Slaves, Free Men, Citizens - CIFAS

44 Socialization and Personality Structu~Secondly, by playing the stereotype, the slave both disguisedhis true feelings (which it was his d i a l principlenever to meal since no one, least of all the master, couldbe trusted)lS and had the psychological satisfaction ofduping the master. 'Ibe well known Jamaican Negro proverb,'Play fool to catch wise', well sums up this form ofstereotype playing.*Thirdly, if the slam strongly resented an overseer orbook-keeper and wanted to get rid of him, .in the majorityof cases they could achieve their objective by simply Wigthe perfect Quashee-stupid, bungling, exasperating andcompletely inacient. Long has left us a penetrating accountof the overseer-slave relationship which illustrates allthree types of stereotype playing:. . . Their principal address is shown in hdiig out theirmaster's temper, and playing upon it so artfully as to bendit with most convenience to their own purposes. They arenot lea studious in sifting theiu master's representative, theoverseer; if he is not too cunning for them, which theysoon discover after one or two experiments, they willeasily h d means to overreach him on every occasion, andmake his indolence, his weakness, or sottishness, a sureprognostic of some comfortable term of idleness to them;but if they h d him too intelligent, wary and active, theyleave no expedient untried, by thwarting his plans, misunderstandinghis orders, and reiterating complaints againsthim, to fend him out of his post; if this will not succeed,be downed; be doesn't talk bd. but be can't be coed. Hewill come right through doon uul walls whatever you do; hehas a sassy iâ dent invulnerability' (0. W. Allport, The Natureof Prejdke [Cambridge, Maaa.: Addison-Wesley, 19541, p148).7s Tbm ia tha probkm, bowever, of deciding 8xacUy whatt h a ~ k b ~ o f t h a d a v e ~ . W ~ W h M dtha problem of decidiag where the dilTemce lies between condo role ~ playing and natuml role playing. Sea Elkins' diswtdon in Slavery, pp. 131-33.19 !kc also I. Andemon and F. Cundall, Jamaica Negro Prmerba 119271 (Wilmington, Dcl.: MeWmt Press, 1970). par-War, Noa. 263-68, 536, and 544.da8OrWo Patterson 45-theypq1exdwoqW~yifbbofm~tient,fretful turn, tilI he grow heartily aick of hia charge,d VO~I~W@' &@L9 &I OVCl3CCI thCdq b 8prime minister, must dwaya expect to meet with a factioa,r d y t o O p ~ h i s ~ r n , r i or &he~@wthC~smtofhish&,ands~er~~btohave thine their own way; which if he compliea with, theywill extol him to his face, condemn him in their hemis, andvery soon bring his government to disgracc.aWLong, op. cit., Bk. 4, p. 405.