Naomi B. (tripleguess) reviewed on 2/26/2011 + 48 more book reviews

This is just one of many books I previewed because I don't have time to read them all. I flipped to a random page and read that the "broken window theory" doesn't necessarily work, that addressing crime in that way (as was done in NYC) didn't necessarily explain the dramatic drop in crime experienced there.

Well, my mind immediately went to my workplace... because I have seen what happens when the "ignore it and it will go away" theory is applied! First teenage library patrons speak loudly, let their ringtones be disruptive, and use obscene language "but just to their friends."

When ignored, they progress to horseplay, piggyback rides, hitting (again "just their friends")...

At this point when the staff try to shut them down, they have enough momentum to decide they don't want to be shut down! If we have a habitual offender or two in the group, they egg the others on.

If the staff do not call the sheriff, or they do but the sheriff cannot come, these teenagers then block the doorway, call staff b*tch and other lovely names, and refuse to leave.

At this point surely the staff are not the only ones imagining what could happen in this gang-infested area if the sheriff never comes.

Gee. Maybe dealing with the problem right away DOES make a difference. Staff who quickly deal with ringtones and loud talking are less likely to have to face worse behaviors, and they have more time to call the authorities before the situation escalates into something potentially dangerous.

How about parenting? Who is more successful -- the parent who makes their child acknowledge and obey "No" over candy in the checkout line or the parent who waits until their child is a screaming self-centered brat before deciding that some discipline might be in order?

Unimpressed with the author's casual dismissal of a principle I see working (if only in reverse) every single day, I put the book on my "post it" pile. I'm sure other people will say I should have read the whole book and not judge it so hastily, but I dislike being led from "stat to stat" at breakneck pace until the author figures you're convinced that HE is the only reliable source of ultimate conclusions.

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