C H A P T E R IV

D ISC R EP A N T RO LES
O n e overall o b je c tiv e o f any team i s to s u s t a in th e definition of the s itu a tio n th a t i t s perform ance fo s te r s . T h is will involve the over-comm unication of som e f a c t s and the under-comm unication of o th e rs. Given th e fra gility and the required e x p r e s s iv e co h e re n c e of the r e a lity that i s dram atized by a perform ance, there are u sua lly f a c t s w hich, if a tte n tio n i s drawn to them during the performance, would disc re d it, disrupt, or make u s e l e s s the im p re ssion that the performance f o s te r s . T h e s e f a c ts may be sa id to provide 'd e s t r u c t i v e inform atio n. A b a s ic problem for many perform ances, then, i s that of information c o n tro l; the a u d ien c e must not acquire d e s tru c tiv e information ab o u t the situ a tio n that is being defined for them. In o th e r words, a team must be able to keep i t s s e c r e t s and have its s e c r e t s kept. Before p roce eding it will be co n v e n ie n t to add some s u g g e s tio n s about ty p e s of s e c r e t s , b e c a u s e d isc lo s u r e of different ty p e s of s e c r e t s can threa ten a performance in different ways. T h e s u g g e s te d ty p e s will be based upon th e function the s e c r e t performs and the rela tio n of the s e c re t to the c onc eption o th e rs have about the p o s s e s s o r ; I will a s s u m e that any p articu la r s e c r e t ca n re p re se n t more than one suc h type. F ir s t, there are what we som etim es c a ll d a r k s e c r e ts . T h e s e c o n s is t of fa c ts about a team which it knows and c o n c e a ls and which a re incom patible with the image of s e lf that th e team atte m p ts to m aintain before i t s au dience. Dark s e c r e t s are, of course, double s e c r e t s : one is the crucial fact that is hidden and an o th er is the fact that crucial f a c ts have not been openly adm itted. Dark s e c r e t s were considered in Chapter One in the se c tio n on m is re p re se n ta tio n . Secondly, there are what might be c a lle d s t r a t e g i c s e c r e ts . T h e s e pertain to in te n tio n s and c a p a c i t i e s of a team which it c o n c e a ls from its a u d ien c e in order to prevent them from ad a p tin g e f f e c tiv e ly to the s t a t e of a f fa irs the team is p lan ning to bring about. S tra te g ic s e c r e ts are the o n e s th a t b u s i n e s s e s and arm ies employ in d es ig n in g future a c tio n s a g a i n s t the o ppo sitio n . So lon g a s a team makes no prete nce of being the sort of team that d o e s not have s tr a te g ic 87

s e c r e t s , i t s s t r a t e g i c s e c r e t s nee d not be dark o n e s . Yet it i s to be noted th a t even when the s t r a t e g i c s e c r e t s of a team are not dark on es, s ti ll th e d is c lo s u r e or d isc o v e ry of such s e c r e t s d is r u p ts the te a m s perform ance, for sudden ly and u n e x p e c te d ly th e team finds it u s e l e s s and foolish to maintain th e c a r e , r e ti c e n c e , and s tu d ie d ambiguity of a c tio n that w as required prior to l o s s of i t s s e c r e t s . It may be added th a t s e c r e t s th a t a r e merely s tr a t e g ic tend to be ones which the team e v e n tu a lly d i s c l o s e s , perforce, when ac tio n b a s e d upon s e c r e t p r e p a ra tio n s i s consum m ated, w h e r e a s an effort may be made to keep dark s e c r e t s s e c r e t forever. It may a l s o be added th a t information is often held back not b e c a u s e o f i t s known s t r a t e g i c im portance but b e c a u s e it is felt that it may som eday a c q u ire su c h im portance. T hird ly, there are what might be c a lle d ' i n s i d e ' s e c r e t s . T h e s e are o n e s w hose p o s s e s s i o n marks an in d iv idual a s being a member of a group and h e lp s th e group feel s e p a r a t e and d ifferent from th o s e in d iv id u a ls who a re not ' i n the k n o w . 1 In sid e s e c r e t s give o b je c tiv e in te lle c t u a l conten t to s u b j e c t i v e l y felt s o c ia l d i s t a n c e . Almost all information in a s o c ia l e s ta b l is h m e n t h a s som e thing of this e x c lu sio n ary function and may be s e e n a s none of som ebodys b u s in e s s . I n sid e s e c r e t s may have lit tle s t r a t e g i c im portance and may not be very dark. When th is i s :h e c a s e , su c h s e c r e t s may be d isc o v e re d or a c c id e n ta lly d is c lo s e d without r ad ic ally d isr u p tin g th e team perfo rm ance; th e perform ers need only s h if t their s e c r e t d e lig h t to an other matter. Of c o u rse , s e c r e t s t h a t are s t r a t e g i c a n d / o r dark s e rv e extrem ely well a s in sid e s e c r e t s and we find, in fact, that the s tr a t e g ic and dark c h a r a c t e r of s e c r e t s i s often e x a g g e r a te d for t h is reason. In te re s tin g ly enough, the le a d e rs of a s o c ia l group are som e tim e s fac ed with a dilemma regard ing important s tr a te g ic se crets. T h o s e in the group who are not brought in on the s e c r e t will feel exclud ed and affronted when the s e c r e t finally c o m e s to li g h t ; on the other hand, the g r e a te r th e number of p e r s o n s who are brought in on the s e c r e t, th e grea ter the lik e lih o o d of in te n tio n a l or u n intention al d is c lo s u r e . T h e know ledge that one team ca n have of a n o th e r s s e c r e t s p rovides us with tw o other ty p e s of s e c r e ts . F irs t, th e re a r e what might be c a lle d ' e n t r u s t e d s e c r e t s . T h is is the kind which the p o s s e s s o r is obliged to keep b e c a u s e of h is r e la tio n to the team to which the s e c r e t refers. If an individual who is e n tru ste d with a s e c r e t i s to be the person he c l a im s
1 Cf. R ie s m a n 's d i s c u s s i o n of the i n s i d e dopcstex,* op . c U pp. 199*209.

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he is , 'he m ust keep the se c r e t, even though it is not a se cret about him self. T hus, for exam ple, when a lawyer d i s c l o s e s th e im p ro p rie tie s of h is c l ie n t s , two quite d ifferent perform a n c e s are th r e a te n e d : the c l i e n t s show of in n o c e n c e to the court, and th e la w y e rs show of tru s tw o r th in e s s to h is client. It may a l s o be noted th a t a te am s s tr a t e g ic s e c r e ts , whether dark or not, are likely to be the en tru ste d s e c r e t s of the individual members of the team, for e a c h member of the team i s lik e ly to presenc h im self to h is te am -m a tes a s som eone who i s lo y a l to the team. T h e se c o n d ty p e of information abo u t a n o th e r s s e c r e t s may be c a lle d f r e e . A free s e c r e t i s somebody e l s e s s e c r e t known to o n e s e l f that one could d i s c l o s e without d is c re d itin g the im age one was p rese n tin g of o n e s e lf. A team may acquire free s e c r e t s by d iscovery, involuntary d is c lo s u r e , in d is c rc e t a d m is s io n s , r e - tr a n sm issio n , etc. In general we muse s e e that the free or en tru ste d s e c r e t s of one team may be the dark or s tr a t e g ic s e c r e t s of another team, and so a team whose v ita l s e c r e t s are p o s s e s s e d by o th e rs will try to oblige the p o s s e s s o r s to trea t t h e s e s e c r e t s a s s e c r e t s that are e n tru ste d and not free. T h is c h a p te r is concerned with the k in d s of p e rso n s who learn about the s e c r e t s of a team and with the b a s e s and th e th r e a ts of th e ir privileg ed position. Before p roceeding, however, it should be made c le a r th at a ll d e s tru c tiv e inform atio n i s not found in s e c r e ts , and that information control in v o lv e s more than k e e p in g s e c r e ts . For exam ple, there seem to be f a c ts about alm ost every perform ance which are incom patible with the im pressio n fostered by the performance but w hich have not been c o lle c te d and organized into a u s a b le form by anyone. 1 T h e s e are in a s e n s e la te n t s e c r e ts , and the problem s of k e e p in g s e c r e t s a r e quite different from the problem s of k ee p in g la te n t s e c r e t s la te n t. Another exam ple o f d e s tru c tiv e information not embodied in s e c r e t s is found in suc h e v e n ts a s unmeant g e s tu re s , previously referred to. T h e s e e v e n ts in trod uce inform ation a definition of the s i t u a tio n which i s incom patible with the pro jected c la im s of the perform ers, but t h e s e untoward e v e n ts do not c o n s titu t e s e c r e ts . A voidance of such e x p r e s s iv e ly inap p ro p ria te e v e n ts i s a l s o a kind of information control but will not be co n s id e re d in t h i s chapter.
11 -ot exam p le, Wilensky, op. cit., ch ap . v ii, reports chat a union n e w s p a p e r may have s u c h low r ead ersh ip that the ed ito r, co n cern ed with his job, "ay r efu s e to have a p r o f e s s i o n a l survey made o f r ead er sh ip so t h a t either he nor an yone e l s e will h ave proo f of th e s u s p e c t e d in e f f e c ti v e n e s s o f liis role.

