Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 28, No. 11. 1965.

Pettipoint

page 2

Pettipoint

T'Other day a telegram came into the Stud Ass office addressed to a girl who held an official position. It was opened by mistake by the secretary and read out by him to a delighted crowd of male Exec. members. "Glad to have you—you are sleeping with Bobby," it said. They didn't know that Bobby is a girl. Or at least, I was told she is.

* * *

Mr. (or Miss) Lowe-Holmes suggests (last Salient) that I should be anonymous. Come out from your shield! cries he (or she), come out I say! Which is all very well. But the essential thing about a column like this is anonymity. I'm not, after all, a student standing on a soapbox and saying "I declare this," or "I opine that." I am the little voice from the great grey mass which murmurs "rhubarb"; the little voice which is not, perhaps, even heard, only felt deep within the souls of all good people; the little sceptical voice which contradicts sound rationalism.

And therefore, not all I say is what I would say were I speaking as myself—I may contradict, distort, caricature, exaggerate, my own or others' opinions. I seek to annoy, to irritate, because is that not the sort of stimulation which stimulates our passive breed? If anything does. Besides, if I signed myself KLB I might not be taken seriously.

* * *

You've got to be very careful with public audiences, very careful. They are not used to people saying things they don't really mean. Like at the Arts Festival Folk Song concert in the Paramount one performer remarked about "an obscure nigger called Harry Belafonte." A few sniggers but the audience was Not amused. Worried, rather — is this fellow serious or not? If they didn't laugh, does this mean that they thought he was serious? Or did the remarks tally with some of their own beliefs, about which they felt guilty?

* * *

Uncle Chris was looking anxious at the Tournament Ball. Sort of Big Brotherly or something. Presidential. Responsive. Why didn't someone suggest that he let himself go a bit. After all there was little to worry about—it was the best Tournament Ball for some time. Great fun. Not even a layer of broken glass on the dance floora notable break with tradition.

* * *

A Convention was held in the Sub during the second week of the vacation. Noticed by a friend that all the cars of the visitors were issued with tickets warning them not to park in the grounds. Now, although these tickets are somewhat meaningless, there appears to be a certain inconsistency and lack of feeling for public relations amongst the members of the university administration responsible. After all, the sign clearly states that visitors' cars are allowed in the grounds, and these were visitors' cars. We'll shortly have visiting Heads of State threatened with being put on the Vice-Chancellor's list. I bet the Government hasn't thought of that means of applying pressure.

— by Latent