Broken Windows Theory
So does that mean the concerns of Prabz and Narayanan sir are irrelevant? Not at all. If India is fine with democracy, then what is the answer to the corruption in the machinery, gross indiscipline in the community in general? How are we going to discipline ourselves without losing our democracy?
What is the position of Newspapers today? Do they have the freedom to write on the burning, critical issues of the country?
How come Imrana’s case is seen as Uniform Civil COde issue rather than a Criminal case. The charge is rape remember?(rightly pointed out by PB.Enakku adhu varaikum uraikalai frankly)
How are we going to handle the increasing belligerence of the minority community in the name of secularism?
Is there any precedent in a democracy where what was once a rowdy place has improved later? If yes, where and what measures were taken? And is there any logic or pattern which helps us understand the phenomenon of crime, indiscipline and lawlessness and how the menace can be tackled within the ambits of democracy.
And no Anniyan,Indian and any other Shankar jokes please, we are talking serious business here.
During the 1980s, New York city averaged well over 2000 murders and 6000 serious felonies a year. Every one of the 6000 cars in the Transit Authority Fleet, with the exception of midtown shuttle , was covered with graffiti- top to bottom, inside and out.
Fare evasion was so commonplace that it was costing the Transit Authority as much as $150 million loss in revenues annually. There were about 15000 felonies on the system a year. The crime rate was at its peak in 1990.
But by 1996, New York had become the one of the safest big city in US.
Broken Windows Theory
First expressed by political scientist James Q. Wilson and criminologist George Kelling in an article for The Atlantic Monthly in 1982, the theory holds that if someone breaks a window in a building and it is not quickly repaired, others will be emboldened to break more windows. Eventually, the broken windows create a sense of disorder that attracts criminals, who thrive in conditions of public apathy and neglect.
The theory was based on an experiment conducted 26 years ago by Stanford University psychologist Philip Zimbardo. He took two identical cars, placing one on a street in a middle-class Palo Alto neighborhood and the other in a tougher neighborhood in the Bronx. The car in the Bronx, which had no license plate on it and was parked with its hood up, was stripped within a day.
The car in Palo Alto sat untouched for a week, until Zimbardo smashed one of its windows with a sledgehammer. Within a few hours, it was stripped.
The germ of the idea is simple and compelling. A broken window–or a littered sidewalk, a graffito, or what you like–does no great harm to a neighborhood if promptly addressed. But left untended, it sends a signal: that no one cares about this neighborhood, that it is a safe place to break things, to litter, to vandalize. Those who engage in such behaviors will feel safe here. And once these minor miscreants have become well established, perhaps it will seem a safe enough neighborhood in which to be openly drunk, in which to beg for money, and possibly extort it. In short the smallest symptoms of antisocial behavior will, left to fester, breed greater and greater crimes, all the way down to murder.
Going by these yardsicks, is not the whole of India, with a few streets as glorious exceptions, a complete mess of “Broken Windows”?
If yes, how do we fix this? Or how did New York fix this?
Former Commissioner Bratton first tested this strategy while he was commanding the New York Transit Police.
More on that later…
Reference:
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
July 16th, 2005 at 10:53 pm
Hoorey, first to comment
Each one should take responsibility of fixing social problems. That type of attitude should be built right from childhood. What we need is a reform in the educational system which places its emphasis on self- confidence and character building more than reasoning and logic. We need to focus and emphasize the importance of leading a good social life than studying to satisfy the intellectual curiosity.
July 16th, 2005 at 11:23 pm
Hi kasthuri
what u say is true. but things are pretty complex in real life.
for eg.
what abt present day scenario?
u and me will not go to Vyasarpadi to rectify things:)
July 17th, 2005 at 12:06 am
Good work Prabhu, I haven’t heard about the Palto Alto incident…so far. What you’ve said is 100% true.
There should be a start. How to do it..is a a million dollar question.
As I’ve always advocated - Democracy doesn’t work in India the way it was intended to. People don’t care..don’t want to care.
Bottom line force them, police them until things are under control.
IMHO that’s the only way out. Take all these Broken Windows like Ideas and mould it to suit India.
With 1Billion Plus and growing by the nano second, so much of corruption etc…Democracy has to be laid to rest for a few years…! Untill..Until…India…can handle democracy.!
PS - Force the idiots to Vote.! People who don’t Vote have to be put in prison. !
July 17th, 2005 at 10:21 am
PK, wat india needs is someone who is a part of the shakadai called politics but can keep hisher head above it,
every societywhich has gone thru a drastic change has always had good leaders, people who can lead the masses.
secondly the leader had a support system which aided the leaders actions. in india will manmohan focus on governence or on keeping his flock together? he has ppl like laloo who think they shud be pm and keep giving him troubles. a good leader needs loyalty, people who will die for them,for whom the leaders word if daiva vaku.
namba ooruilla i cant think of any1 like tat, no 1, the person who comes closest is APJA kalam, no 1 else.
inikku uda avar oru meeting illa pesarar na nan poi meeting a attend panuven, and i am not the one who will attend such meetings ususally
July 17th, 2005 at 4:15 pm
Vatsan
lets face it. if politics is going to be the way it is. not too many good people will enter it i tell u.
see, it simple.
those who enter know what to expect, those who dont know what they may have to compromise. so its a tough situation.
i think 2 things shud happen.