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Given a p a r tic u la r p erform ance a s the point of referen c e, we hav e d is t in g u is h e d iliree cru c ial r o le s on the b a s i s of f u n c ti o n : th o s e who perform ; th o s e performed t o ; arid o u ts i d e r s who n e ith e r perform in the show nor o b se rv e it. V/e may a ls o d is t in g u is h t h e s e c ru c ia l r o le s on the b a s i s of inform ation ordinarily a v a ila b le to th o s e who pla y them. P erform e rs are a w a re of the im p re ssio n they fo ster and ordinarily a l s o p o s s e s s d e s tru c tiv e inform ation about the show . T he a u d ie n c e know what th e y have been allow ed to p erc eive , q u alified by what they can g le an u n o ffic ia lly by c l o s e o b se rv a tio n . In the main, they know the definition o f the situ a tio n th a t the perform an c e f o s t e r s but do not have d e s tru c tiv e inform ation about it. O u ts id e r s know n e ith e r the s e c r e t s of the perform ance nor th e a p p e a r a n c e of r e a lity fostered by it. F in a lly , the three c ru c ia l r o le s m entioned could be d e s c rib e d on th e b a s i s of tlie re g io n s to which the role-p la y er h a s a c c e s s ; perform ers a p p e a r in th e front and back r e g i o n s ; the a u d ie n c e a p p e a r s only in the front r e g io n ; and the o u t s i d e r s are e x c lu d e d from both re g ions. It i s to be noted, then, th a t during the perform a n c e we rpay e x p e c t to find co rrela tio n among function, information a v a ila b le , and re g io n s of a c c e s s , so that, for exam ple, if we knew the r e g io n s into which an indiv id ual ItaJ a c c e s s we sh o u ld know the role he p la y ed and the information he p o s s e s s e d about th e perform ance. In a c t u a l fact, however, we find that the co n g ru e n ce among function, information p o s s e s s e d , and a c c e s s i b l e reg io n s is seldom c o m p lete. A dditional p o in ts of vantage r e la tiv e to the perform ance dev e lo p which c o m p lic a te t h e sim ple rela tio n among function, inform ation, and p la ce . Some of t h e s e p e c u lia r v a n ta g e p o in ts are s o often taken and their s ig n i f ic a n c e for th e perform ance c o m e s to be so c le a rly under stood that we can refer to them a s ro les, although, r e la tiv e to th e th r e e cru c ial o n e s , they migfit b e s t be c a lle d d isc re p a n t ro les. Some of the more obvious o n e s will be c o n s id e re d here. P e r h a p s the most s p e c ta c u la r ly d is c re p a n t ro le s are th o se w hich bring a p erso n into a s o c ia l e s ta b l is h m e n t in a f a ls e g u ise . Some v a r i e t i e s may be mentioned. F irs t, th e re is the role of 'in fo r m e r.' T h e informer is som eone who p re te n d s to the perform ers to be a member o f th e ir te am , i s allow ed to come b a c k s ta g e and to a c q u ire d e s tr u c tiv e information, and then openly or s e c r e tl y s e l l s out the show to the a u d ien c e. T he p o litic a l, military, in d u s tria l, and crim inal v a r ia n ts of th is role are famous. If it a p p e a r s th a t th e in d ividual first joined the team in a s in c e r e way and not with the prem e d ita ted plan of d is c lo s in g its
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s e c r e t s , we s o m e tim e s c a ll him a traitor, turnco at, or quitter, e s p e c ia ll y if h e i s the sort of person who ought to have made a decent team -m ate. T h e individual who all along h a s meant to inform on t h e team, an d origin ally jo in s only for t h i s purpose, i s s o m e tim es c a l l e d a spy. It h a s frequently been noted, of c o u rse , that inform ers, whether tr a i to r s or s p i e s , a r e often in an e x c e l le n t p o sitio n to play a double game, selling out th e s e c r e t s of th o s e who buy s e c r e t s from them. Secondly, th e re i s th e role of ' s h i l l . A shill i s someone who a c t s a s though he were an ordinary member of the aud ien c e but i s in fact in le a g u e with the perform ers. T y p ic ally , th e sh ill e ith e r p ro v id e s a v is i b le model for the aud ien c e of th e kind of r e s p o n s e the perform ers are s e e k in g or p ro v id e s the kind of a u d ien c e r e s p o n s e th a t is n e c e s s a r y at the moment for the developm ent of the performance. Our a p p re c ia tio n of this role no doubt s te m s from fairgrounds, a n d the d e s ig n a tio n s r s h i l l and ' c l a q u e , 1 em ployed in the entertainm en t b u s in e s s , have com e into common usage. T he following defin itio n s su g g e st th e orig ins of the c o n c e p t :
S t i c k , n. An in d i v i d u a l som e tim es a lo cal r u b e hired by the o p er ato r of a s e t - i o i n t (a ' f i x e d ' gam bling booth) to win flashy p r i z e s so th at the crowd will be induced to gamble. When the live o n e s ( n a t i v e s ) h ave been st a r t e d , the s l i c k s are removed and deliv er their wi nnings to a man o u t s i d e who h a s no app arent c o n nectio n with the joint. 1 jftilta b e r, n. An em plo yee of the c ir c u s who t u s h e s up to t h e kid s h o u t i c k e t box at the p s y c h o l o g ic a l moment when the barker c o n c l u d e s h i s s p ie l. Me and h i s fellow sh i l l a b e r s p u r c h a s e t i c k e t s and p a s s *nside and the crowd of t o w n e r s in from of the bally sta n d are not slow in doing lik ew ise . 2

We must not ta k e the view th a t s h i l l s are found only in no n -re sp e c ta b le p erfo rm ances (even though it is only th e n o n -re sp e c ta b le s h i l l s , perhap s, who play th e ir role s y s te m atic a lly and without perso n a l illusion). For example, at informal c o n v e r s a tio n a l g a th e rin g s, it is common for a wife to look i n te r e s te d when her hu sband te lls an a n e cd o te and to feed him appro priate l e a d s and c u e s , although in fact s h e h a s heard the a n e c d o te many tim e s and knows that the show her husband is making of te llin g som e th ing for the first time i s only a show . A s h il l, then, is someone who a p p e a r s to be just an o th er u n s o p h is tic a te d member of th e a u d ie n c e and who u s e s h is unapparent s o p h is tic a tio n in the in te r e s ts of the performing team. W 'e c o n s id e r now an other impostor in the au d ien c e, but (his tim e one who u s e s h is unapparent s o p h is tic a tio n in the in te r e s ts of the a u d ie n c e , not the perform ers. T h i s type c a n be illu s tr a te d by the p erso n who is hired to check up on
Oavid Mauret, 'C a r n i v a l C a n t , ' Imericnn S p eech , VI, 336. 5 V I'. \khite, ' A C i r c u s L i s t , ' A merican Sp eech, 1, 283. 91

