Bergler on the Air

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WHEN A PANEL OF THREE PSYCHIATRISTS BROADCASTS OVER THE AIR WAVES A PLEA TO CONSIDER HOMOSEXUALS AS NEITHER CRIMINAL NOR IMMORAL, THEN MOST "ENLIGHTENED" LISTENERS WILL FEEL THAT THE CASE OF ENLIGHTENMENT IS BEING SERVED. WHEN THESE THREE PSYCHIATRISTS PLEAD TO HOMOSEXUALS THAT THEY ARE NOT CRIMINAL BUT ONLY ILL AND CURABLE THEN THEIR MESSAGE WILL SEEM HELPFUL AND OPTIMISTIC, OR HYPOTHETICAL AND AMBIGUOUS, DEPENDING UPON THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE "ENLIGHTENED" LISTENER. THIS PARTICULAR PANEL CONSIDERED THAT THEIR MESSAGE WAS AN OPTIMISTIC ONE. THE PANEL WAS COMPOSED OF DR. EDMUND BERGLER OF NEW YORK BALANCED BY DR. CLIFFORD SCOTT OF THE CANADIAN PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE AND DR. IRWIN STENGLE OF SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND. THIS BROADCAST, WHICH WAS HEARD RECENTLY OVER RADIO STATION KPFA-FM IN BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, WAS RECORDED AT THE WORLD PSYCHIATRIC CONGRESS IN MONTREAL, CANADA.

THE PARTICIPANTS WERE PRETTY MUCH IN AGREEMENT, NOT ONLY IN THEIR VIEW THAT HOMOSEXUALITY CAN BE TREATED SUCCESSFULLY, BUT IN THEIR IMPLICIT ASSUMPTION THAT SUCH TREATMENT, AND "MODIFICATION", IF NOT CURE, IS WITHOUT QUESTION DESIRABLE. THUS DR. SCOTT POINTED OUT THAT MANY HOMOSEXUALS DO NOT WANT TREATMENT BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW THAT "A MUCH BETTER LIFE IS POSSIBLE." WHEN HOMOSEXUALS DISCOVER, TO THEIR SURPRISE, THAT THEY CAN CHANGE THEN, DR. SCOTT SUGGESTED, THE REWARDS OF A HAPPIER LIFE WILL BE THEIRS.

APART FROM ANY QUESTION OF FACT AS TO CURABILITY, IT IS CURIOUS THAT THE PUBLIC RARELY HEARS, IN PROFESSIONAL DISCUSSIONS ON THIS SUBJECT, ANY QUESTION RAISED AS TO THE UNSPOKEN PREMISE REFERRED TO ABOVE. WHAT IS NORMAL MUST BE BEST FOR EACH AND ALL, IT IS PRESUMED, AND MUST LEAD TO GREATEST HAPPINESS FOR EACH AND ALL. HOMOSEXUALITY IS NOT NORMAL; THEREFORE, IT CANNOT EVER BE BEST FOR THE INDIVIDUAL AND CANNOT LEAD TO ANYONE'S HAPPINESS. MIGHT IT NOT BE SUGGESTED THAT THINKING PERSONS OF BROAD SYMPATHIES AND ACTIVE IMAGINATIONS ARE SOMEWHAT MORE HUMBLE IN THEIR JUDGMENT AS TO THE ROADS TO HAPPINESS? ONE IS LED TO THINK OF MONTESQUIEU'S SATIRE ON THE 18TH CENTURY PARISIANS:

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