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thought about leaving but the b. y. m. had started talking again.
'As Dr. Novak has pointed out,' he went on, not sounding quite so sure of himself, 'it is not necessary
to use the prologue on this audience, since you don't need reorientation. But this film, used with the
preparatory technique and possibly in some cases with a light dose of one of the hypnotic drugs, can be
depended on to produce an optimum political temperament in 83% of the populace. This has been
demonstrated on a satisfactory test group. The film itself represents several years of work analyzing the
personal conversion reports of almost everyone-surely everyone in this audience!-who joined our
organization while it was still underground. The irrelevant has been eliminated; the essential has been
abstracted. What remains will convert a devout follower of the Prophet to free manhood-provided he is
in a state receptive to suggestion when he is exposed to it.'
So that was why we had each been required to bare our souls. It seemed logical to me. God knew
that we were sitting on a time bomb, and we couldn't wait for every lunk to fall in love with a holy
deaconess and thereby be shocked out of his groove; there wasn't time. But an elderly man whom I did
not know was on his feet on the other side of the hall-he looked like the picture of Mark Twain, an angry
Mark Twain. 'Mr. Chairman!'
'Yes, comrade? State your name and district.'
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'You know what my name is, Novak-Winters, from Vermont. Did you okay this scheme?'
'No.' It was a simple declarative.
'He's one of your boys.'
'He's a free citizen. I supervised the preparation of the film itself and the research which preceded it.
The use of null-vol suggestion techniques came from the research group he headed. I disapproved the
proposal, but agreed to schedule time to present it. I repeat, he is a free citizen, free to speak, just as you
are.'
'May I speak now?'
'You have the floor.'
The old man drew himself up and seemed to swell up. 'I shall! Gentlemen . . . ladies - . . comrades! I
have been in this for more than forty years-more years than that young pup has been alive. I have a
brother, as good a man as 1 am, but we haven't spoken in many years-because he is honestly devout in
the established faith and he suspects me of heresy. Now this cub, .with his bulging forehead and his
whirling lights, would "condition" my brother to make him "politically reliable".'
He stopped to gasp asthmatically and went on. 'Free men aren't "conditioned!" Free men are free
because they are ornery and cussed and prefer to arrive at their own prejudices in their own way-not
have them spoon-fed by a self-appointed mind tinkerer! We haven't fought, our brethren haven't bled
and died, just to change bosses, no matter how sweet their motives. I tell you, we got into the mess we
are in through the efforts of those same mind tinkerers. They've studied for years how to saddle a man
and ride him. They started with advertising and propaganda and things like that, and they perfected it to
the point where what used to be simple, honest swindling such as any salesman might use became a
mathematical science that left the ordinary man helpless.' He pointed his finger at Stokes. 'I tell you that
the American citizen needs no protection from anything-except the likes of him.'
'This is ridiculous,' Stokes snapped, his voice rather high. 'You wouldn't turn high explosives over to
children. That is what the franchise would be now.'
'The American people are not children.'
'They might as well be!-most of them.'
Winters turned his eyes around the hall. 'You see what I mean, friends? He's as ready to play God as
the Prophet was. I say give 'em their freedom, give 'em their clear rights as men and free men and
children under God. If they mess it up again, that's their doing-but we have no right to operate on their
minds.' He stopped and labored again to catch his breath; Stokes looked contemptuous. 'We can't make
the world safe for children, nor for men either-and God didn't appoint us to do it.'
Novak said gently, 'Are you through, Mr. Winters?'
'I'm through.'
'And you've had your say, too, Stokes. Sit down.'
Then I had to leave, so I slipped out-and missed what must have been a really dramatic event if you
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care for that sort of thing; I don't. Old Mr. Winters dropped dead about the time I must have been
reaching the outer steps.
Novak did not let them recess on that account. They passed two resolutions; that no citizen should
be subjected to hypnosis or other psychomanipulative technique without his written consent, and that no
religious or political test should be used for franchise in the first elections. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]