One of the most effective weapons my older brother used against me was shame. Whether or not it was justified, he rarely missed an opportunity to embarrass me. Shame is a great behavior modifier, at least for most people.
The other half of the equation is that we are not nearly as accountable to society as we used to be. When I was a child, any adult in the neighborhood was free to reprimand me. I grew up knowing that any adult could lecture me, and I’d have to stand there and take it. I had to apologize even if I didn’t think I was wrong, because the failure to do so was “sass.” And then I’d go home, knowing my mother would have been informed by the time I got there. If I didn’t have a good explanation, a spanking was in order.
The new surveillance system that has been installed in some parts of England seems to be the modern substitute for the old shame/accountability combo we experienced as children.
Big Brother is not only watching you – now he’s barking orders too. Britain’s first ‘talking’ CCTV cameras have arrived, publicly berating bad behaviour and shaming offenders into acting more responsibly.
The system allows control room operators who spot any anti-social acts – from dropping litter to late-night brawls – to send out a verbal warning: ‘We are watching you’.
I really hate that it’s gotten this impersonal. On the other hand, a stern look at a litterbug just seems to generate hostility. (I’ve tried.) As a society we no longer seem willing to police ourselves, and we’re not going to be able to afford enough police to do it – and if we could, I want them working on serious crimes, not littering.
The Mail on Sunday watched as a cyclist riding through a pedestrian area was ordered to stop.
‘Would the young man on the bike please get off and walk as he is riding in a pedestrian area,’ came the command.
The surprised youth stopped, and looked about. A look of horror spread across his face as he realised the voice was referring to him.
He dismounted and wheeled his bike through the crowded streets, as instructed.
I think this will work – and be fairly effective – until the first emotional distress lawsuit is filed by someone who says they were unfairly fussed at, made to suffer public embarrassment, and now need to be compensated.
I must respectfully disagree.
I think it is a modern day bandaid approach to our loss of interest in parental skills and society’s intrusion upon the ability for the few caring parents remaining to still impose corrective action. It is a reflexive cave-in to a true Big Brother solution with far reaching, long term implications to our individual and collective privacy. It is certainly no surprise to me that it is first sourced in Great Britain, the home of the ornamental unarmed police force.
“Stop, I say! …or I shall say Stop again!”
I sure enjoyed your reminiscing of how things went when we were children, though. I think we relinquished those days when we didn’t have to. Sadly, it is at the expense of everyone’s children and, therefore, everyone’s tomorrow.