th e s ta n d a r d s th a t perform ers m aintain in order to e n s u re that in som e r e s p e c t s fostere d a p p e a r a n c e s will not be too far from r e a lity . He a c ts , o ffic ia lly or u n officially, a s a p rotec tiv e ag e n t for the u n s u s p e c tin g public, p la ying the role of a u d ie n c e with more p e rc ep tio n and e t h ic a l s t r i c t n e s s rhan ordinary o b s e r v e r s are lik e ly to employ. Sometimes t h e s e a g e n ts pla y their h ands in an open way, giving the perform ers prelim inary warning that th e next perform a n c e i s abouc to be examined. T h u s f irs t night perform ers and a rre ste d p e rso n s have fair warning th a t a n y th in g they sa y will be held a s ev id en c e in judging them. A p a r tic ip a n t o b s e rv e r who ad m its h is o b je c ti v e s from th e beginning g iv e s ihe performers whom he o b s e r v e s a sim ila r opportunity. Sometimes, however, the a g e n t goes underground and by a c tin g a s an ordinary g u llible member of the a u d ie n c e giv e s the performers rope with which to hang th e m s e lv e s . In the everyday tr a d e s , a g e n ts who give no warning are som e tim es c a lle d ' s p o t t e r s , ' a s they will be here, and are u n d ersta n d ab ly d is l ik e d . A s a l e s p e r s o n may find th a t sh e h a s been shorttempered and im polite to a custom e r who is r e a lly a company ag e n t c h e c k in g up on the trea tm e n t bona fide c u s to m e rs r e c e iv e . A grocer may find that he has sold goods a t illeg a l p r ic e s to c u s to m e rs who are ex p e rts on p r ic e s and hav e authority c o n c e r n in g them. 1 I n c id e n ta lly , we must be ca refu l to d is t in g u is h real s p o tt e r s from se lf-a p p o in ted ones, often c a lle d ' k n o c k e r s ' or ' w is e g u y s , who do not p o s s e s s the k now ledge o f b a c k s ta g e o p e ra tio n s t h a t they claim to p o s s e s s and who are not empowered by law or custom to re p r e s e n t the a u d ien c e. T oday we are ac c u s to m e d to think of a g e n ts who che ck up on the s ta n d a r d s of a perform ance and on the perform ers, w hether th is is done openly or without warning, a s part of the s e rv ic e stru c tu re , and e s p e c ia ll y as part of the s o c ia l control th a t governm ental o rg a n iz a tio n s exert on beh a lf of the consum er and taxpayer. F requently, however, th is kind of work h a s been done in a wider s o c ia l field. O ffices of heraldry and o ffic e s of protocol provide familiar exa m ple s, t h e s e a g e n c i e s se rv in g to k e e p th e nob ility and high
1 An i l lu str a tio n a s t e g a r d s ctain c o n d u c to r s is given by W. Fre d C ottrell, The R ailr oa der (Stanford, C a li f o r n ia : Stanford U n iv er sity P r e s s , 1940), p. 8 7 : ' O n c e a train c o nd uctor could demand r e s p e c t of p a s s e n g e r s ; now a ' s p o t t e r * may 't u r n him in* i f he fails to remove h is c a p a s he e n t e r s a c a r where women are se a t e d or d o e s not exude that oily su b s e r v ie n c e which i n c r e a s i n g c l a s s c o n s c i o u s n e s s , diffu sion of p a t t e r n from the E u ro p ean and th e hotel world, and t h e com petition with other forms of tran s p o r t a t i o n have forced upon h i m .

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government officers, and th o s e who f a ls e ly claim th e s e s t a t u s e s , in th e ir proper r e la tiv e p la c e s . T h ere i s y et an o th e r p e c u lia r fellow in the au d ien c e. Me i s the one who t a k e s an unremarked, m odest p la c e in the a u d ien c e and l e a v e s th e region when they do, but when h e l e a v e s he g o e s to h is employer, a co m p etito r of the team whose perform ance he lias w itn e s s e d , to report what he h a s seen . lie i s the p ro fe ssio n a l sho pper th e G im bels man in Macy's and the M acys man in Gimbels ; he is the fashion spy and the foreigner at N atio nal Air Meets. T h e shopper i s a person who h a s a te c h n ic a l right to s e e the show but ought to have the dec en c y , it is som etim es felt, to s ta y in h i s own back region, for h i s in te r e s t in th e show i s from the wrong p e rs p e c tiv e , at once more lively and more bored than th a t of a thoroughly le g itim a te spectator. Another d is c re p a n t role i s one th a t i s often c a lle d ihe go-betw een or mediator. T h e go-between le a r n s the s e c r e t s of e a c h sid e and g iv e s ea ch s id e the true im p re ssio n that he will keep i t s s e c r e t s ; but he te n ds to give each side the f a ls e im p re ssio n th a t he is more loyal to it th a n to the other s id e . Sometimes, a s in th e c a s e of th e a rb itra to r in som e labour d is p u te s , the go-betw een may function a s a m e an s by which two o b lig a torily h o s tile te a m s can come to a mutually profitable agreem ent. Sometimes, a s in the c a s e of the th e a tric a l agent, th e go-betw een may function a s 3 m eans by which e a c h sid e i s given a sla n te d version of the other that is c a l c u l a t e d to make a c l o s e r r ela tio n sh ip betw een the two s id e s p o s s i b le . Sometimes, a s in the c a s e of the marriagebroker, th e go-betw een may se rv e a s a m eans of conveying te n tativ e o v e rtu re s from one sid e to the oth e r which, if openly p rese n ted , might lead to an em b arra ssin g a c c e p ta n c e or r ejection. When a go-betw een o p e r a te s in the a c tu a l p r e s e n c e of the two te a m s o f w hich he is a member, we obtain a wonderful display, not un lik e a man d e s p e r a te ly trying to play te n n is with him self. Again we are forced to s e e th a t the in dividual i s not the natural unit for our c o n s id eratio n but rath e r the team and its members. As an individual, the g o -b e tw e e n s activity is bizarre, u ntenable, and undignified, v a c illa tin g a s i t d o e s from on e s e t of a p p e a r a n c e s and l o y a l t i e s to another. As a c o n s titu e n t part of two team s, the go -b etw e en s v ac illation i s quite u n d e rsta n d a b le . T he go-between can be thought of sim ply a s a d ouble-shill. One ill u s tr a tio n of the go-betw eens role a p p e a r s in rec en t s tu d ie s of the function of the foreman. Not only must he
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a c c e p t the J u r i e s of the d irector, guiding the sho w on the factory floor on b e h a lf of th e m an agerial a u d ien c e, but he m ust a l s o t r a n s l a t e what he k n ow s and what the a u d ien c e s e e s into a verbal lin e which h i s c o n s c ie n c e and the a u d ien c e will be w illing to a c c e p t. 1 Another ill u s tr a tio n of the gob e tw e e n s role i s found in th e chairm an of formally c o n d u c te d m eetings. A s soon a s he h a s c a lle d the group to order and introduced the g u e s t sp e ak e r, he is lik e ly to se rv e th e re a f te r a s a highly v i s i b l e model for the other l i s t e n e r s , illu s tr a ti n g by e x a g g e r a te d e x p r e s s i o n s the involvement an d ap p re c ia tio n they ought to be showing, and providing them with ad v a n ce c u e s a s to w heth er a p a r tic u la r remark ought to be g re e te d by s e r i o u s n e s s , la u g h ter, or a p p r e c ia tiv e c h u c k le s . S p eak e rs tend to a c c e p t in v it a ti o n s to s p e a k on the a s su m p tio n that th e chairm an will ' t a k e care of them ,' which he d o e s by being the very model of a li s t e n e r and thoroughly confirming t h e notion th a t the s p e e c h h a s real s ig n ific a n c e . T h e c h a ir mans perform ance i s e ffec tiv e partly b e c a u s e the l i s t e n e r s have an ob lig a tio n to him, an o b lig a tio n to confirm any defin ition o f the s it u a ti o n which he spo nsors, an ob lig a tio n , in short, to follow the lis te n in g -lin e th a t he ta k e s . T he dram aturgical ta s k of e n s u rin g th a t the s p e a k e r a p p e a r s to be a p p re c ia te d and that the l i s t e n e r s are en th ra lle d i s of c o u r se not e a s y , and often l e a v e s the chairm an in no frame of mind to give thought to what he i s o s te n s ib ly li s t e n i n g to. The role o f g o -betw een s e e m s to be e s p e c i a l l y sig n ific a n t in informal co n v iv ia l in te r a c tio n , again ill u s tr a tin g the u tility of th e tw o-team app roach. When o n e ind iv id u al in a c o n v e r s a tio n a l c i rc le e n g a g e s in action or sp e e c h which r e c e iv e s the c o n c erte d a tten tio n of the o th e rs p r e s e n t, he d e f in e s the s it u a ti o n , and he may d e fin e it in a way th a t i s n o t e a s ily a c c e p t a b l e to h i s a u d ie n c e . Someone p r e s e n t will feel g r e a te r r e s p o n s ib ility for and to him than the o th e rs feel, and we may e x p e c t th is p e rso n c l o s e s t to him to make an effort to t r a n s l a t e the d if f e r e n c e s between s p e a k e r and l i s t e n e r s into a view that is more a c c e p ta b le c o l le c tiv e ly than the orig in a l pro jec tio n . A moment la te r, when som eone e l s e t a k e s the floor, a n o th e r individual may find h im s elf t a k in g on the role of go-betw een and mediator. A s p a te of informal c o n v e r s a tio n ca n , in fact, be se en a s th e formation and re-formation of te am s, and the creation and re-crea tio n of go-betw eens. Some d is c r e p a n t r o le s have been s u g g e s t e d : the informer,
l See R o c chlis b crg er, op. cit.

