We Brought this on Ourselves

Santosh Desai rightly condemns what followed the Ram Rahim verdict:
“What we saw in Panchkula and elsewhere was a surrender to a force that had no official standing, but was able to cause carnage without fear or hesitation.”
He wonders if private armies are the norm?
“Gau rakshaks and anti-Romeo squads are examples of how unregulated islands of muscle are used to enforce an agenda through intimidation and the use of informal power.”

While I don’t deny any of Desai’s criticism, perhaps we should also check how we landed here? Is it a case of the Arab and his camel: did we start by giving an inch because it seemed inconsequential and before we knew it, the camel’s in the tent?

After all, do we not allow weddings (especially in North India) and religious institutions to block roads and blare away via their loudspeakers? Do we not allow every random set of people to say they are offended by something or the other, and then let them dictate what gets banned (remember the ban on Satanic Verses)? Having allowed the first group to dictate terms, how then can we argue against the next group that demands the same?

In fact, there is a well-known theory on how best to fight crime called the “broken window theory” that makes this exact point. It was made famous by its application (and apparent results) in New York in the 80’s. Here’s how its founders explained the theory:
“Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it's unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside.”
Their solution? Go after the smaller crimes as hard as you can. Set that as the norm (even small crimes will be prosecuted), let that become the signal for vandals and criminals to see. If they don’t get an inch, they don’t go for a mile (or the entire tent).

Not taking this approach leads to disastrous consequences... eventually. The worst error lies in tolerating such things saying it’s only a few people or just a tiny minority or a handful of fanatics. Because, as Nassim Nicholas Taleb writes:
“It is the most intolerant person who imposes virtue on others precisely because of that intolerance.”
Taleb’s solution?
“So, we need to be more than intolerant with some intolerant minorities.”

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