Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-05
Defensive Armor.

;, Although yoHr column is hardly Tedinm
Of eIehanOin0 erpertences5 ret '0oatd LIKE IKE
e sag .1s s OT Ss to en-
GgS 1t gI an sGOTt to Te e1st co, en-
nny rOO Of I'll y assets as and aStes and
found i0Gs By no means bankrupt. Then
tie tie" Ssa saIt he: se9sed ' out OoaSeriay
5e Sm GS no ana eoe esdariar rt eT S
men, but I am inUuIneTable to hurts. Hare
fsnSs az item s seen1s to iauo ~ ,oS
them Y is gsTy easily g 1 re- t ta,t
SsS a az Xix Sr ana 9 9aS IT, ea hS
II you pant an adjective. you con Use
1S" sTs aS SsfG adm1: res and f o9 sse nee
This wearing of defensive armor to
protect ourselves from hurts is at least
as old as the Greeks, who happened to
give it the name of stoicisn. They,
and other thinkers who followed them,
thought it was an affair of the mind,
and so we came to have the phrase Ito
take things philosophically." Don't let
your emotions get the better of you;
don't feel so much and think more.
After you've killed one or two big emo
tons you get used to 1t; assure yourself
- that it was done in self-defense, and
, you're emotion proof. You have wrought
a defensive armor and If you like, you
can invent a neat little motto and
paint klereon; you can laugh at love
and IGe, and If you happen to be a
wor1an, you can laugh at men as well.
WIFE enjoying their more or less ami
aye weakness to lose their heads over
.gomen.
Well, II it works. it works; but don't
lbe too sure. Certainly women have
sufdcient reason to hold their precious
heads high, and more or less we all
wear masks and makeup. But whether
it deceives the wearer as convlncingly
as it does the public, remains matter
iof doubt
very disQuieting man named Freud, who
said that we all invent all kinds OF
compensation devices that We put on tc
conceal our regret for what we have
missed, or our too keen awarenesS Of
our defects, our tnferiorities. He called
the device rationalizing. 1t was the
same philosophy of deciding not to care
but it added the disturbing thought OF
feeling (you may still take your choice
that YOU do. He suggested further that
the particular point you emphasize a:
your invulnerability shows where the
subconscious shoe still pinches. 1t may
be that the Lady Mary doth protest toe
much.
e, Yet not knowing more of the Lady
Mary than that she writes very gooc
letter. 1t would be impertinent to ques-
ton whether she belongs to the supe-
+. rior class whose principles, whether slo-
Sanized or not, regulate their actions
and feelings alike. What question I:
whether this pose-or rather this real
e ity, which, If it isn't such, becomes
poSe-could be easily acquired anc
r should be cultivated by every girl. i
one inscribed this assuring sentiment
mo mere man can hurt me-" on the
mirror face of the compactS that Mary
8 carry as part of their emotional perqui
sites. would 1t, I wonder, add to tn
popularity of this feministic reminde
= OF self -conSciousness?
/ am making no argument aganS
the use of defensive armors. They ar
& indispensable, Freud Notwithstanding
q we must put up a bold front to carr
on; but I question whether emotions
sabotage is the best route to intellectua
salvation. And then there Is the equal
" disturbing thought: What would be
come of this policy If offered as sauc
for the gander as well as the goose?
No man, however mere" can speak Q
: think of mere" woman; unless he
peculiarly case hardened, he acknoWl
!. edges his vulnerability. Just how muc
i. havoc invulnerable Marys spread anon
vulnerable mere men. 1t is not possibl
A~to say; but that aspect OF the situation