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the s h ill, th e spotter, th e shopper, and the go-betw een. In ea ch c a s e we find a n unexpe cted, unapparent re la tio n among feigned role, information p o s s e s s e d , and reg io n s of a c c e s s . And in e a c h c a s e we deal with som eone who may p a r tic ip a te in the a c tu a l in te ractio n betw een the performers and au d ien c e. A further d is c r e p a n t role may be co n s id e re d , th at of the nonp e r s o n ; th o s e who p la y th is role are p r e se n t during the in te ra c tio n but do not, in a s e n s e , ta k e the role e i th e r of performer or of a u d ien c e, nor do they ( a s do informers, s h i l l s , a n d s p o tt e r s ) pretend to be what they are not. 1 P e r h a p s the c l a s s i c ty pe of non-person in our s o c ie ty i s the se rv a n t. T h i s p erson i s e x p e cted to be p r e s e n t in th e front region w hile the h o s t i s p r e s e n tin g a perform ance of h o s p ita lity to the g u e s t s of the e s ta b lis h m e n t. While in some s e n s e s the s e rv a n t i s p art o f the h o s ts team ( a s I h av e tr e a te d him previously), in c e r ta in w ays he i s defined by both perform ers and a u d ie n c e a s som eone who i s n t there. Among some groups, the s e rv a n t i s a l s o expected to en ter freely into the back re gion s, on the theory th a t no im p re ssio n nee d be m a in ta in ed for him. Mrs T rollope g iv e s u s som e e x a m p le s:
1 h ad , in d e e d , frequent op p ortu n ities of o b se rv in g t h is habitual i n differen ce to t h e p r e s e n c e of their s l a v e s . They calk of them, of their c o n d itio n , of th eir f a c u l t i e s , of th eir c o n d u c t, e x a c t l y a s if they wer e i n c a p a b l e of h earing. 1 once saw a yo ung lad y , who, when s e a t e d a t t a b l e between a male and a female, w a s induced by her m od esty to intru de on the chair of her female ne ighbour t o avoid the i n d e lic a c y o f t o u c h in g the elb ow o f a man. T once saw t h i s very young lady l a c i n g her s t a y s with the m ost pe r fe c t com pos ure before a negro footman. A Virginian gentlem an told me t h a t e v er sin c e h e had m a u ie d , he had been ac c u s t o m e d to have a negro girl sle e p in the sa m e chamber with h im se lf a n d h i s wife. I a s k e d for what p u r p o se th is nocturnal attendance was necessa ry ? * Good H e a v e n 1 w a s the reply, " I f I wanted a g l a s s of water during the night, what would become o f me." 2

T h i s i s an extrem e example. While s e r v a n ts tend to be a d d r e s s e d only when a ' r e q u e s t i s to be given them, still th e ir p r e s e n c e in a region ty p ic ally p l a c e s some r e s tr ic tio n s upon th e behaviour of th o se who are fully p r e s e n t, the more so, app a ren tly , when the s o c ia l d is ta n c e between s e rv a n t and served is not g reat. In the c a s e of other s e rv a n t-lik e r o le s in our s o c ie t y , su c h a s th a t o f e l e v a to r o p era to r and cab-driver, there s e e m s to be u n certainty on both s id e s of the r e la tio n sh ip a s to what kind of in tim a c ie s are p e rm issib le in the p r e s e n c e of the non-person. In addition to th o se in se rv a n t- lik e r o le s, there are other sta n d ard c a te g o r ie s of p e r s o n s who are s o m e tim es tr e a te d
1 lOr a fuller tr e a tm e n t o f the role se e Goffman, op. c it., ch ap . xvi. 2 Nirs T r o l l o p e , V o m e s t i c Manners o f the Am ericans (2 v o l s . ; L o n d o n : Whittaker, T re a c h e r , 1832), II, 56-57.

