Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/107

Rh leave the map there. Don't break the light aloud, put a towel aver it.

Senator. Would you liken this situation you tall about, showing the same thing over and over again until they finally be- lieved it, to what we heard about during the last war of Hitler's theory of tetling the story over and over again?

The. The "big lie" technique?

Dr. . Well, I hate to say that, Senator, but I think Hitler was a beginner compared to the comic-book industry. They eet the children much younger. They teach them race hatred at the age of 4 before they can read.

Let me give you an example of a comic beol: which I think is on the stiund right new. Lt may have disappeared the last few days.

You know at the present moment New York City and other cities havea ere social problem in integrating immigrating Puerto Ricans, Tt is very important to establish peace in these neighborhoods where friction may arise, or has arisen.

This particular comic book that I am referring to now has a stery in which a derogatory term for Puerto Ricans, which I will nat repeat here, but which is a common deregatory term, is repeated 12 times in one story. This greasy so and so, this dirty so and so. It is pointed out that 1 Spanish Catholic family moved into this neighbor- hoodutterly winecessary.

What is the point of the story? The point of the slory is that then somebody gets beaten lo death. The only error is that the man who must vet berten to death is not a mans; it is a girl,

Senator. I think we ought to know the name of the comic book.

Dr. . I shall be glad to give it to your counsel.

Senator. Can you tell us?

Dr. . I don't have it in my head.

Senator. I am not sure that Dr. Wertham is one who coukt tell about this. but I have heard it told that some people feel that comic books are harmless and respectable aud don't pay much attention to them because they are certified to, and in some cases even recommended by high-sounding committees, with, of course, good names on the committees who give them an excellent bill of health.

Did you not make some investigation into whether or not a great many of the people on these so-called nonpartisan committees were actually in the pay of the comic book industry itself?

Dr. . Senator, I would have to mention individuals but I think it is to be assumed, and I suppose one knows that people whose names are on these comic books are paidthere are people who say, "Well, they are paid, they are biased."

I have a hard time understanding how any doctor or child expert or psychologist can put his name to that. That is not the important point, because the names usually are not known anyway.

What happens is that in Kalamazoo, or in North Dakota, or in the little village in Pennsylvania where I spend part of my time, they read the names of these institutions which sound very well, the so and so association, or so and so university. That is what influences the people.

Of course, these same people write articles which T have tried very hard to take at their face value. But when I found that they have mis-