James Q. Wilson and Broken Windows Policing

Media coverage of the death of conservative political scientist James Q. Wilson on March 2 correctly identified him as the originator of “broken windows policing” and blithely assumed such policing had been successful. Ross Douthat’s column in the New York Times of March 4, for example, said that Wilsonian policing had resulted in “the low crime rates that have made urban areas from Portlandia to Brooklyn safe for left-wing hipsters and Obama-voting professionals alike.”

The basic premise of “broken windows” policing is that criminals are encouraged when neighborhoods look decayed. However, if police crack down on such things as broken windows, public urination, graffiti, panhandlers, and prostitutes, neighborhood pride is restored and residents are more likely to stand up against crime. Eventually, the theory goes, criminals will get the message and give up their nefarious ways.

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Pop Culture and Ideology

It’s common to assume American popular culture leads only to mindless escape, but in a recent speech to Communist Party officials President Hu Juntao of China warned that American popular culture might have a much more dangerous effect. He noted that Transformers 3 was a top-grossing film in China and also that the songs of Lady Gaga were as popular as those of any Chinese singer. Hu suggested the United States and other nations are westernizing and dividing China as he spoke and pop cultural works were weapons in this onslaught. Hu urged the Chinese to understand the seriousness of the struggle for Chinese cultural integrity and to always “sound the alarms and remain vigilant.”

Perhaps Hu is exaggerating the dangers, especially with regard to the fundamental aspects of Chinese culture. It’s hard to imagine Transformers 3 doing much damage to Confucian ethics or the Chinese sense of community and solidarity. However, Hu is correct when he suggests popular culture can and routinely does promote certain values and modes of behavior. It is highly normative. Popular culture – films, television shows, cheap literature – have the potential to function ideologically, and consumers of popular culture in China as well as in the United States are encouraged to “get on board” with the social world popular culture imagines and promotes.

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SUVs and the Security State

Some thought higher gas prices would once and for all end the popularity of SUVs, but the demand for SUVs remained high during 2011. Sales totals for Ford’s Explorer and the Chrysler Groups’ Grand Cherokee, to cite only two SUV models, were higher than in 2010. How might one explain the continuing popularity of these gas-guzzlers which are so prone to rollovers and braking failures?

Studies suggest Americans’ continuing fears about international, domestic, and personal security are part of the answer. Market researchers have in the past found SUV and van purchasers tended to be demographically similar (relatively affluent married couples in their forties with children), but the researchers also discovered that on average SUV purchasers were edgier, less social people with strong fears of crime. It also appears SUV purchasers had less sexual confidence than van purchasers! While SUVs are often advertised as off-road vehicles, few SUV owners drive their vehicles off-road. Instead, SUVs seem to provide many owners with presumably secure private sanctuaries where they might tend to their fears. (See Keith Bradsher, “Delving Into the Pysche of SUV and Minivan Buyers,” Financial Post, July 18, 2000, C3.)

To some extent, the Hummer was the ultimate SUV. A military vehicle used by the armed forces in the First Gulf War, the Hummer was redesigned as a civilian family vehicle, albeit one that maintained its militaristic panache. The recession spelled the end of the Hummer what with its ten-miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency, but Hummers on the streets of American cities at the turn of the century wonderfully suggested the bourgeoning security consciousness. Huge numbers of Americans have a bunker mentality. They are afraid of terrorists, crime, and often social life in general.

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