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in th e ir p r e s e n c e a s if th e y were not t h e r e ; th e very young, th e very old, and th e s ic k are common ex a m p le s. F urther, we find toda y a growing body o f te c h n ic a l p e r s o n n e l recording ste n o g ra p h e r s , 'b ro a d ca stin g te c h n ic ia n s , photog raphers, s e c r e t p o lic e , e t c . who pla y a te c h n ic a l role during im portant c e r e m o n ie s but who are not, in a s e n s e , tr e a te d a s if p r e s e n t. It would seem th a t th e role of non-person u s u a lly ca rrie d with i t some subordinatio n and d i s r e s p e c t , but we must not u n d e r e s tim a te the degree to which the person who i s given or who t a k e s such a role can u s e it a s a defence. And it must be added that s it u a ti o n s can a r is e w hen su b o r d in a te s find th a t the only f e a s ib le way th a t they c a n h an d le a superordinate i s to tr e a t him a s if he were not p re se n t. T h u s , on the is la n d studied by the writer, when th e B r itish P u b lic School d octor atte n d e d p a t i e n t s in the hom es of poor cro fte rs, the r e s i d e n t s so m e tim es handled th e d ifficulty o f re la tin g th e m s e lv e s to the doctor by tr e a tin g him, a s b es t they could, a s if he were not p rese n t. It may a l s o be added t h a t a team ca n tr e a t an individual a s if he were not p r e s e n t, doing th is not b e c a u s e it i s the natural thing or the only f e a s ib le thing to do, but a s a pointed way o f e x p r e s s in g h o s tility to an ind iv id u al who h a s conducted him self improperly. In such s it u a ti o n s , the important show i s to show the o u tc a s t th a t he i s b eing ignored, and the a c tiv ity th at i s c a r rie d on in o rd er to d e m o n strate t h is may i t s e l f be o f second ary im portance. We h a v e co n s id e re d some ty p e s of p e r s o n s who are not, in a sim ple s e n s e , perform ers, a u d ien c e, or o u ts id e r s , 'and who have a c c e s s to inform ation and re g io n s we would not e x p e ct of chem. We c o n s id e r now four a d d itio n a l d isc re p a n t r o les, involving, in the main, p e r s o n s who are not presen t during a perform ance but who have un ex p e cted information about it. F irs t, there i s an important role th a t might be c a lle d ' s e r v i c e s p e c i a l i s t . It is filled by in d iv id u a ls who s p e c i a l i z e in the co n s tru c tio n , repair, and m ain te n an c e of the show th e ir c l i e n t s m aintain before other people. Some of t h e s e w orkers, lik e a r c h i t e c t s and furniture sa le sm e n , s p e c i a l i z e in s e t t i n g s ; some, su c h a s d e n t i s t s , h a i r d r e s s e r s , and d erm a to lo g is ts, deal with p erso n a l front; some, su c h a s sta ff e c o n o m is ts, a c c o u n ta n ts , law yers, and r e s e a r c h e r s , formulate the fac tu al e l e m e n ts o f a c l i e n t s verbal d isplay, th a t is , h is teams argum ent-line or in te lle c t u a l position. On th e b a s is of c o n c rete r e s e a r c h it would seem that s e rv ic e s p e c i a l i s t s ca n hardly atte n d to the n e e d s of an
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individual perform er without acquiring a s much, or more d e s tr u c tiv e inform ation about some a s p e c t s of the indiv id u al's perform ance a s th e individual him s elf p o s s e s s e s . S ervice s p e c i a l i s t s are lik e mem bers of the team in th at th e y learn th e s e c r e t s o f the show and o b ta in a b a c k s ta g e view of it. U nlike members of th e team, how ever, th e s p e c i a l i s t d o e s not s h a re the risk, the guilt, and the s a t i s f a c t i o n of p r e s e n tin g before a n a u d ie n c e the show to which he h a s contributed. And, u n lik e members of the team, in le a rn in g the s e c r e t s of o th e rs, th e o th e rs do not learn c o r resp o n d in g s e c r e t s about him. It i s in t h is con tex t th a t we can u n d e r s ta n d why p r o fe ssio n a l e t h i c s often oblig e th e s p e c i a l i s t to show d i s c r e tio n , i . e . , not to give away a show w hose s e c r e t s h i s d u t i e s hav e made him privy to. T h u s , for example, p s y c h o th e r a p i s ts who vic ario u sly p a r ti c ip a te s o widely in the d o m e stic warfare of our tim e s are p led ged to rem ain s ile n t about what they have le arn ed , e x c ep t to their s u p e rv is o rs. When the s p e c i a l i s t i s of higher general s o c i a l s t a t u s than th e in d iv id u a ls for whom he p rov ides a s e rv ic e , his g en e ral s o c ia l valu atio n of them may be confirmed by the p a rtic u la r th in g s he must l e a m about them. In some s i t u a t i o n s th is b ecom es a s ig n ific a n t factor in m aintaining the status quo. T h u s in American towns upper-middle c l a s s b an k e rs come to s e e th at the ow ners o f.so m e small b u s i n e s s e s p rese n t a front for tax p u r p o s e s that is in c o n s is te n t with their banking t r a n s a c t io n s , and th a t oth e r b u sin e ssm e n p r e s e n t a confident p u b lic front of solv e n cy w hile p riv ately r e q u e s tin g a loan in an ab jec t, fumbling manner. M id d le-cla ss d o c t o rs on charity duty who must tre a t shameful d i s e a s e s in shameful surround i n g s are in a sim ilar position, for they m ake it im p o s sib le for a lo w e r - c la s s p erso n to protect him s elf from the in tim ate in s ig h t of h is s u p e ro rd in a te s. Similarly, a landlord le a r n s th a t all of his te n a n t s a c t a s if they were the sort who alw a y s paid their rent on tim e but th a t for some t e n a n t s t h is a c t i s only an a c t. P e r s o n s who are not s e rv ic e s p e c i a l i s t s are so m e tim es given the same d is i llu s io n i n g view. In many org a n iz a tio n s, for example, a n e x e c u tiv e o fficer is required to o b se rv e the show of b u stlin g co m petence th a t the p erso nnel m a in ta in s , although he may s e c re tly p o s s e s s an a c c u r a te and low opinion of some of th o se who work under him. Som etim es we find, of c o u rse , that the general s o c ia l s t a t u s of the c l ie n t i s higher than th a t of the s p e c i a l i s t s who are r eta in ed to attend to h is front. In s u c h c a s e s an in te r e s ti n g dilemma of s t a t u s o cc u rs, with high s t a t u s and low inform ation control on one side, and low s t a t u s and high
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in form ation control on th e other. In s u c h c a s e s it is p o s s i b l e for th e s p e c i a l i s t to become o v erim p re ssed with the weak n e s s e s in the show th a t h i s b e tte r s put on and to forget the w e a k n e s s e s in h is own. In c o n s e q u e n c e , suc h s p e c i a l i s t s so m e tim e s d evelop a c h a r a c t e r is ti c am b iv alen c e, feelin g c y n i c a l about the ' b e t t e r ' world for the s a m e r e a s o n s that make them v ic ario u sly intim ate with it. T h u s the janitor, by v irtu e of the s e r v ic e he provides, le a r n s v hat kind of liquo r the t e n a n t s drink, what kind of food they e a t, w hat l e t t e r s they r e c e iv e , w hat b ills they le a v e unpaid, and w hether th e la d y o f the apartm ent is m e n stru a tin g behind her un co n tam inated front, and how c le a n the t e n a n t s kee p the k itc h eh , bathroom, and other back reg ions. 1 Similarly, the American filling sta tio n m anager is in a p o sitio n to learn th a t a man who a f f e c t s a new C a d illa c may buy only a d o lla r s worth of gas, or buy a cut-pric e variety, or seek to wotk the s t a t i o n for free se rv ic e. And he a l s o knows that the show so m e men put on of m asculine know-how about c a r s is false, for they can n e ith e r d ia g n o se the trouble with th eir car co rrec tly , a h h o u g h c la im in g to, nor drive up to the g a s o lin e pumps in a co m p ete n t way. So, too, p e r s o n s who se ll d r e s s e s le arn th at c u s to m e rs of whom they would not h a v e expected it so m e tim e s have dirty underw ear and that c u s to m e rs u n a b a s h e d ly judge a garment by i t s c a p a c ity to m is re p re se n t the f a c ts . T h o s e who s e ll mens c lo th in g learn th a t the gruff show men maintain of being lit tle co n c e rn e d with how they look i s merely a show and that strong, s i l e n t men will try on s u it afte r suit, hat a f te r h a t, until they a p p e a r in the mirror e x a ctly a s they want to s e e th e m s e lv e s . So a ls o , policem en Ie a m from the th in g s th at rep u ta b le b u s in e s s m e n w ant them to do and not do that the p ill a r s of s o c ie t y have a s lig h t tilt. 2 Hotel m aids learn that male g u e s ts who make p a s s e s at them u p s t a i r s are not quite what the s e e m l i n e s s u* their d o w n s ta irs conduct s u g g e s ts . 3 And hotel se cu rity offic e rs, or h o u se dicks, a s they are more commonly c a l i . d , Ieam th a t a w a s t e b a s k e t may co n c e a l two re je c te d d rafts of a s u ic id e note :
Darling B y the tim e yo u g e l this I w ill be it here nothing yo u ra n d o w ill hurt m e l i y the time y o u read t h i s , nothing y o u c o n do w ill be a b l e to h u r t 4 l S ee Ray Gold, * T he C hica g o F l a t J a n i t o r (Unpublished 'Master's t h e s i s , D epartm ent of Sociology, U niv ersity of C h ica g o, 1950), e s p e c i a l l y chap. iv, T h e G a r b a g e . 2 Wesdey, op. c it., p. 131. 3 Writer s srudy o f an island hotel. 4 C o l l a n s , op . c it., p. 156.

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showing that the final f e e lin g s of a d e s p e r a te ly uncompromis ing p erso n were som ew hat rehearse:! in order to str ik e ju st the right note mid in any c a s e were not final. S ervice s p e c i a l i s t s of q u e s tio n a b le repute who m aintain an offic e in th e back r e g io n s of a city so th a t c l i e n t s will not be s e e n se ek in g a s s i s t a n c e c le a rly provide an other example. In Mr H u g h es w ords:
common s c e n e in fiction d e p i c t s a lady of d egree se ekin g, v eiled and alo n e, the a d d r e s s of the fo rtu n eteller or dte midwife of doubtful p r a c t i c e in nn ob sc u re co rner of the city . T h e anonymity of certain s e c t i o n s of c i t i e s allo w s p e o p le to s e e k s p e c i a l i z e d s e r v i c e s , l e g itim a te but em b a r ra ss in g a s well a s illejtimate , from p e r s o n s with whom they would not want to be se en by members o f t h e i r own s o c ia l c i r c l e .

T he s p e c i a l i s t may, of c o u rse , carry his anonymity with him, a s d o e s the exterm inator who a d v e r tis e s that he will c o m e to the c l i e n t s h o u se in a van that w ea rs a plain wrapper. Any gu ara n tee of anonym ity is , of co u rse , a rather b la ta n t claim th a t the c l ie n t has need of it and is w illing to make use of it. While it i s p lain that the s p e c i a l i s t w hose work r eq u ires him to ta k e a b a c k sta g e view of other p e o p le s perform an ces will be an em barra ssm e nt to them, it must be a p p re c ia te d that by c h a nging the perform ance which s e rv e s as a point of reference other c o n s e q u e n c e s c a n be seen. We regularly find that c l ie n t s may reta in a s p e c i a l i s t not in order to obtain help with a show they are p u ttin g on for o th e rs but for the very act that i s provided by having a s p e c i a l i s t attend them e s p e c ia ll y if he h a s a higher general s t a t u s than his c l ie n ts . Many women, it seem s, go to beauty p arlours to be fussed over and c a lle d madam and not merely b e c a u s e they need to have their hair done. It h as som e tim es been claim ed, for example, that in Hindu India the procurement of proper s e rv ic e s p e c i a l i s t s for r itu a lly sig n ific a n t t a s k s i s o f crucial s ig n ific an c e in confirming o n e s own c a s t e p o sitio n . 2 In such c a s e s a s th e se , the performer may be in te r e ste d in being known by the s p e c i a l i s t who s e r v e s him and not by the show that the s e r v ic e a llo w s him la te r to perform. And so we find that s p e c ia l s p e c i a l i s t s a r is e who fulfil n e e d s that are too shameful for the c lie n t to ta k e to s p e c i a l i s t s before whom he is ordinarily not shameful. T h u s the perform ance th a t a c lien t s ta g e s for his doctor som etim es fo rc e s th e c lien t to go to a p h arm a cist for a b o rtiv es, c o n tra c e p tiv e s , and v ene real d i s e a s e cu re s. 3 Similarly, in America, an
l E . C . H u g hes a n d Helen M. Hughes, Where P e o p le Meet (G lencoe, 111.: F ree P r e s s , 1952), p. 171, 2 F or th is and o ther d a t a on India, and foe s u g g e s t i o n s in g eneral, I am in d eb ted to McKim Marriott. 'V einlein, op. e i t p. 106.

