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James Clark iZalilETiXii “...We still do not know the extent to which basic human liberties may now stand in jeopardy... the Canadian Goverm ment's policies have shown deep concern for the economic hardship being endured by the people of Poland. What I say today should be seen as a re-affirmation of those basic propositions." (Prime Minister Tru- deau: Dec. 30,_1981). "...if (martial law) is there for accept- able reasons and if, as I said at the end of December, it takes into account that the army can't be a permanent solution in a There is an interesting variety of “talk masters" at WBZ. On Sunday evenings there is Lovell Dyett, who has a voice that reminds one of marshmallows in hot chocolate. He often deals with social WBZ covers about 23 states at night and it is not unusual to hear a caller from Canada: Sudbury. Toronto, St. Johns. Halifax. whatever. There are literally millions of people out there listening, some driving. some working. some unable to sleep. many of them lonely with this as their only link to society Many are heard from every night. "...tf it prevented Soviet intervention, it was a positive step." (Prime Minister Trudeau: Dec.21, 198]). “...The Polish state was going bankrupt. We see unions in Canada who are always asking for more. I don't suppOSe the union movement in Poiand is very different, Hopefully. the military regime will be able to keep Solidarity from making excessive demands." (Prime, Minister Trudeau: Dec. 27, 1981). “If a military regime prevents a civil war, I can't say it is inherently bad." (Prime Minister Trudeau: Dec, 18, 1981) Those were exciting days, there is nothing to match them now on radio. but I still listen to talk shows. usually as I am going to sleep. My favorite station, to make no secret of it, is WBZ, Boston, 10:30 on your AM. dial, a station that is almost totally devoted to talk and which blasts into Canada with 100,000 watts from 9 pm. to 6 a.m, However about ten years ago I discow ered "talk radio" and have been a devotee ever since. The first talk show host I encountered was one Jerry Williams, an acerbic. raucous voiced commentator who night after night assaulted the air waves with denunciations of Richard Nixon. Needless to remark, supporters of the beleaguered president was quick to reply to Jerry's criticisms and the two-way telephone conversations were put on the air. To this day l have a feeling that Jerry Williams had as much to do with sub sequent events in America as the Wash. ington Post. As time passed. my interest in radio building faded and I became only a casuat, listener. The radio provided background' noise tor my other activities. This may in part be the result of my upbringing. Somewhere in my memorabi- lia there is a picture of a cute little baby (me) with a pair of earphones on his head and a big smile on his face. I was listening to a crystal set built by my father from a Quaker Oats box. (I rather suspect that the young people have {already tuned me out, but any that are left might ask their grandparents what a crystal set is and how you make a radio out of a Quaker Oats box. Do they still make Quaker Oats in round boxes?) Later in my life I graduated to building my own radios. nothing complicated mind you, just a simple short-wave one tuber which ran on a 22 1/2 volt dry cell. I will never forget the night I picked up an amateur operator in Hawaii. He, it turned out, was just as surprised as I was when we exchanged letters. In an age that is increasingly devoted to television, to video-tape, to electronic games and stereophonic sound I must admit that I am an old fogey who still listens to radio _ worse than that, A.M. radio! Professor Clark teaches English and theatre at Wilfrid Laurier University. WALTER McLEAN civil society. there is no reason to condemn it. What we do if the Soviet Union invaded Poland is one thing. What we do if it does not invade Poland is another. " has not invaded Poland, has it?" (Prime Minister Trudeau: Jan, 12, 1982). - "Your Trudeau. he really did' us in." This was a Polish citizen's comment to a Canadian journalist. after hearing in the government-controlled media of Prime Minister Trudeau's support for martial Law being used by the Polish authorities. In recent days Canadians have been treated to the prime minister's stubborn support for holding March elections in El Salvador. This despite overwhelming evi- dence that the ability of many candidates to safely stand for election have been Many in Canada were outraged, but perhaps not surprised, when Prime Min- ister Trudeau began the insensitive series of statements quoted abpve. Outraged because his remarks illustrate a disre, spect for the basic rights of individuals, reaffirmed most recently by the Helsinki Final Act (to which Canada is a signato- ry). in the early days of his program he had a rather interesting gimmick which he used to use about once every two weeks. Someone had provided him with the telephone number of a phone booth on the beach at Honolulu, At the proper time interval he would call the number just to see who would answer. Usually the person on the other end would he mtmewhat Then there are the people who have "good calls." This is a main feature of the Larry Click Show He will place a call to anywhere in the world to talk to somone interesting. (ills telephone bills must be entertaining! l His listeners give him tips, perhaps about a Jesuit missionary who is teaching saxaphone to a group of orphans in Tokyo. Larry puts in the call and gets what he likes to call. "The story behind the story." The result of this is that over a week or so he interviews quite a selection of interesting people who have done or are doing something unusual. There are other callers who are out tor an argument, They know better than to bother Larry Click, who does not argue "my function is to entertain." But they can and do get arguments from Messrs. Dyett and Finnegan and sometimes these are guments run for an hour or so as several callers get into the act. Some contributions are clever and well thought out. others entirely superficial. a cross section of American thought. Apart from the talk hosts, what interests me are the people who phone in (often at long distance rates) just to say "hello" to their favorite commentator Many of these people have no message to give to the 23 listening states and Canada, no axe to grind, no problem to discuss, Just a desire to say hello, how are you and thanks for being on the air. What really interests me however is the job he has. He is on the m from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m, and his main aim is to enjoy himself, which he invariably does. I am sure that he is very well paid and all he does is have a good time. You catt't hardly get a job like that these days! Then there is the "big gun" of W32. Larry Click. who is a household word in the Boston area and half way around the United States. WBZ unashamedly calls the Larry Click show "The most popular show in North America." It may well be. Larry may not be your