“Canda returned and sat with Durwin. They noticed they were being watched when one of them went to the wash room or the water fountain. They felt sure that if two of them were to go out together their names would have been called, and they would have missed their appointment for the day. They were careful not to do this. Between Canda’s first inquiry and three o’clock they made two other inquiries. Each time they were put off with a cold and casual, ‘we’ll call you when we are ready for you.’
“‘By three fifteen the room was all but empty; only a handful of people left. Durwin and Canda decided to go to the counter together and be firm. They approached the same woman they had talked to earlier. Durwin spoke firmly, ‘We have sat here all day. We haven’t eaten since four o’clock this morning. It is near closing time. Don’t you think its time we had our interview?’
“She replied in a drawl as though unconcerned about the long arduous day, I’ll go and see if you can be seen now.’ She went through a door behind the counter and was gone for about ten minutes. Upon return she drawled coldly again, ‘You can’t be seen today. You’ll have to leave your papers with me, and you’ll be called in for an interview sometime within the next three months.’
“The Lawtons protested.
“‘That’s the word from the supervisor of the section,’ she said with a coldness that seemed devoid of any human feeling.
“‘Can we speak to the supervisor?’ they asked.
“‘The supervisor has no time to see anyone else today. You had better give me your papers. That is her instructions,’ came the firm reply.
“They handed her the new set of papers, making sure to keep the papers that admitted them for a year. Then they left the office.”
Collin paused in the story, “So you see the ‘conspiracy of sorts’ I mentioned earlier, was taking formation here in this government office. It isn’t that they sit down and plan together how to get you. It’s birds of a feather working together. They just pass the word along. And since they all have been playing the same game at times over the years, and know it well, they automatically join in putting you down.
“Durwin and Canda had been observing all morning the people and procedures in the room, as they also had done in the line up in the previous room downstairs. There were people from every part of the world, so it seemed; people of all colors and languages; people dressed in the varied clothes of many lands. There were very few white Caucasians there, maybe a half dozen or so out of all the hundreds the Lawtons had seen in both large rooms that day, and that few in number were shabby in dress and personal decorum. But everyone there were all being treated courteously and with patience, even though many of them spoke little English, and had trouble understanding papers and instructions. Nearly everything was done for them by the staff. Most of the staff were white. All of the staff the Lawtons had direct contact with, by coincidence were white. No racial discrimination was involved. There were other reasons for the cold treatment the Lawtons were receiving; reasons of undisciplined pride, envy, and hatred for fine caliber people.
“The group members should note that the cold treatment began before any of the staff there knew anything at all about the Lawtons; not even their names or where they were from. The obnoxious supervisor downstairs eventually did in the conversation learn where they were from and later their names would be available to her from the register book upstairs. But that was all that was known about them in the whole office building. Not even the man who issued the one year papers had information on them yet, other than name, address and occupation. Not until after the papers the Lawtons eventually handed in that day were read by the immigration people, would they know anything about Durwin’s previous supposed illness, or have any basis at all for turning them away. No basis, that is, except prejudice brought on by the Lawtons’ fine appearance.
“The rough treatment was indeed solely on the basis of their appearance. They were fine looking people, far above the caliber that were passing through that office; far above the caliber that were in charge of that office. There were some nice, good people working there; mostly of a younger generation, the young woman who first saved the situation for them, the friendly man to whom she sent them, the ticket man who did the best he could. But in contrast, there was the hostile supervisor downstairs, and the supervisor behind the scenes upstairs and her out front woman at the upstairs counter. It did seem already that the office was dominated by a generation of belittlers. It would be fully verified as time went by.”
Gilda Emerson of the support group interrupted Collin’s story of the Lawtons experience with Terraprima Immigration. “What would have happened if the Lawtons had protested more vigorously? Could they have been more demanding and broken their way through the barriers?”
“Not likely,” replied Collin, “it has been my experience with belittlers that they twist everything around and blame it on the other person. When it becomes necessary, belittlers quite openly deny that they did anything wrong to the belittled. They would support each other in such denial, and their victims wouldn’t stand a chance. I will give you examples of this later. The Lawtons probably would have been blamed for causing a scene in a government office for no reason and labeled as undesirable aliens. The belittler’s mind-set is to continually probe to get some concrete complaint against the person they are putting down.”
“I agree,” said Brett Culver, “and it has been my experience that belittlers put you down in subtle and not so subtle ways, often without thought of the very serious end results of what they are doing. But you had better be careful how you defend yourself against them. They will be very quick to say, ‘listen to what he or she is saying about me,’ or, ‘look what they are doing to me, and I didn’t do a thing to deserve it.’”
“I’ve experienced that lots of times,” said Donna Coyne, “there are numerous times when you can only be silent and take it.”
“We are really up against it, aren’t we?” added Owen Winslow. “Looks like avoidance is our best defense.”
“Not always but quite often,” said Collin, “especially where the belittlers are in total control.” Then looking to young Albin Anders, “Albin, take my word, never go to a college or university, or work in a place where belittling is the domineering factor. There are some belittlers everywhere, and you learn to dodge and/or cope with them, but in a place where they are in control, it is better to move out as soon as possible. The risk is high that sooner or later they will do you in. Either that or you have to be practically super - human, and careful almost to perfection, to avoid them getting the better of you.”
Albin raised his eyes a little and chuckled at himself. “I guess I have a long way to go before I can handle all that by myself, don’t I?”
“Keep in touch with us and we’ll help you through until you are older and more experienced,” Collin assured him. “Now I wish to tell you what happened to the Lawtons next.”
“It is most interesting,” commented Dr. Eldren.
Collin felt encouraged and continued, “The Lawtons waited at home for notification of their interview. Three months passed and yet there was no sign of it. They debated many times whether to take the initiative and get the process rolling again, or wait it out. After about two weeks past the three month period a letter arrived from the department.
“‘We may get our interview after all’, said Durwin to Canda as he opened the letter with them both very anxious to read it. The letter was a shock. They were now informed by this letter that some time soon they would receive another letter informing them when and where they were to appear in an immigration court. At that time they would be instructed as to how and when they were to leave the country. There was no mention of an interview. The letter bore the signature of the Director of Immigration for the Area in which the office was located. It could not be discerned whether the signature was an original done with a pen and black ink, or a rubber stamp signature.
“Durwin carefully composed a return letter