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individual involved in u nseem ly e n ta n g le m e n ts may ta k e h is tr o u b le s to a Negro law yer b e c a u s e of the sham e he might le e l before a w hite one. 1 It is ap p a ren t th a t s e r v ic e s p e c i a l i s t s who p o s s e s s e n tru s te d s e c r e t s are in a p o sitio n to explo it their knowledge in order to gain c o n c e s s i o n s from the performer w h o se s e c r e t s they p o s s e s s . T h e law , p r o fe ssio n a l e t h ic s , and enlig htened s e lf - in t e r e s t often put a sto p to the g r o s s e r forms of black mail, but sm all c o n c e s s i o n s d e l ic a te ly re q u e s te d are freq uently u n c h e c k e d by t h e s e forms of s o c ia l control. P e r h a p s the t e n d e n c y to p la c e a lawyer, a c c o u n ta n t, econom ist, or other s p e c i a l i s t s in verbal fronts on a retainer, and to bring th o se who are on a retain er into the firm partly r e p r e s e n ts an effort to en su re d is c r e t i o n ; once the verbal s p e c i a l i s t becom es |>art of the organ iz atio n , presum ably new m ethods ca n be em ployed to e n s u re Jbis tr u s tw o r th in e s s . By bringing the s p e c i a l i s t into ones o rg a n iz a tio n and even one's team, th e re i s also g r e a te r a s s u r a n c e that he will employ h is s k i l l s in the i n te r e s ts of o n es show and not in the i n t e r e s t s of p r a is e worthy but irre le v a n t m a tte rs s u c h a s a b a la n c e d view, or the p r e s e n ta t io n of in te r e s tin g th e o re tic a l d a ta to che s p e c i a l is t 's p ro fe s s io n a l a u d ie n c e . 2 A note sh o u ld be added about one variety of s p e c i a l i s t role, the role of 't r a i n i n g s p e c i a l i s t . In d iv id u a ls who tak e th is role have the com plic ate d t a s k of te a c h in g the performer how co build up a d e s ir a b le im p re ssio n w hile at the same time taking the part of the future a u d ien c e and illu stratin g by p u n ish m en ts th e c o n s e q u e n c e s o f im proprieties. P a r e n ts
1 William H. Hale, ' T h e C a reer Developm ent of t h e Negro L a w y e r ' (Unp ub lish ed P h . D. d i s s e r t a t i o n , Departm ent of Sociology, U n iversity o f C h icag o, 1949), p . 72. 2 T h e s p e c i a l i s t in verbal fronts who i s brought into t h e o rg an izatio n will b e e x p e c t e d to a s s e m b l e a n d p r e s e n t d ata in such a way a s to lend maximum sup p ort to the claim s the team i s m aking at the t i n e . The facts o f the c a s e will ordi narily be an incidcn ral matter, merely one ingredient to be co n s id ered a l o n g wich o th e r s, such as the lik e ly arg u m en ts of o n e 's opponents, the p r e d i s p o s i ti o n of the p u b lic ac large to which the team may want to a p p eal for support, che p r in c ip le s co which ev eryone c o n cer n ed will fe el o b lig ed to give l i p - s e r v i c e , etc. I n te re s tin g ly enough, t h e individual who h e l p s co l l e c t and formulate the arm y o f faces u se d in a te a m s verbal show may a l s o be em ployed in che d i s t i n c t l y different t a s k of p r e s e n t i n g or c o n v e y ia g t h i s tronc in per son co th e au d ie n c e . It i s rhe d if fe r e n c e between w r i t in g t h e ceremony for a sh o w and performing the ceremony in che show. Here there i s a potencial dilemma. The more the s p e c i a l i s t can be made to s e t a s i d e h i s p r o fe s sio n a l s t a n d a r d s and co n s i d e r only che i n t e r e s t s of the team which employs him, th e more use ful may be che argum ents he formulates for them ; but the more he h a s a rep u tatio n for being an ind ep en d en t p r o fe s s i o n a l , i n t e r e s t e d only in the ba la n c e d f a c t s of the c a s e , che more effe ccivc h e i s likely to be when he a p p e a r s before the au dience an d presencs h i s f in Jin g s. A very rich so u rce of data on t h e s e m atters is to be found in Wilensky, op. cil.

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and s c h o o l t e a c h e r s are p erh a p s the b a s i c e x a m p le s of t h is r o le in our s o c i e t y ; th e s e r g e a n t s who drill officer c a d e t s provide a further example. P e rfo rm e rs often feel u n e a sy in th e p r e s e n c e of a trainer w h ose l e s s o n s th e y h a v e long s i n c e le arn ed and taken for granted. T r a in e r s tend to e v o k e for the performer a vivid im age of h im self that he had r e p r e s s e d , a se lf-im ag e of som e one engaged in the clum sy and e m b a rra ssin g p r o c e s s of becoming. T h e perform er can make him s elf forget how foolish h e o n c e w a s , but he cannot make the tra in e r forget. As R ie z le r s u g g e s t s about any sham eful fac t, * if o th e rs know, th e fa c t i s e s t a b l i s h e d and h is im age of h im self i s put beyond h is own power of remembering and forg e ttin g . 1 Perhaps there is no c o n s i s t e n t e a s y s t a n d that we c a n ta k e to p e r s o n s who h a v e s e e n behind our current front p e r s o n s who knew u s w h e n if a t th e s a m e tim e th e y are p e r s o n s who must sym bolize the a u d i e n c e s r e sp o n se to u s and c a nnot, th e re fo re, be a c c e p te d a s o ld team -m ates might be. T h e s e r v ic e s p e c i a l i s t h a s been mentioned a s one type of p erson who i s n o t a performer yet h a s a c c e s s to backreg io n s and d e s t r u c t i v e information. A se c o n d typ e is the person who p la y s th e role o f 'c o n f i d a n t . ' C o n fid a n ts are p e r s o n s to whom th e performer c o n f e s s e s his s in s , freely, d e ta ilin g th e s e n s e in which t h e im pression given during a perform ance w a s merely an im p re ssio n . T y p ic a lly c o n f id a n ts are lo c a te d o u ts i d e and p a r tic ip a te only v ic a r io u s ly in back and front region a c tiv ity . It i s to a p erso n of t h i s kind, for in s t a n c e , that a h usba nd brings home a d aily ta le of how he fared in o ffic e stratag e m s,, in trig u e s, unspoken feelings, and b lu f fs ; and when he w rites a le tte r r e q u e stin g , r e sig n in g from, or a c c e p tin g a job it is th is person who will check through th e draft to make sure th e le tte r s tr ik e s e x a c tly the right note. And when ex-d ip lo m ats and ex-boxers write their memoirs, th e rea ding public is tak en behind the s c e n e s and b ec o m e s a watered-down confidant of one of th e great show s, a l b e it one that i s by then q uite over. A p e rso n in whom another c o n f id e s, u nlike the s e rv ic e s p e c i a l i s t , d o e s n o t make a b u s i n e s s of r e c e iv in g such conf i d a n c e s ; he a c c e p t s th e information without ac ce p tin g a fee, a s an e x p re ssio n of the friendship, tr u s t, and regard th e informant f e e l s for him. We find, however, that c l ie n t s often attem pt to transform t h e i r s e rv ic e s p e c i a l i s t s in to c o n f id a n ts ( p e r h a p s a s a m e a n s o f e n s u rin g discretion),
R i e z l e r , op. c it.,
p.

458.