cup of tea, perhaps he is an acquired taste. certainly I listen to him with pleasure as I drift off to sleep. Every night from 7 to 9 p.m. there is David Finnegan, an Irishman by birth, a lawyer by profession and the possessor of one of the quickest wits l have ever heard. common sense personified. David deals with controversial topics of a political or social nature. His callers live up to his reputation; for the most part they are intelligent. concerned and enjoy a good interchange of ideas. events and racial questions, a solid, sensible, compassionate man, . Polish stand a disgrace The radio talk show Hon. John Crosbie, opposition spoke- sperson on external affairs, told Parlia- ment that, “If the prime minister is to have any credibility as a believer in the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Comments I have received from across Waterloo Riding express anger and resity nation over the prime minister's represen- tations on their behalf. One of our residents. a knowledgeable student of Eastern European affairs, sums up the general feeling of many who have written about Poland: "Solidarity's existence did not necessitate the imposition of martial law - there was no civil war nor was there any call to arms. How can our prime minister express his "surprise' at the Soviet Union's degree of tolerance?“ Opposition Leader Joe Clark has ex pressed his "grave concern that the prime minister's statements have been used in Poland as a means of support for the martial law regime _ that cannot help any- obliterated by the ruling Duane Junta and the Mexican president's pleas to him to moderate his position. bewildered to discover that he was talking to a radio personality in Boston. The whole thing ended one night when Larry placed the call and said, "The is Larry Click speaking." The voice on the other end said. "Well Larry, ypu old so and so, why are you calling me?" - It was an old friend from Boston who just happened to be passing the phone booth as the phone rang. The long arm of coincidence. Parent (angrily): "That's it! I told you tn be home on time. So much for the movie on Friday night - you can just forget about going! tq Suppose. for example. that your adoles- cent has begun to violate the 9:00 pm, curfew hour established for week nights, The child comes home late for the third time This is a punishment, The child will probably respond with anger. hurt or resentment, and will probably plead with the parent to let him or her go to the movie The following response shows logical consequences; Parent I calmly and without anger): “ll you choose to be late tomorrow night, then you wlll not be able to no out on the Stop the first person ytttt meet on the street, ask him or her what is today's number one problem in schools. and chances are good that the response will be: "discipline." Parents get frustrated and tense from the frequent necessity to discipline their children. Common responses to this frus tration and tension are stiffer punishments or. all too often. letting kids have their own way. Books and articles have been written which advocate everything from shock treatments to total "laissez-laire." It's a fact that most parents today are puzzled about how to effectively discipline their children. Youngsters respond with reluctance to the traditional methods of punishment and the effect is rarely lasting. As soon as they get the chance, children will misbehavc again. However. stop the first teacher you meet in a school corridor. ask him or her why discipline (or lack of it) is a problem today. and chances are good that the response will be: "Most parents don't discipline their children at home, yet they expect the school to perform miracles." Both of the above responses probably hold a measure of truth in them, Canadian Teachers Federation Er%rrrrlizma Well, so much for talk radio. For some Diisciiplliiniing WATEBLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 10, I”? -- PAGE tr Oh yes. and. as an added bonus, greater self-discipline in the home environment i- bound to be reflected In greater self-dis clpllne In the school environment. Consistency is essential! This point cannot be stressed enough. Suppose that the adolescent has been invited to a friend's birthday party on the second evening. It the parent relents and allows the child to go to that party, then the child has learned that only sometimes will he or she have to accept the consequences of his or her choice. Thus. the problem will continue. The example situation is not punishment. because fa) the child was aware of the consequence. but chose to misbehave; (b) the consequence was not too severe and related directly to the misbehavior, i.e. "logical": and (c) the parent remained calm and consistent. So, basically, there you have it. When children are presented with choices, they are stimulated to grow in responsibility for their actions. " they have a choice. they cannot blame their parents for the situations in which they find themselves. They will perceive them. selves as being in control of their liver rather than being externally controlled Not only does this approach result it effective discipline without parental anger and lrustration, but it also helps childrel meet basic needs - especially the need it "be oneself" through making decisions m choices and accepting responsibility fm those decisions or choices.- Holding these elections in the midst of a civil war can only serve to cement the position of the Junta. whose troops dragged 20 civilians from their beds last week and butchered them in the street» Governments and agencies in the region last month told me of their deep fears {or the future of Central America, At the same time. in the context of Central America. the prime minister has been told by an all-party Parliamentary Committee, by Canadian churches and by non-governmental aid agencies, that his continued support for elections in El Salvador at this time is a farce The parent has thus provided a choice and established a consequence that was directly related to the misbehavior Parent: "I Not' that you are not yet ready to accept the tv.sporviibility of coming home on time You will have the opportu nity to try again in two more evenings ., These two positions are a national disgrace. They have allowed Canada's international reputation to be dragged down. l following evening " Should the misbehavior persist, then the parent is justified in making the con sequence progressively more severe he must act now to condemn the actions of the Polish government and reverse his support of repression and tyranny." The Canadian people have been ill- served by a government that has said a Charter of Rights is important for a humane Canadian society. reason it seems to be more popular in the United States than in Canada. Talk shows in Canada are usually question-and- answer shows, often about sports - nor are they intended to help those who must, working or waking, endure the night time hours. These, I often think are the people best served by the talk show. (c) Wilfrid Laurier University Newsfea tures