Facing the Muzak: A Punishing Ordeal
Posted by: clean-hewmor <clean-hewmor@...>
Facing the Muzak - A Punishing Ordeal
By Charles W. Colson
There's a modern-day "punishment room" that many
lawbreakers fear and hate--and some even say it
violates the law forbidding cruel and unusual
punishment.
But the judge who sends people to this ersatz torture
chamber says he's only making the punishment fit the
crime--and I say he's right.
A few months ago Municipal Court Judge Paul Sacco of
Fort Lupton, Colorado, got tired of complaints from
senior citizens about teenagers driving through their
neighborhoods, boom boxes blasting loud enough to
wake the dead. (This happens to be one of my own pet
peeves.) So the judge came up with a delightfully
appropriate penalty. Kids who violate the noise
ordinance are locked in a room at the courthouse
and forced to listen to the worst music imaginable--
at least, to the ears of a rap-loving teenager.
One recent batch of scofflaws was shut up with the
sound of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans warbling "Happy
Trails to You." They suffered through Disney tunes,
bagpipe music, and songs by Wayne Newton and Barry
Manilow. But the teens were nearly driven mad
hearing Tony Orlando and Dawn sing "Tie a Yellow
Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree" and Dean Martin
crooning "It's Cryin' Time."
By the time they were let out, most of the kids
probably felt like crying themselves.
Twenty-one-year-old Ryan Bowles said the worst part
was listening to the "Barney" theme song, because the
judge made sure they sat still and faced the music:
"If you laugh, he'll cite you for contempt," Bowles
explained.
The treatment is unorthodox--but extremely effective.
Seventeen-year-old David Mascarenas says he's already
taken his stereo out of his car. And not one survivor
of this punishing ordeal has ever reappeared before
Judge Sacco.
Well, I for one think the judge is onto a good thing,
and other judges ought to follow his lead. It's
clear that, for these kids, the more informal channels
of teaching civility--the home, the
school, and the church--have failed. When that happens,
the heavy hand of the law must take over. But instead
of taking a punishing approach, Judge Sacco has opted
for a teaching approach. He's helping these kids
understand why laws of civility and courtesy exist in
the first place.
The result is that they're getting a chance to
experience what they've been inflicting on others.
They're learning firsthand the most universal moral
code: Do unto others what you would have others do
unto you.
In other words, if you don't want someone forcing you
to listen to Lawrence Welk, don't force others to
listen to rappers like Krayzie Bone.
This is a lesson in civility we all ought to take
note of at a time when Americans are encouraged to
think too much of their own rights and not enough
about the rights of others, especially their
neighbors.
It's a lesson that won't be soon forgotten by
dozens of Colorado kids
who still shudder at the memory of the day they were
forced to listen to Roger Whitaker and Dean Martin.
As one teenager put it, "If I ever get caught again,
I'd rather pay the $65." But I'm sure he--and his
neighbors--benefited much more from a music lesson
in courtesy.
Copyright (c) 1999 Prison Fellowship Ministries