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e s p e c ia ll y when the work of the s p e c i a l i s t i s merely to lis te n and ta lk , a s i s the c a s e with p r i e s t s and p s y c h o th e r a p i s ts . A third role rem a in s to be c o n s id e r e d . L ik e th e role of s p e c i a l i s t and confid ant, the ro le of c o lle a g u e affords th o s e who play ir some inform ation about a perform ance they do not atten d . C o l le a g u e s may be defined a s p e rs o n s who p r e s e n t the s a m e routine to th e sam e kind of a u d ie n c e but who do not p a r ti c ip a te to g e th er, a s te am -m a tes do, at the sa m e tim e and p la c e before the sam e p a r tic u la r a u d ie n c e . C o lle a g u e s , >as it i s s a id , s h a re a community of face. In having to put on th e same kind of perform ance, they com e to know ea ch o th e rs d if f i c u lt ie s and p o in ts of v i e w ; w hate v er th e ir to n g u e s, they com e to sp e ak th e sa m e s o c ia l la n g u a g e . And w hile c o l le a g u e s who co m p ete for a u d i e n c e s may kee p some s tr a t e g ic s e c r e t s from one another, they cannot very well, hid e from one an other c e r ta in th in g s th a t they hid from the a u d ien c e. T h e front that is m aintained before o th e r s n e e d not be m a in ta in ed among th e m s e lv e s ; rela xation b ec o m e s p o s s i b l e . H u g h es h a s re c e n tly provided a sta te m e n t of th e c o m p le x e tie s o f th is kind of c o lle a g u e so lid a r ity .
Parc of th e working co d e of a p o s i t i o n i s discretion*, it al l o w s the c o l l e a g u e s co e x c h a n g e c o n f i d e n c e s co n cern in g th eir r e l a t i o n s co ocher people. Among t h e s e c o n f i d e n c e s one finds e x p r e s s i o n s of cy n icis m co n cern in g their m i s s i o n , cheir co m p eten ce, and the f o ib le s of cheir s u p e r i o r s , t h e m s e l v e s , their c l i e n t s , th eir s u b o r d in a te s , and the public a t larg e. S u ch e x p r e s s i o n s take th e burden from one's s h o u ld e rs and s e rv e a s a d e f e n c e a s w e l l . T h e u nsp o k e n mutual c o n f i d e n c e n e c e s s a r y to them r e s t s on two a s s u m p t i o n s co n cern in g one's fellows. T h e firs t is th at t h e c o l l e g a u e will not m i s u n d e r s ta n d , the s e c o n d is that he viil no t r ep eat to un in iated e a r s . T o be su re th at a new fellow will not m isu n d ers ta n d r eq u ires a s p a rrin g match of so c ia l g e s t u re s . The z e a l o t who tu rn s the sp a rrin g m atch into a real b attle, who t a k e s a friendly i n itia tio n to o s e ri o u s l y , is not likely to be tru sted with the l i g h t e r sort of comment on on e's work or with d o u bts and m is g i v i n g s ; nor can h e learn th o s e p a r t s of the working code which arc communicated only by h in t and ge s tu re . He is no t t o be tr u s t e d , for, though he i s no t fit for st r a t a g e m s , he is s u s p e c t e d of being prone to tr e a so n . In o rder chat men may co m m unicate freely and c o n f id e n tia lly they must be able to take a good deal of each other 's s e n t i m e n t s for granted. T h ey must feel e a s y a b o u t th e ir s i l e n c e s a s well a s abo u t th eir utterances. 1

A good s ta te m e n t of some other a s p e c t s of c o lleg ial so lid arity i s given by Simone d e B e a u v o ir; her intention i s to d e s c r ib e th e p e c u lia r s itu a tio n of women, her e f fe c t i s to tell us about all c o lle g ia l g ro u p s:
I he female f riend s h ip s t h a t she s u c c e e d s in k eep in g or forming a r e p r e c i o u s to a woman, but they ar e very differen t in kind from r e l a t i o n s b etw een men. T h e l a t t e r co m m unicate a s i n div idu als through i d e a s and p r o j e c t s of perso nal i n t e r e s t , while women are confined within their ge neral feminine lot and bound to gether by a kind of immanent com plicity. And what they look for f irs t of all among t h e m s e lv e s 1Hughes and Hughes, K Aere People Meet, pp. 168-169.

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is th e affirm ation of the u niv erse they have in common. T h e y do not d i s c u s s o pin io n s a n d general i d e a s , hue ex ch an g e c o n f i d e n c e s and r e c i p e s ; ihcy a r e in l e a g u e co c r eate a kind of c o u ntcr-un ivers e, the v a l u e s of whi ch will outweigh m a s c u lin e v a l u e s . C o l l e c t i v e l y they find s t r e n g t h to sh a ke off th eir c h a i n s ; they n eg ate the s e x u a l domination of the m a l e s by a d m ittin g their frigidity to one another, while der id in g the m en s d e s i r e s or t h e i r c l u m s i n e s s ; an d diev q ues tio n ironic ally the moral a n d i n te lle c tu a l sup e rio rity of th eir hu sb a n d s, and of men
m g e n e r a l. _ -

They compare e x p e r i e n c e s ; p r e g n a n c i e s , b irth s , t h e i r own and cheir c h i l d r e n s i l l n e s s e s , a nd h o u se h o ld c a r e s become th e e s s e n t i a l e v e n t s o f t h e human sto ry . T h e i r work is n o t a t e c h n i q u e ; by p a s s i n g on r e c i p e s for coo kin g and the l ik e , they endow it with the dignity of a s e c r e t s c i e n c e founded on oral trad ition. *

It should be ap p a ren t, tlien, why th e te rm s u s e d to d e s ig n a t e o n e s c o l le a g u e s , lik e th e terms use d to d e s ig n a t e o n e s team mates, come to be in-^group term s, and why term s u s e d co d e s ig n a te a u d i e n c e s tend to be lo a d ed w ithout group sentim ent. it i s in te r e s tin g to note that when te am -m a tes come in c o n ta c t with a stran g e r who i s their c o llea g u e, a so rt of c e r e monial or honorific team membership may be temporarily a c c o rd e d th e newcomer. T h ere is a so rt of visiting-firem an complex whereby te am -m a tes tr e a t their v is ito r a s if he had .suddenly come into very in tim ate and long -stand ing r e la tio n s h i p s with them . Whatever their a s s o c ia tio n a l p rero g a tiv e s, he te n d s to be given club rig h ts. T h e s e c o u r t e s i e s are e s p e c ia lly given when the v is ito r and the h o s t s happen to have received their trainin g in the sam e e s ta b l is h m e n t or from th e same tr a in e r s, or both. G ra d u a te s of the sa m e h o use hold, the sam e p ro fe ssio n a l sc h o o l, th e sa m e pen iten tiary , th e sa m e P u b lic School, or the sam e sm all town provide c l e a r ex a m p le s. When old b o y s meet, it may be difficult to s u s t a in b a c k s ta g e h o rse play and th e dropping o f o n es customary pose may become an o b lig a tio n an d a p o se in its e lf , but it i s more difficu lt to do anything e l s e . An in te r e s tin g im plication of t h e s e s u g g e s tio n s i s that a team w hich c o n s ta n tly perform s i t s ro u tin e s to the sam e a u d ie n c e may yet be s o c ia lly more d is ta n t from th is audience than from a c o llea g u e who momentarily co m e s into c o n ta c t with the te am . T h u s the gentry in th e is l a n d community previously mentioned knew their crofter neighbours very well, h aving played out the gentry role to them s in c e childhood. Vet a gentry v isito r to the i s l a n d , properly sp onsored and introduced, could, in some s e n s e s , become more intim ate with th e is la n d gentry in th e c o u r se of an afternoon t e a than could a crofter during a lifetime of c o n t a c t with h i s gentry neighbours. It may be su g g e s te d th a t the good will one c o lle a g u e c e r e monially e x te n d s to an other is p erh a p s a kind of pea ce offering:
1'ic H e n u v o ir. ;. c i t . , p. M 2 .

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' Y o u d o n t cell on us and we wont te ll on you. T h is partly e x p l a in s why d o c to rs and sh o p k e e p e rs often giv e pro fe ssio n a l c o u r t e s i e s or r e d u c tio n s in price to th o se who are in some way c o n n e c te d w ith the trade. We have here a kinvl of bribery of th o s e who are well enough informed to become sp o tte r s . T h e nature of c o l le a g u e s h i p a llo w s u s to understan d som e thing about the im portant s o c ia l p r o c e s s of endogamy, whereby a family of one c l a s s , c a s te , o c c u p a tio n , religion, or e th n icity te n d s to r e s tr ic t i t s m arriage t i e s to f a m ilie s of the sam e status. P e r s o n s who are brought to g e th er by affinal t i e s are brought to a p o sitio n from which th ey can s e e behind e a c h o th e r's front; t h i s i s a lw a y s e m b a rra ssin g but it i s l e s s e m b a r ra s s in g if the new com ers b a c k s ta g e have th e m s e lv e s been m aintaining the s a m e kind of show and have been privy to the sam e d e s tru c tiv e information. A m is a llia n c e is something th a t brings b a c k s ta g e and into the team som eone who sh o u ld be kept o u tsid e or at l e a s t in the a u d ie n c e . It is to be noted th a t p e r s o n s who are c o l le a g u e s in one c a p a c ity , and h enc e on te rm s of som e rec iproc al fam iliarity, may not be c o l le a g u e s in other r e s p e c t s . It i s so m e tim es felt th a t a c o lle a g u e who i s in other r e s p e c t s a man of l e s s e r power or s t a t u s may o ver-extend his c la im s of fam iliarity and th r e a te n the s o c ia l d is t a n c e th at ought to be m aintained on the b a s i s of th e s e other s t a t u s e s . In American s o c ie ty , middlec l a s s p e r s o n s of low minority-group s t a t u s are often th rea ten e d t h i s way by the p resum ption of their lo w e r - c la s s brethren. As H u g h e s s u g g e s t s in r eg a rd to in te r -r a c ia l c o lle a g u e relatio ns:
T h e dilemma a r i s e s from che face that, w hile it i s bad for the p r o f e s s i o n to l e t laymen s e e r ifts in th eir ran ks, it may be bad f o r che in dividual to be a s s o c i a t e d in the e y e s of h i s a c t u a l or p o t e n t i a l p a t i e n t s with p e r s o n s , even c o l l e a g u e s , of so d e s p i s e d a group a s t h e Negro. T h e favoured way of avo idin g th e dilemma i s co shun c o n t a c t s with t h e Negro p r o f e s s i o n a l . 1

