We Need More Cranks…

Yesterday I’ve read an article in Reader’s Digest (March n1998) about cranks by John Tierney. Who are they? Here is an example: Mrs. Seigel. As author of the article tells, Mrs. Seigel was distracted by a couple of teen-age girls loudly exchanging obscenities. And when one of them threw an empty bottle, Mrs. Seigel said: “You pick that up!” Girl was surprised, but she didn’t begin to argue, maybe she was experiencing a novel feeling – shame. Author said, that after this incident he founded himself asking boom-box carriers to turn down the volume, and when someone discarded a piece of paper, he returned it helpfully saying, “You dropped this.” After the unpleasant event in metropolitan with the young guy, who scratched his initials on the subway window, the author began to seek guidance from Robert Axelrod, who worked on the esoteric approach called game theory to devise strategies for dealing with boors. Axelrod studied a situation in which two players must choose either to “cooperate” for mutual benefit or to “defect” by acting selfishly. Then here is a description of situation when 2 drivers listening to different radio stations, while waiting for the green traffic lights. Cooperating, by do not cranking up the volume, they both are satisfied. But if one turns the volume up, a principle “tit for tat” begin to act. And when the music become so loud, that it begins to disturb dozens of apartment dwellers someone have to punish boors, or they will become more obnoxious. In other words, we need more cranks. In conclusion author returns to the Mrs. Seigel, who just turned 92. “ If someone on the street makes noise”, she said, “ I would just go right out and say, ‘Hey, cut it out! You’re annoying people. You don’t live alone in this world.’”I completely agree with the author and Mrs. Seigel also. Boors have to be rebuked!

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