1. education, moral values etc. this is fundamental level
2. second is factor of visible change. people shud also feel that something is happeneing for the better. only then they can come into governance more conifdently.
Nee irukkey. when u want to go for a walk/jog along the beach will u go to an area which is considered a mugging spot ot will u go to a spot where people normally jog?
we are expecting one sacrifical goat. but thats not the way to govern. someone truly great may come. but our actions shud not wait for that someone. our machinery,strategy shud get into action for the moment forgetting abt such great person for the present.
July 17th, 2005 at 8:46 pm
i have blogrolled u
July 17th, 2005 at 9:10 pm
pk, konjam time kudungol, en views on the topica oru bloga pottuderan,
July 17th, 2005 at 9:46 pm
chennai pages
thank u. i too will blogroll u. long time pending thing.
See? another instance of broken windows:)
July 17th, 2005 at 9:46 pm
vatsan
sure.
nee kalakkipodu. i am eager to read yr views.
July 18th, 2005 at 5:12 pm
hi first time visitor
your post does raise serious questions. it is true that when no one cares all things go to hell at the same time. first we need to look at India,
see the poverty, surely we aren’t going to teach ethics and social responsibility to kids who wallow in dirt on the platforms in obvious hunger ( even as I write this I feel ashamed at my helplessness to cahnge things)
some of them may become problematic and surely some do but without getting at the root how can we solve a problem.
besides you must know that Indians always think it’s the other guy’s problem ( think of the last time you were in India in the middle of a blackout, if you wanted to call the EB you would have been told it’s everyone’s problem and surely someone wil call)
the problem here is the call may be late.
you want a society where everyone is comfortable and friendly. nice idea but I think we cannot expect this to happen.. believe me as far as the imperfections in society are concerned they have their roots in economic, social and political considerations. to change everything you need to address all at he same time and at multiple levels.
whew, seriously I agree with Gandhi when he said Truth and Non violence are paramount. if this can be taken to the people of India after giving them ALL a means of respectable existence our country will become a role model for all others.
check out my blog
www.dwaarakavaasin.blogspot.com
July 18th, 2005 at 6:08 pm
i can only tell this..india needs manymany more responsible citizens like me…
hehe
July 18th, 2005 at 7:16 pm
Narayanan sir,
sorry respond panna marandhutten.
how to rectify? there has been instances..
for eg New York.
Even in local Punjab in 80s and Punjab now.
more on that hopefully today.
velai irukku:)
July 18th, 2005 at 7:17 pm
Anand
welcome to yr blog. my responses to yr comments will be part of my next post
July 18th, 2005 at 7:17 pm
Monu
sure sure;)
btw adhai naanga sollanum:-)
July 18th, 2005 at 7:58 pm
monu nee ioiio classmate, ne responsible, i have my doubts..
July 18th, 2005 at 8:22 pm
This is a serious issue as u said ritely! I need to read it more and comment on it…
but one thing as a passer by!
Democracy as the definition goes is :
The political orientation of those who favor government BY the people or BY their elected representatives
so it is in our hands..but how we do it is the main question….
do we raise the standard of education system? Trust me PK , from where I stand I can see India having the best of the available system as per education….the point is how many get to taste it….that is where again it is in our hands!
Understanding crime and indiscipline is tough !!! coz every individual irrespective of caste , creed and nationality is different in his own thinking…so his take on crime is different frommy take..
I know am talking gibbeish here..but lemme get back with a strong comment on this
so lemme ponder more on it and write in detail!
July 19th, 2005 at 1:34 am
Prabu Karthik
Best blog I have read today.
Came here thro fellow vivekite Srivatsan.
Excellent man
July 19th, 2005 at 6:13 am
engai ungallin post??
July 19th, 2005 at 6:32 am
IBH
super… neengalum yosichu eludhunga:)
July 19th, 2005 at 6:32 am
Ganesh
thanks ganesh.
btw neenga dhaane andha ghannubhai?:-)
July 19th, 2005 at 6:33 am
vatsan
koncham work pressure da.
i will sure post it asap.
July 19th, 2005 at 6:44 am
Prabhu,
I’ll wait for your response from you.!
How is Punjab now.? I am not sure.! All I see is Punjabis around me….several of them migrated using ‘Khalistan’.!
July 19th, 2005 at 8:54 am
hi PK.. nice one.. but if you can make is shorter, it would be sweeter than now.
July 19th, 2005 at 10:11 am
Narayanan sir,
i had punjab in mind since sunday. browsed and got this link.
Ram,
andha punjab matter padinga, en blog post smalla theriyum
what u say is true. the size of my posts discourages many readers from trying it out