Monday, February 13, 2012

What have we got to lose?

Several cities are playing classical music in rail stations to try to reduce crime. There aren't definitive results on how well this works. It doesn't worsen crime, and anecdotal-level analysis suggests that there's some improvement.

Suppose it works. Two theories are that most petty criminals are young and don't like hanging around the music, and that "music has charms to soothe the savage breast."

It doesn't cost a lot to implement, and what downside is there? Unless, as one commenter wrote, it turns out to be all Vivaldi. And I've seen a few farewells that might take the wrong hint from a background of the mad scene in Lucia di Lammermoor.

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