Journal
1255 Mon 10 Sep 2001
I have been reading Chapter 7 "Attitudes and Norms about Obedience: Public Reactions to the My Lai Massacre" in "Crimes of Obedience" written by Kelman and Hamilton in 1989. It reminds of issues covered in the movie "A Few Good Men" with Tom Cruise.
I will try to be brief. In 1972 in the USA they asked 967 people, who said they had heard of the Calley trial:
What do you think most people would do if they were soldiers in Vietnam and were ordered by their superior officers to shoot all inhabitants of a village suspected of aiding the enemy, including old men, women and children? Do you think most people in this situation would follow orders and shoot them, or do you think most people would refuse to shoot them?
What do you think you would do in this situation - follow orders and shoot them, or refuse to shoot them?
9 people said most would refuse, but they would shoot.
161 people said most would refuse, and they would refuse (Consistent Refusers)
102 people said most would shoot, but they would refuse (Deviant Refusers)
453 people said most would shoot and they would shoot. (Consistent Shooters).
Others answered "don't know" to one or both questions.
There were also questions about whether Lt Calley should have been tried. The following struck me as significant:
... their sense of betrayal and their feeling that draftees - in the wake of the Calley conviction - were being placed in a double-bind situation. As some respondents put it: "You're damned if you do and damned if you don't."
I guess this highlights to me the difficulty facing Catholics today. Particularly regarding the message I am proclaiming about following liturgical laws. Simply going to Mass is a "deviant action" for many young adults in modern Australian society. I am saying when you go to Mass you should also follow the liturgical laws, such as "stand for the Gloria", even if the Archbishop does not.
Hopefully this is making people aware of the situation regarding the liturgical laws. Hopefully the Cardinals are working on a solution. Cardinal George seems to be aware of liturgical problems and yesterday I saw a report from August 2001 that he was tackling the use of the "Third Rite" in his diocese. I think there are reasons to hope that the wider problem is being recognised and fixed.
Copyright J.R. Lilburne, 10 September 2001.
Links to other sites:
"Chicago cardinal cracks down on Third Rite of Reconciliation" report on cathtelecom.com
Cardinal George's Chicago Archdiocese