Goon baiting

Goon-baiting is an interaction between the prisoner and the guard, or an oppressor, whereby the prisoner, aiming to ensure he is not endangered, ‘plays mind games, or does actions, to confuse or enrage an oppressor to the point of where he’d lose his composure.’[1] Goon-baiting was a term used in WWII.[1]

In WWII, in prisoner-of-war camps, goon-baiting was used amongst prisoners of all nationalities.[1] The French sung banned songs without moving their lips at Appell.[1] It was not quite sabotage; it was an art form, and the aim of goon-baiting was to achieve maximum impact without endangering yourself.[1] Though not all prisoners participated in goon-baiting, some thinking it was bad manners,[2] others thinking it gave any oppressor an opportunity, or more reason to retaliate, therefore it only brought with it more suffering.[3]

Examples of goon-baiting include, one prisoner being counted more than once in Appell in order to cover for a missing comrade, or to sow some confusion;[1] or exaggerated salutes.[1]

Etymology

Some claim the roots of the term ‘goon’ come from a 1930’s cartoon character called Alice the Goon and people also used the term goon to describe an incompetent professional bully.[1] Pete Tunstall claims a fellow prisoner called Bill Fowler was the first to ever coin the term amongst the prisoners and that Fowler referenced a well known comic strip.[4]

See also

Footnotes
  1. Jay (2014), p. 116.
  2. Wilson (2000), p. 82.
  3. Vercoe (2014), p. 86.
  4. Tunstall (2014), Location 2339.

Sources
  • Jay, John (2014). Facing Fearful Odds. United Kingdom: Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473827349.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Tunstall, Peter (2014). The Last Escaper. London, UK: Duckworth. ISBN 978-0-71564-923-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Vercoe, Tony (2006). Survival at Stalag IVB. United Kingdom: McFarland. ISBN 9780786424047.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Wilson, Patrick (11 September 2000). The War Behind the Wire. United Kingdom: Pen and Sword. ISBN 9780850527452.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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