Similarly, em p lo y ers who p aten tly have lo w e r - c la s s s t a t u s , a s do some American filling s ta tio n m a nage rs, often find that th e ir e m p lo y ee s e x p e c t th a t th e whole o pera tion w ill be conducted in a b a c k s ta g e m anner an d th a t com mands and d ir e c tio n s will be i s s u e d only in a p le a d in g or joking fa shion. Of c o u r s e , t h is kind of threat i s in c re a s e d by the fact th a t n o n -c o lle a g u e s may sim ila rly sim plify the s itu a tio n and judge t h e in d ividual too much by the c o l le g i a l company he kee p s. But here again we deal with i s s u e s th a t ca n n o t be fully explored u n l e s s we ch a n g e the point of r e f e re n c e from one performance to another.
1 Hu g hes an d Hughes, KAere P e o p le Meet, p. 172.

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J u s t a s some p e r s o n s a re th ought co c a u s e difficulty by n>aking too much of their c o lle a g u e s h ip , so o th e rs c a u s e trouble by not m aking enough o f it. It i s a l w a y s p o s s i b l e for a d is a ff e c te d c o lle a g u e to turn r e n e g a d e and sell out to the a u d ien c e the s e c r e t s of the a c t that h is o netim e brethren are still perform ing. Every role has i t s defrocked p r i e s t s to tell us what g o e s on in th e m onastery, and the p r e s s h a s alw a y s shown a liv e ly i n t e r e s t in t h e s e c o n f e s s i o n s and expose's. Thus a d o ctor will d e s c r ib e in print how h i s c o l le a g u e s s p l i t fees, s te a l e a c h o th e r s p a t ie n ts , and s p e c i a l i z e in u n n e c e s s a r y o p e r a tio n s rhar require the kind of a p p a r a tu s w hich g iv e s th e p a tie n t a dram atic medical show for h is money. 1 In Burkes term, we a re thereby su p p lie d with inform ation about th e 'r h e t o r i c of m e d ic in e . J Of co u rse , in a very lim ited s e n s e , whenever any n o n -c o lle a g u e i s allow ed to becom e a confidant, som eone will hav e had to be a renegade. R e n e g a d e s often take a moral sta n d , s a y in g that it is b e tte r to be tr u e to the id e a ls of the role th a n to the performers who f a ls e ly p re se n t th e m s e lv e s in it. A d iffe ren t mode of d isa ffe c tio n o c c u r s when a c o lle a g u e " g o e s n a t i v e or becom es a b a c k slid e r, making no attem pt to m aintain th e kind of front which h is auth o rized s t a t u s m a k es or le a d s h is c o l le a g u e s and th e au d ien c e to e x p e c t of him. Such d e v i a n ts a re s a id to ' l e t down the s i d e . T h u s in th e islan d community stud ied by the writer, the in h a b ita n ts , in an effort to p r e s e n t th e m s e lv e s a s p r o g re s s iv e farm ers to v i s i t o r s from the o u ts i d e world, felt somewhat h o s ti le to the few c ro fters who apparently d id n t care and who refu sed to sh a v e or wash, or c o n s tru c t a front yard, or to su p p la n t the tha tche d roof of th e ir c o ttag e with something le ss sym bolic of tra d itio n a l p e a s a n t s ta tu s . Similarly, in C h ica g o there i s an organ iz atio n of blind war v e t e r a n s who, m ilitant in their d e s ir e not to a c c e p t a p itia b le role, tour the c ity in order to check up on fellow blind men who let down the sid e by ap p e a lin g for a lm s on s tr e e t corners.
L e w i s G. Arrowsmith, 'lercury, XXII, 1-10. ' T h e Young Doctor in New Y o rk , The A merican

^ K en n eth iJurlcc, A R hetoric o f M o tiv e s (New Yor k: P re n t i c e - l l a l l , 1953). r . 171. App lying t h is s t a te m e n t to our p u r p o s e s , we could o b s e r v e t h a t even the m edical equipm ent o f a doctor's o ffice i s n o t to be judged purely for i t s d i a g n o s t i c u s e f u l n e s s , hue a l s o hfi3 a function in the rhetoric o f niedicine. Uliatevef it i s a s a p p a r a t u s , i t a l s o a p p e a l s a s im ag ery; and 1 f ' man h a s been tr e a te d to a fulsom e s c ri e s of t a p p i n g s , sc t u ti n i z i n g s , an d l i s t e n i n g s , with the aid of v a r i o u s s c o p e s , m eter s, and g a u g e s , he. may f e e l c o n t e n t to have p a r t i c i p a t e d a s a p a t i e n t in su ch h istrio n ic a c tiu n , though a b s o lu te ly no m aterial t h in g h a s b een do ne for him, w h e r e a s h e might count h im se lf c h e a t e d if he were given a t e a l cure, bu t without the p a g e a n t r y .

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A final note must be added about c o lle a g u e s h ip . T h ere are some c o l le a g u e grou pings w hose members are rarely held r e s p o n s i b le for e a c h oth e rs good co n d u c t. T h u s m others are in som e r e s p e c t s a c o lle a g u e grouping, and y e t ordinarily the m is d e e d s of one, or her c o n f e s s io n s , do not seem to affect c l o s e l y the r e s p e c t th a t is a c co rd ed the other members. On th e other hand, th e re are c o lle a g u e g ro u p in g s o f a more c o rp o ra te c h a r a c te r , w hose members are so c l o s e l y identified in the e y e s o f oth e r people th a t to so m e d eg re e the good re puta tion of one p r a c titio n e r d e p e n d s on the good conduct of th e o th e rs. If one member is e x p o s ed and c a u s e s a s c a n d a l, th e n all lo s e some public repute. As c a u s e and effect of su c h id e n tif ic a tio n we often find th a t the m embers of the group in g are form ally org an iz ed into a s in g l e c o l le c tiv i ty which is allo w ed to r e p r e s e n t the p ro fe s s io n a l i n t e r e s t s of the grouping an d a llp w e J to d is c ip li n e an y member who t h r e a te n s to d is c r e d it the d efin itio n of th e s iru a tio n fostered by the other members. O bviously, c o l l e a g u e s of th is kind c o n s titu t e a kind of team, a team th a t diffe rs from ordinary te a m s in th a t the mem bers of i t s a u d ien c e are not in im m ediate f ac e-to -fac e c o n ta c t with one an o th er and must com m unicate th e ir r e s p o n s e s to one an o th er at a tim e when the s h o w s they have s e e n a re no longer before them. Similarly, the c o l le g i a l re n e g a d e is a kind of traitor or tu rn coa t. T h e im p lic a tio n s of t h e s e f a c t s about c o l le a g u e groupings force us to modify a li t t l e the original framework of defin itio n s. We m ust in c lu d e a marginal type of ' w e a k 1 a u d ie n c e w hose members are not in f ac e-to -fac e c o n t a c t with one an o th e r during a perform ance, but who come e v e n tu a lly to pool their r e s p o n s e s to the perform ance they have in d e p en d e n tly s e e n . C o lle a g u e groupings are not, of c o u rse , the only s e t s of perform ers who find an a u d i e n c e of th is kind. For exam ple, a departm ent of s ta te or foreign office may lay down the c u rre n t official line to d ip lo m ats who are .s c a tte r e d throughout the world. In their s tr ic t m a in te n an c e of th is line, and in the intim ate co-ordination of the c h a r a c t e r and tim ing of their a c tio n s , th e s e d ip lo m ats o b v io u sly function, or are meant to function, a s a sin g le team p u ttin g on a sin g le world-wide performance. But of c o u r s e , in suc h c a s e s , the s e v e r a l members of the a u d ie n c e are not in im m ediate fa c e - to -f a c e c o n ta c t with one another.

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