By dk, dm, co
While you are walking down the streets of our village, you see “420” written on broken down buildings or letters missing from public signs. Some of wreckage is left alone because it’s not worth repairing, while other buildings are cared for. For instance, the school maintains its appearance because it has great maintenance staff who repair the damages. The buildings that are left alone aren’t so fortunate because they don’t have anyone to maintain them. These are just some of the effects of vandalism that are noticeable through the naked eye.
However, there are some effects that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Emotional effects caused by the vandal(s) won’t be as detectable as the physical effects. But that doesn’t mean that the emotional effects aren’t there. They gradually build up inside and eventually come out verbally (whispers, rumors) or orally (written). Then these effects are exposed to everyone around the Norton Sound, opening an opportunity for them to judge. Destruction in a village or town creates a poor impression to visitors. The visitors tend to look at the village with discrimination and disrespect. As a result, vandalism undeniably leaves an impression, whether it’s good—sympathy—or bad.
Vandalism also creates a bad impression for the younger generation, causing them to think it’s necessary to follow in the steps of their role models. If Billy sees Bobby vandalizing, then Billy may be compelled to do so, too. Then it is set off like a chain reaction. Billy may walk around town looking for something to break like windows, or a house to terrorize because he was encouraged by what he saw. Something like that may not have happened if the ruinous Billy were to set a good example and think twice about the consequences.
When any type of sport is coming up, the students get all jumpy and excited because they think that they are going to be competing in the activity. Then the sad news comes from the coach saying the school didn’t have enough funds to pay for the trip. Another scenario would be when the teachers aren’t able to get better teaching supplies because the money was used to repair damages that the vandals committed. Students could have came home with medals or trophies and a feeling of accomplishment. The teachers also could have had experimental projects to make learning more fun and interactive for the students. Instead all the money goes to repairing wreckages. You see, the damage that was caused not only affected the appearance, but it also affected the students’ education.
Scientists have been asking the same question for decades. “What causes some neighborhoods to thrive, while others decay?” That question lead to the Broken-Windows theory. It works just like a cliché’. The more a line is said, the less of a meaning or effect it has. Just like the Broken-Windows theory. The more that people see little problems like litter, graffiti, or shattered glass, the less of an effect they have on the people. Eventually, the people drift away and ignore those problems. As a result, they won’t be fixed. And even when they get fixed, it doesn’t mean that ‘those measures alone would keep people from moving or bring people back.’ (Morin) To keep our village from ‘decaying’ or fading away, vandalism preferably should do the same.
As more vandalism occurs, children are encouraged by it and think they’re able to follow in the steps of criminal behavior. People who leave a bad impression on our younger generations makes them think that it is OK to litter and use graffiti around the village. The more people vandalize, the less of an impression that makes on the village, according to the Broken-Windows theory. As vandalism increases, the student’s privileges decrease as well. There are vital consequences for vandalism. These are just some of the effects of vandalism that aren’t noticeable through the naked eye.
Morin, Richard. “ A Crack in the Broken-Windows Theory.” The Washington Post. January 30, 2005.
The Washington Post Company. 1996-2009. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles /A46381-2005Jan29.htm>.