Philosoraptor

Sunday, November 23, 2008

A Bit of Confirmation for the Broken Windows Theory

Described at The Economist.

lovable liberal said...: It would be interesting to see how the different tolerances of demographic segments figure in where the threshold lies for them. I find that fear is often a trait of conservatives, and they often seem to me to react against the smallest urban ugliness. Liberals see the grime and litter, but it doesn't seem to put them off so much. For example, a little tagging may make the conservative feel under siege, while the liberal doesn't feel that way (maybe the liberal doesn't worry enough about this).

Against that, in more rural East Tennessee as a teen, I couldn't help noticing the squalor amidst natural beauty. Did liberals feel under siege about that? Not me, but what about others? Dismay, I think, at the contrast, but I remember fears being more specific. (Counterpoint to tough-minded liberals: I also recall driving across Mississippi at dusk, and my mother was seriously creeped out by the absence of people. Of course, it was a time when the KKK might have attacked anyone from out of state, even a white family from next door.)

In any case, the ETenn conservatives did not feel under siege, so my hypothesis may be all wet. On the other hand, it's true that everyone was white, and there were strong means of social enforcement, and the biggest argument was between Bud and Miller.; 10:57 AM