“THEY” Cripple Society Volume 2: Who are “THEY” and how do they do it? An Expose in True to Life Narrative Exploring Stories of Discrimination. Cleon E. Spencer
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fifties when this story began more than a decade ago. As I tell the story, I will emphasize the pride and envy motivation of the belittlers-why they do what they do.
“The several states that make up the area I call Terraprima are, as you will see, largely under the influence and dominance of belittlers. Durwin went to Terraprima as a minister of the church, and Canda his wife to work at various levels of office work in industry and commerce. Each of them found both occupations to be over laden with belittlers. In time I will tell you of their experiences in each of these fields of work. For now I will tell you of their experiences together with the government office of immigration through which process they had to go in order to take up permanent residency.
“As I said, Durwin was a minister, but it was not only in the church the Lawtons had trouble with wayward people. Quite near the beginning of their story you will see that an area of government civil service was practically overrun by belittlers.
“Altogether, you will be able to see the terrible damage that belittlers, both in high places and low, do to their country. They actually cripple, and in some cases eliminate the vast contribution that potentially exceptional people could make to it.
“So let me begin,” said Collin, “by telling you of the grotesque experiences Durwin and Canda Lawton had with one unit of the Immigration Department located in Terraprima.
“Before they had decided to move to the area, they had heard stories of weird behavior of members of this government department. They were to soon find out that it was even worse than they had heard. The ignorance and outright open abuse with which they were treated was unfit for any human beings in a country of the quality Terraprima is purported to be. Having heard of this strange behavior, the Lawtons took every precaution to avoid problems with them. However, their fine personal makeup was such that trouble was unavoidable. Fine people get picked on aplenty.
“The Lawtons, while still living in Secundaterra, were on another of their frequent visits to one of the states of Terraprima when they learned that it would be possible for Durwin to be appointed to a church somewhere in the area. They went immediately to the Immigration Office in the state they were visiting and made known their desire to move to Terraprima where Durwin would be appointed minister of a church. They were treated in a mannerly fashion in this office and given the necessary papers and instructions. Within a few days, while still visiting in the state, the Lawtons got all the papers in order, each had a medical, and then returned to the immigration office with everything ready.
“After examining all the papers, the immigration officer responded: ‘All your papers and medical records are in good order except that you still give a Secundaterra address as your place of residence.’
“‘Yes,’ replied Durwin, ‘we haven’t moved to Terraprima yet, we are just visiting now.’
“‘Well,’ she said, ‘you have to move down first and then apply. You can do that as a minister of the church.’
“Durwin and Canda and their Terraprima friends who were with them were delighted to hear that, but wanted to make sure the officer was right. They questioned her. ‘Are you sure we can actually move to Terraprima and then take care of immigration matters after our move?’
“‘Yes,’ she replied. Then added assuredly, ‘I am certain of that, but if it will make you feel better I will consult my supervisor on it. I’ll be back in a minute or two.’ She took all the papers and disappeared through a door behind her. Shortly she returned. ‘Yes, my supervisor agrees that it is quite in order for you to come into this country as a clergyperson and submit these papers immediately after you have taken up residence here.’
“The Lawtons and their friends were overjoyed. The way was open for Canda and Durwin to fulfill a long-held desire and move to the land of opportunity for all.”
Collin interjected, “You will see in time just what opportunity there was, or rather was not in this land, for fine people like the Lawtons.”
He then continued with the story. “Upon returning to Secundaterra the Lawtons made plans to move. Durwin resigned from his church there, and also turned down a good offer for a move to another congregation in Secundaterra. Soon he was notified as to the name and location of his church-to-be in Terraprima. The location, however, could possibly pose one problem - maybe. It was in a state other than the one in which he had contacted the Immigration Office. They may now have to apply to a different Immigration Office - the office in the state to which Durwin had received the church appointment. This gave them some concern. On the other hand, they thought the rules must be the same in every office of the country. Still, they would check it out. It wasn’t something to be taken lightly or to take a chance on. If the Lawtons moved out of their present location with all their possessions in a rented truck, they had to be sure they had some place to go, and not end up out in the street, homeless. It could take as much as several months to find another church in Secundaterra.
“With this concern in mind, Durwin and Canda drove one day to the nearest border crossing, and asked to see the supervisor in charge there. The supervisor was a very congenial man who listened to their plans and concerns with interest. ‘Sit down in the waiting room for half an hour or so,’ he invited them. ‘I know there are some special provisions for clergy, but it’s so seldom we have to refer to it. I’ll read up on it in the rule book while you wait.’
“He went across to the other side of the large room and into his glassed-in private office in the corner. Taking a big book about four inches thick off the shelf he sat down to read. After twenty minutes or so he came back across the larger room again. ‘Yep,’ he said with a smile, ‘you can do it that way, just as the woman in the other office told you.’
“‘So,’ asked Durwin, ‘if I come here to this border crossing driving a rented truck load of my belongings, and my wife behind me driving our car, we will be able to enter Terraprima, no problem?”
“‘That’s right,’ responded the supervisor. ‘According to the book there should be no problem. Tell you what,’ he continued, ‘I’ll write down for you the days of the week and hours I’m on duty. Can you arrange to cross the border on a day and within the hours I’m on duty?’
“‘Yes I can,’ said Durwin delightedly. So they arranged that the Lawtons would cross the border on a Tuesday morning in approximately a month’s time. The Lawton’s were assured by this very cooperative officer that if everything was in order after the usual inspection, there would be no problem in crossing the border with all their possessions. He also told them that within ten days of the arrival at their destination they would be required to put in their applications for residency at the office in the state in which they took up residence.
“The Lawtons came away from the border crossing much more assured, but not totally. There was one more assurance Durwin would seek. He had two telephone numbers for twenty four hour seven days a week information regarding immigration procedures. One number was for the office in the state he had already dealt with on his visit, the other for the office in the state which he would now have to deal with.
“One evening he called the first number. After some delay due to the line being very busy, he connected with a woman who seemed quite conversant with immigration procedures. Durwin carefully outlined all the circumstances of his pending move. Knowing there were questions about mental illness on the papers later to be submitted, he was very careful to mention that he once had what was termed at the time, some brief nervous breakdowns. ‘Would that pose a problem for me?’ he asked.
“‘How long ago since you have had the last breakdown?’ she asked.
“‘Approximately ten years,’ replied Durwin.
“‘That will not make any difference after all that time. You will have no problem with it.’ she assured him.
“In actual fact it is debatable whether Durwin Lawton ever had a nervous breakdown. He had experienced some trouble to be sure. The psychiatrists whom he had first consulted termed it a mental illness caused by childhood problems. The psychiatrists who attended him in his later bouts termed it as excessive exhaustion brought on by