Member-only story
There are consequences to being kind ….
In our desire to foster an inclusive community, we often tell ourselves to be tolerant and understanding of those around us. Unfortunately, this can lead to unintended consequences because when we turn a blind eye towards minor transgressions or acts of incivility, we are inadvertently normalizing such behaviors.
According to the broken window theory – mooted by James Wilson and George Kelling in the 1980s – visible signs of disorder and neglect only encourages more and serious disorders eventually resulting in criminal activity. That small act of littering, left unpunished, will gradually escalate into more serious anti-social behaviors like vandalism and bullying.
As such, as community leaders, I believe we need to be careful that our calls for tolerance should not be seen as indifference. Tolerance cannot displace personal accountability for doing what is right.
In short, being understanding should extend only to how we deal with the anti-social behavior. It should not affect whether we deal with it or not. As a society, we need to balance between promoting an atmosphere of acceptance while maintaining the respect for our community and our shared spaces.
