Bill Donohue
Unlike many sociologists, Travis Hirschi understands human nature. His specialty is crime. Rather than asking why some people commit crimes, he aptly observes that the right question is why not everyone commits crimes.
To understand his point of view, you have to apply his logic to children. What do responsible parents do so often? They constantly use the word “no.” This is because it is natural for us to satisfy our desires and longings, and this can often be harmful or even dangerous for others.
It’s the same with adults. If we see something we like in a store, what stops us from stealing it? If we’ve been socialized properly, we know that stealing is morally wrong. But what if we haven’t been socialized properly? Then our instinct tells us to take what we want. Now, we may refrain from stealing because we’re afraid of getting caught, and because stealing is a crime, we may be punished, even imprisoned.
What happens when we steal, get caught, and get a slap on the wrist? If this is the new normal, then it’s only a matter of time before word gets out that breaking the law to get what we want hardly matters. Only a fool would think that this wouldn’t lead to a rise in crime.
We are a nation ruled by many idiots, especially the officials in the big cities. The breakdown of social order that is now commonplace was entirely predictable. Take New York City.
Before the pandemic, one in five New York City bus riders didn’t pay their fare. Now it’s one in two. Nearly a million people ride the bus every day, and in 2022, fare evasion cost the city about $315 million in lost revenue. It’s not hard to figure out why.
In 2008, a bus driver was stabbed to death in Brooklyn. He was killed after telling a passenger that he had to pay. The transit union responded to this tragic incident by asking bus drivers not to question those who refused to pay. Word got around and there was soon an increase in fare evaders.
Why has the number of fare dodgers increased from 18 percent in 2018 to 48 percent? Because word has spread that even violent crimes are rarely or not punished at all. It’s not hard to imagine what the gangsters will do to the fare dodgers when they are caught and released.
Only a fool would be surprised.
The fools are Alvin Bragg, the George Soros-funded Manhattan District Attorney responsible for the no bail, catch and release, and law policies. Another fool is the only person who can fire him: Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York State (she inherited the policies of her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, also a fool). Indirectly, they have sent the message to bus riders that there are no consequences for fare evasion.
All of this trickles down. What is happening here is a variation of the “broken window” theory. For example, when residents of an apartment complex notice that broken windows are rarely repaired, it has a kind of cascade effect: it leads to an indifferent attitude toward misbehavior, which in turn leads to an escalation of more serious crimes.
Responsible parents don’t wait until their child does something seriously wrong before disciplining them. Yes, some parents can be overbearing, and that’s not a virtue. We’re talking about reasonable parents here.
They understand that if their child isn’t held accountable for relatively minor infractions, they’re unlikely to stop. Just as it’s stupid to wait until a fire breaks out literally next door to them to call the fire department, it’s stupid to not act when Johnny keeps going overboard.
Some urban problems are difficult to solve, others are easy. All you need is common sense and the will to act accordingly. You just have to keep the fools at bay.
