Saturday, December 1, 2007

The messages we send

I realize it's been awhile since my last post. The past couple of were heavy with work, but I had a great opportunity to go to Phuket earlier this week for 4 days! Thanks BBDO ;) (more about this on the next post)

On the way home from the air-port, passing through the USJ housing area, I realized something about the way we've started barricading ourselves in. (If you're not familiar with the practice, think of it as a housing area sealing off all entrances/exits and posting a guard house at the designated point)

I think the default thought is that it's making things safer for the community (at least the ones in the barricade). However... I believe that subconsciously, this has a negative effect overall for the long run. Here's the equation that I think might happen instead:

The barricade represents a blatant acknowledgment that there ARE active criminals around. The longer the barricade is up, and the more of them you continue to see represents that things aren't getting better. If I were a criminal, I might be inclined to feel part of a larger majority now, thus giving me a 'safety in numbers' feeling.

If you were an 'invading' force, and your enemy has shifted from offense to defense, would you feel like you're winning the battle? I'd think so.

So what can a local community do to make it safer, without making things worse in the long run?

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