Catch-22 is strongly critical of many societal institutions, including medicine, business, religion, government, and the military. Are Heller’s criticisms still valid? How do your experiences with large societal institutions—such as the public school system, your church, your community—compare with those in Catch-22? Support your response with relevant and insightful details.
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I believe that Heller's criticisms are still very applicable today. Throughout Catch-22, there were many instances of problems or inefficiency caused by these institutions having unnecessary rules, simply because large institutions do. One example that stands out to me is the parades that the men are forced to go through for no reason in Chapter 8. These are a waste of time and energy for men who are supposed to be training for war. It seems comparable to the safety tests that returning members of the liberty rifle team are forced to take each year, which wastes training time and energy. We already know what we are doing, but the rotc administrators simply have extra rules that must be followed, as large institutions do.
ReplyDeleteHeller's criticisms are perhaps more valid now than they were then. The truth is that, the larger the institution, the larger the liability, and the more seemingly unneccessary precautions.
ReplyDeleteJohn's rifle team comment is applicable to nearly every aspect of public schooling. Sports teams waste time with basic training and rules when most of them are obvious and logical. Classes (at least most of them) still have students return signed syllabi, even though any student taking the course knows they are taking the course, without signing a piece of paper to acknowledge that they know it.
The above formalities are like when Captain Black makes the soldiers sign a ridiculous number of loyalty oaths. Many of them are pointless, but the system doesn't give any other choice. If you don't turn in your paperwork or get your syllabus signed, you cannot participate, or in the case of the soldiers, will get blacklisted.
Though Heller's complaint is valid, in our growing world full of interweaving systems and groups, organization is neccessary. For those in power, one way to organize is by forcing people to jump through hoops just to get anything done.
As with the two comments above, I strongly agree that Heller's criticisms are valid, but probably more valid today than they were back when the book was published. As John says, many large institutions make these monotonous rules and procedures and while many may think that they are ridiculous, I think that some of them are quite relevant, depending on the situation.
ReplyDeleteIn Catch-22, it is obvious that many of the occurrences of ridiculous protocols do not make sense, examples including the Great Loyalty Oath Crusade, the parades, the constant increase in required flights, the list goes on. However, in our world today, I believe that less of this goes on in professional organizations such as businesses and schools. The places where these instances seem to occur more are in social organizations such as churches, various clubs, etc. The reason for this belief is that in most professional organizations, one has to go through countless procedures, write their signatures on so many documents, and verify their credibility because the institution is trying to prevent a future occurrence in which the safety of the institution might be on the line. The same does not go for many social organizations, though. One chooses to be a part of the institution and follows these protocols merely because those in charge tell them to, because it is the "norm". It all depends on one's point of view, but for many of those on the outside, the severity of the manipulation of certain institutions is plain as day to see.
Heller’s criticisms are, as previously stated, still applicable; if not more so. Sports and ROTC are excellent examples of institutions pushing monotonous protocol; another activity similar to ROTC drill is Liberty Marching Band.
ReplyDeleteDuring the first week of August you can see the band, on the field practicing marching techniques that three quarters of the band already knows. This might not be the big institution protocol that is dealt with in Catch 22 but more like “Donley Protocol”. For the first day of band camp we march back-and-forth, in intervals of 8 steps, 16 steps, 32 steps, over and over. So for any senior who has done this for three years, it gets boring pretty fast. Its main purpose is to teach the new band members how to move across the field without sticking out and remind those who have forgotten, how to march.
The soldiers in the novel are required to do pointless activities such as parades or sign twenty loyalty oaths per day just so they can go about their business. Any institution has this problem, and Heller’s criticisms are valid but there are some things, like safety protocols that are important to go over. Most likely everyone knows the safety drills that are relevant to their occupation or school, but just like marching band, the newbie’s have to know certain things for any number of reasons. Heller’s criticisms are relevant, especially since there are more big institutions around, but I think that there are some protocols that, even though they waste time for those who know about them are required for good reason. And some silly precations must be taken just for the sake of keeping control over large groups of people.
The frustrating yet necessary nature of protocols, rifle drills, and incessant band marching is exactly the contradicting reality that Heller wished to render in Catch-22, an at times nauseating love hate relationship. The fact is that we all hate the monotony whether that be signing syllabus after syllabus or trekking down to the field for our monthly dose of mid-morning fire drill. We throw back our heads in frustration and annoyance time and time again. However when we review the alternative, that is not having them at all, we find ourselves at the risk of being unprepared in times when such ineptitude could place us all in a less than favorable position.
ReplyDeleteAre there still institutions such as hospitals or schools, facets of government, and procedures today that could be far more efficient and effective? Absolutely, and for that reason I say Heller's criticisms are indeed still very much valid and perhaps more so as our social institutions become further complex and integral in the way our society is run.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with most when said that Heller's point are still totally applicable to today. One thing that I think of when thinking of the Public school system is sports. Every knows that you have to fill out that beefy packet everytime you sign up for a sport. But whats the point when this exact information is on file when registered for school? It's called a waste of paper. I can understand refilling out the physical every time because crazy things can happen and our bodies change all the time but the other imformation should be kept in a sports imformation file in the school and just make changes when necessary. Filling out the packet is a long tedious process that is silly and can be changed to be more efficient.
ReplyDeleteWhen you really think about it, all large corporations have the silly rules in order to keep the company safe but it is still frustrating to the general public. Another example is one for the school system which are the many syllabi that students collect on the first day of classes. We are becoming young adults and certainly most of us know what the class is about and to be respectful of the classroom environment. Yes I like the free points but it is another waste of paper.
