually, if I may keep to this theme for a little longer, it is interesting that in this university we have got a club which is on the Right wing, but none which is on the Left. But then the Right is respectable in New Zealand; the Left isn't, which is funny in a socialist country.

* * *

Tournament will be a shabby do. I'd get far out of town if I were you. They hold it in rotation at each of the universities, so each has a few years to revive.

* * *

Apparently the Colombo Plan students are now allowed to make political statements. As long as they support the government, of course.

* * *

I am told that there is a tendency these days, especially amongst government departments, to drop the title from your name when they write to you. Another step in the dehumanisation of man. Once one was an esquire, now, in the day of the common man, plain mister. Most of us can stand this. It may be pleasant on occasions but we don't insist on being an esquire, but just plain John Doe suggests visions of large ugly men in grey coats calling names into a roomful of tense citizenry, who depart, to be seen never again. However, a quick check through the contents of my wastepaper basket revealed no sign yet of this disquietening tendency, and I doubt whether I am one of those whose letters are removed from the general grey mass to have "Mr.," or even (for a few) "Esquire" added in fine copperplate by an old craftsman kept for the purpose.

* * *

I Gather that the Right wing in this university is displeased with some of my comments. So are some of the Catholics. Roman or otherwise. Just goes to show which are the active groups. Or the sensitive ones.

— by Latent