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Analysis of David P. Barash's Essay "When Moe Hits Larry"
If I Hit You, Will You Hit Her?
Analysis of David P. Barash's Essay "When Moe Hits Larry" A universal human fault is allowing frustrations to manifest themselves not against the true cause but against a target of mere convenience. To relieve the stress and burden of pain, people as well as animals are apt to pass it along onto someone else. In David P. Barash's essay "When Moe hits Larry" he introduces the reader to what biologists have known as "redirected aggression." Barash uses examples, expert opinions, and anecdotes to support his thesis; "Often victims react to their own distress by victimizing someone else...." Barash opens his essay using an anecdote. He summarizes what actions the Serbs took and how the "ethnic cleansing" was performed on the wrong group (the Muslims) entirely. He then uses humor in comparing the attack on the Muslims to the actions of the three stooges. "When Moe hits Larry, who responds by hitting Curly." In comparison, Ustasha leveled the Serbian Orthodox and in turn, the Serbs performed an "ethnic cleansing" on the Muslims. At first thought the situation is comical to an extent, meanwhile it's quite a baffling process. In the same way his theme stays right on track when he talks about Ethology - the biological study of animal behavior - and how this process was described by future Nobel Prize winners Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tingerben. "the peculiar process whereby a victim reacts by attacking not the victimizer, but someone else." Barash supports his thesis by using baboon study examples directly related to action and re-action. Therefore, again like the three stooges, baboon (a) beats up baboon (b). Baboon (b)'s stress response is activated and in turn attacks baboon (c). He vaguely explains how the testosterone level goes down and the ulcer causing hormone - cortical goes up. Stanford University's Robert Sapolsky, whose research uncovered this connection refereed to the person who "doesn't get ulcers, but causes them." Yet another supporting example Barash uses is the ancient Israelite's ceremony to rid the people of Israel of sins and inquities. In the ceremony the high priest would direct all the inquities and sins into the goat by placing his hands over the goat's body. Then he would lead the goat into the wilderness sending with it all the people's pains. "Ever since - humans have made scapegoating - and redirection of aggression into a fine art." In conclusion his essay with another reference to 9/11, the pain it causes the American people and suggested with sound reason "Logic demands that we ask whether some of the public enthusiasm for invading Iraq and deposing Saddum Hussein wasn't generated simply by the pain of 9/11...." Barash was mindful with his use of examples, expert opinions, and anecdotes. His essay was organized, well rounded, and throughly convincing. |
David P. Barash
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May, 2012
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