Dr. James Dobson, who sadly passed away last week at the age of 89, wrote in his 1970 book Dare to Discipline,
“Respect for leadership is the glue that holds social organization together. Without it there is chaos, violence, and insecurity for everyone.”
Others have built on that theme by suggesting the threat of male violence, in response to anti-social and aggressive behavior, is what prevents chaos, violence, and insecurity.
Unfortunately, just as the thin blue line of law enforcement has cracked in many places, so has our thick societal line. Without them, we lack deterrence.
This theme is one that doesn’t get enough attention in our society and with our policy makers in 2025. When we ignore the truths of this theme, we help create an environment where chaos and aggression go unchecked – and that only hastens our societal demise.
Case in point – a few weeks ago a 64-year-old woman riding a New York subway train asked a young man to put out his cigarette. The current environment gave this young man the impression that he could react in any way he chose to. Absent inhibitors, such as the threat of being promptly arrested or another man stepping in to defend the woman, the man brutally beat the woman for simply asking him to put his cigarette.
Rafael Mangual, a policy fellow with the Manhattan Institute, brilliantly summed up the predicament we have both allowed to develop and need to eliminate in the United States.
“As I’ve said before: Engagement in blatantly antisocial behavior in public spaces—like smoking on the subway—is an expression of power backed by a very credible threat of violence. It’s a win/win for the perps. If you hold your tongue, they get off on your silence insofar as it reinforces their self-perception as a tough guy; and if you speak up, it gives them an excuse to be violent.
Those arguing that such antisocial behavior shouldn’t be policed are inviting the decay of our shared spaces. We must never surrender our subways to the thugs who act out to assert dominance over them and other public spaces.”
The longer we fail in our obligation to defend ourselves against anti-social and aggressive behavior, and the longer we fail to support our law enforcement authorities to aggressively deter criminals from acting out, the more we will witness our society fall apart. The choice is ours.