When you think about it, all companies could certainly become more efficient and hassle free if they wanted to. With this statement I believe to be true, it just shows that Heller's critism is accurate and probably always will be because nothing is ever perfect.
While in catch 22 there is a plethora of formalities that make the system inefficient, the greatest source of these formalities and of general inefficiency is the desire of those in power to cover their own butts and propel their own careers. This is a problem my family witnessed at the end of the last school year. My mom works as a braillist for the Issaquah School District. At the end of their year the people in charge of the visually impaired programs nearly cut her entire department as a result of both their motive to look good by cutting back and of their resultant failure to be creative and find a solution to the imminent problem of filling the open position in her department.
ReplyDeleteThe decision they almost made (to cut the entire department) would have given them a pretty nasty public image as it would have greatly inconvenienced around 20 blind/visually impaired kids. Not only would they have fewer resources, but they would also have to get up hours earlier to be bussed almost out of district to receive an education that included living as a visually impaired person. Parents would have been furious, and any face that they would have saved by cutting back spending would have been ruined.
This reminds me of Colonel Cathcart, who, in an attempt to stand out in a good way only ends up pissing off the masses. Eventually the masses start causing problems for him in return, leading to general inefficiency in the entire group. Mostly Yossarian. In this case, my mom is Yossarian, because she stood up for the department and it's students and found a relatively easy way to fill the open position and continue to give the visually impaired kids a decent school environment. And to keep her job.
My mom even got in trouble (much like Yossarian) momentarily for speaking up because it didn't provide 'a united front' in the face of the parents. However, my mom had no other opportunity to voice her idea, as she had never met her boss before that meeting. Just as it would be way more efficent and less embarrassing to the district if such officials were reachable, it would be easier to get answers out of Major Major if he wasn't busily not taking anyone until he is gone.Overall, both the upper military people of Catch 22 and the upper people of the scholastic world of public education should stop trying so hard to cover their butts, and just take a path that doesn't require them to. IE, the easy one.
I agree with the statements above that Hiller’s criticisms are still relevant today, but like Alexis pointed out I feel some of the monotonous tasks we do, such as filling out excessive paperwork and signing syllabi, are still necessary things. Syllabi are contracts between kids, parents, and teachers stating the rules of the classroom and that the teacher’s expectations will be followed or the student will accept the consequences. With a syllabi the students are aware exactly what the expectations are and what the punishment system is. Signing that paper means you take responsibility for your actions and you are fully aware of what could result from your actions. Sports paperwork is also still important because it provides information needed in case of emergencies.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that Heller’s criticism of the health system is still relevant. He describes it as uncaring and just about pointless. Doc Daneeka should be concerned with the men he is taking care of, but instead he is only concerned with how sick he is and how he feels. Instead of sending people home he is afraid of what might happen to him so he remains negligent. Still today hospitals and doctor’s offices are run like businesses not care facilities. One of their main goals is to get money out of you. Doctors spend only a few minutes with patients, just enough to tell them what’s wrong and send them to the next medical professional, the same way Gus and Wes pass most people who come into the medical tent seeking help off to the hospital.
In my experience with doctors I sit in the waiting room for 10 to 20 minutes and then I am called back by a brisk nurse who never really listens to me just writes down what I have to say. After they leave I wait some more and finally get to see the doctor, who asks the same questions as the nurse and spends their time with me shining lights in my ears, eyes, and mouth. The doctor only spend a few minutes getting to know me and then leaves, the next time I go to the doctor I meet a new person and have to start the process over again. The doctors don’t spend enough time with me to get to know me or my problems just like the doctors in Catch-22.
As I'm reading through what my classmates have said about monotomous protocols, the first thing that comes to mind is any standardized test. Take your pick, the WASL, the Stanford, the PSAT, The SAT. Any test that involves a proctor, really. We all know that little apology that whatever poor teacher has been chosen as the proctor gives. "Bear with me, guys. I know this is going to be long, but yes. I really do have to read all of these instructions out loud." Even though most people who have been in the public school system long enough to take these tests are more than capable of reading these instructions to ourselves, rules are still rules, and it's always better to be safe than sorry. Michelle and Michael both brought up the good point of paperwork. As a swimmer and tennis player, I've had to do my fair share of those super fun athletic packets. (Am I right, guys? Who doesn't love filling out 10 pages of paperwork every season?) As my parents and I are signing them, I realize that half of these papers all say the same thing. Even though this is my fourth year swimming and playing tennis, I still have to sign a paper informing me what to do if I get a concussion, no matter how many times that procedure has been drilled into me. Although I do find the criticisms present in Catch-22 extremely entertaining, I do have to take the institution's side. I know we've all heard a teacher or administrator say, "This only exists because someone broke it." All the monotomous protocols are meant for "that guy", and it's better to be safe than sorry.
ReplyDeleteDylan Said...
ReplyDeleteHeller's criticisms are extremely applicable today because large institutions always have large amounts of rules and regulations that do not always apply to everyone or everywhere. Whether it be tests or monotonous tasks, the things we do are sometimes very necessary. The first thing that comes to my mind is the numerous papers and meetings that must be signed and attended for sports, not to mention the large amount of money that goes into the sport. I belive that this system is a little inefficient, much like the system that the troops must go through during the war.
We all hate the small monotonous tasks that are necessities in our lives and so did the troops during the war.