Poisoning the well 127
Of course, there may be those with defective judgement who prefer buses
to trains.
(There may be those who take into account such factors as price,
cleanliness, convenience, and running on time. To admit the pre-
ference now, however, would be owning up to defective
judgement.)In its crude and simple form, poisoning the well is seen to be
great fun and can engender spectacular coups of withering
scorn. A version which is only slightly more subtle appears in a
game called 'sociology of knowledge'. To play the game, one
player starts by asserting that everyone else's view about society
and politics is only the unconscious expression of their class
interest. Next, he shows that for specialized reasons this analysis
does not apply to him because he is unprejudiced and can see
things objectively. When another player disagrees with any of his
views, the first player triumphantly shows that the opinion of his
opponent can be ignored as the mere expression of class interest.
Choice in education is only a device by which the middle classes can buy
advantage for their children.
(There is no point now in pointing to any role which competition might
play in improving standards, or to the advantages of allowing parents
some say in the type of education given to their children. You have
already been convicted of trying to buy advantage; the rest is just cover.)Skilful use of poisoning the well should employ both of its
main characteristics. The poison should not only incite ridicule
from the audience, it should also act as a deterrent to anyone
tempted to disagree with you. 'Only an idiot' will put off some,
but there will be others who think they could shrug it off. A
better poison would be one sufficiently dreadful or embarrassing
to deter anyone from drinking willingly.