A HORRID WARNING
Sir.-Now that Mr. Harbord has put on his warpaint, we know which tribe he belongs to. But some points in his letter still merit a temperate-and, by the way, final-reply. Mr. Harbord thinks I think the majority is necessarily wrong. I do not; but I think there are powerful forces working to make it so, These are the forces of commercialised mass-entertain-ment, which encourage the majority to take its pleasures mindlessly. If the majority is not to be corrupted, then its members must think and encourage one another to do so. Mr. Harbord thinks the majority is necessarily right. But he can only make this claim by executing a complete divorce between the arts and thought, and making an appeal to the box office which is in the end nothing but an appeal to brute force. The intellect he hates; and I can understand why. But I do not understand why he also fears it. The world is on his side; vast engines of power and profit daily pour out an immeasurable flow of the kind of pleasure he likes. When then this terrified savagery at one or two lone questioners? Is it not, in the last analysis, that the man whose pleasures and values are founded on a repudiation of the intellect must always be, at bottom, insecure, frightened and resentful? I thank him for breaking this lance with me.
J. G. A.
POCOCK
(Dunedin).
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19540910.2.12.6
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 790, 10 September 1954, Page 5
Word count
Tapeke kupu
239A HORRID WARNING New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 790, 10 September 1954, Page 5
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in