The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1953-02-13
just Among Ourselves
Psssins Comment considsrsd or lneonsidsrsts

Radio motion pictures, and teevision are three
very powerful instruments of education These
agencies we're designed for imparting information
and giving pleasure, but their very nature involves
the teaching function. Producers and broadcasters
come to entertain, but they remain TO teach. De
spite protestatlons and disclaimers, the three mod
ern methods of sleeping life in elecroncs and i'm
ages exercise an intellectually great influence upon
the tastes, the manners the habits and the morals
Of all our people Notably, of course this influence
is felt among the young.
Now, Notwithstanding the fact that good sense
and experience are opposed to the policy of there
ought to be law" we are faced with the necessity
ol finding some means short of coercion of making
new teachers accept the responsibilities as we'll as
the functions of their teaching office There must of
course, be freedom of eXpression.--of speech and
Of pcture-making But there is another freedom
which has 10 be respected, and upon which the
freedom of expression cannot impinge without
losing ITS character as right and becoming
oppression.
This other freedom is the right of every man
to have respect the right TO live in peace of mind
and soul without having his appreciation of human
decencies outraged by what is publicly said or
shown Human right is limited by human right, not
TO mention the paramount claims of divine right.
One mans right to do as he likes is limited by his
cred, prosecuted II Tom has the right to freedom
Of speech Dick and Harry have the right to an
unoffended hearing And the right that infringes
upon equal or superior right in another, ceases
to be right at all
If | own my house, may do what like with it,
That is my right But if | choose to burn my house
] find that my right ceases because my next door
neighbors have a right to live in their house with
out the menace of destructive fire deliberately
There has to be take we'll as giDe. and giUe as
we'll take in human relationships Men have So
cia duties as we'll as individual rights,
For the balanced respect for human rights which
makes for decent and Seemly living, civil laws are
usually poor instruments, and always nsru-
mens OF the last resort Men expected to be rea-
sonable, since by nature they rational. neces.
sary ingredient in the many-factored scheme of so.
cal relations and responsibilities is, in addition to
Justice, the spirit of charity, of fairness of self
sacrificing generosity II this spirit is lacking il is
vain To seek TO establish IL by enacting civil laws
Ir itself IT is an enactment of the natural law which
is ST. Paul says the law of God written in your
hearts, your conscience bearing testimony"
Certainly, in the major matters of morals and
the forming of character, tremendous RESPONSE
bility rests upon teachers, and hence upon the peo
pie who bring us radio programs, and motion pic
lures and TV shows. And there is a similar respon
sblity, far less weighy but still important Incumb
ent upon broadcasters and producers for correct
ly teaching minor things, such as speech habits
II is of this lesser but means trivial matter that
We wish particularly to speak.
Consider the "aaaah" sound, Introductory or in
terjectona which features the talk of radio
and TN men, newscasters. panelists, and such The
cinema is not in this special discussion, nor are
those TV shows and films which involve study and
supervised rehearsal We arc concerned with
the ad-libberS and those who prepare their
scripts These are the "aaah-aaah" boys land girls
without peer.
Says local TV newsman: "Aaah to-day We
have-ah quite a few. ah important bits of news to
bring you First of allah there wasah much
cement this morning Whenah some irresponsible
intoxicated person turned in three fire-aarms
in as many minutes. Aaah or course, there was noah
fire at all The whole thing was-ah either piece of
ah wcak-mnded Glowing tat conslderable.ah eX-
pence to-ah taxpayers) or an instance of-sh malic-
ious and-ah criminal mischief" You all know the
kind of thing We mean
There is not a more meaningless and distressed
speech fault than the "aaah" habit. No habit is
more easily contracted none is overcome with more
difficulty And surely there is speech habit short
of ndeeency of language, which is more offensive
10 hearers than this same '"aaah" business
What accounts for this bad habit? II is, perhaps
the fact that speaker who is slow of thought, or
impoverished in the tools of expression feels that
he must somehow hold the attention of his audience
by making some sound while he gropeS for words or
ideas However the matter may be explained II
will hardly be excused There is nothing that can
Justify man in the unaecountahle action Of ad
dressing his fellows by blatting al them like
sheep, or haWng at them like COW.
All teachers in schools know how prevalent the
'aaah" habit is among pupils Called upon to recite,
eight of ten pupils will invariably utter an "aaah'
before saying an ineligible word As the recitation
proceeds the pupil cropping in memory Tor fancy
for the right thing TO say. interiectS many an
"aaaha from want of knowledge or from sheer
force of habit
We expect our public and universal teachers on
radio and TN to help us all correct this bad habit,
not 10 confirm in II and to teach IT to our children
But they not helping far from 1t These teachers
are the outstanding carriers of the "aaah' disease,
and helpless IN the Surglng flood of their
contagion
We resent the action of person who coughs
and sneezes in our very faces We should resent
much the public speaker who Spews his nane
aanhfx 4nln