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A dramatic reading from Galileo, a play by Bertolt Brecht, English version by Charles Laughton. It’s the last scene in the play and not always performed. I don’t know how many people are familiar with the play (lots?) but it very strongly influenced, and now nicely illustrates, my understanding of stereotype and its impact on perception.

Scene 14

Before a little italian customs house early in the morning ANDReA sits upon one of his traveling trunks at the barrier and read Galileo’s book. The window of a small house is still lit, and a big grotesque shadow, like an old witch andher cauldron, falls upon the house wall beyond. Barefoot CHILDREN in rags see it and point to the little house.

CHILDREN (singing):
One, two three four, five, six,
Old Marina is a witch,
At night, on a broomstick she sits
And on the church steeple she spits.

CUSTOMS OFFICER (to ANDREA) [etc…]

Meanwhile a little council of war among the CHILDREN has taken place. ANDREA quietly watches. one of the BOYS pushes forward by the others, creeps up to the little house from which the shadow comes, and takes the jug of milk on the doorstep.

ANDREA (quickly): Whatever are you doing with that milk?
BOY (stopping in mid-movement): She is a witch.

The other CHILDREN run away behind the customs house. One of them shouts “Run, Paolo!”

ANDREA: Hmm! And because she is a witch she mustn’t have milk. Is that the idea?

BOY: Yes.

ANDREA: And how do you know she is a witch?

BOY (points to shadow on house wall): Look!

ANDREA: Oh! I see.

BOY: And she rids on a broomstick at night — and she bewitches the coachman’s horses. My cousin Luigi looked through the hole in the stable roof, that the snowstorm made, and heard the horses coughing something terrible.

ANDREA: Oh! How big was the hole in the stable roof?

BOY: Luigi didn’t tell. Why?

ANDREA: I was asking because maybe the horses got sick because it was cold in the stable. You had better ask Luigi how big that hole is.

BOY: You are not going to say Old Marina isn’t a witch because you can’t.

ANDREA: No, I can’t say she isn’t a witch. A man can’t know about a think he hasn’t looked into, or can he?

BOY: No! But THAT! (He points to the shadow.) She is stirring hellbroth.

ANDREA: Let’s see. Do you want to take a look? i can lift you up.

BOY: you lift me to the window, Mister! (He takes a slingshot out of his pocket.) I can really bash her from there.

ANDREA: Hadn’t we better make sure she is a witch before we shoot? I’ll hold that.

The BOY puts the milk jug down and follows him reluctantly to the window. ANDREA lifts the boy up so that he can look in.

ANDREA: What do you see?

BOY (slowly): Just an old girl cooking porridge.

ANDREA: Oh! Nothing to it then. Now look at her shadow, Paolo.

The BOY looks over his shoulder and back and compares the reality and the shadow.

BOY: The big thing is a soup ladle.

ANDREA: Ah! A ladle! You see, I would have taken it for a broomstick, but I haven’t looked into the matter as you have, Paolo. Here is your sling.

CUSTOMS OFFICER (returning with the CLERK and handing ANDREA his papers): All present and correct. Good luck, sir.

ANDREA goes, reading Galileo’s book. The CLERK starts to bring his baggage after him. The barrier rises. ANDREA passes through, still reading the book. The BOY kics over the milk jug.

BOY (shouting after ANDREA): She is a witch! She is a witch!

ANDREA: You saw with your own eyes: think it over!

The BOY joins the others. They sing:

One, two, three, four, five, six,
Old Marina is a witch.
At night, on a broomstick she sits
And on the church steeple she sits.

The CUSTOMS OFFICERS laugh. ANDREA goes.

Source: Galileo; Copyright 1966 by Eric Bentley, Grove Press ISBN: 0-8021-4050-5; pages 126-129

The Paolo effect is what I had in the back of my mind for yesterdays post, “Jill Filipovic’s Answer to the “No True Scotsfeminist” Fallacy.”

It’s not that the stereotypes are insurmountable — they’re not or else Adrea would have succumbed to the witchcraft over 500 years ago as would we today. But they’re often persistent even in the face of direct counter-evidence.