A Red Light for Scofflaws译文

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1、ARedLightforScofflawsByFrankTrippett[1]Law-and-orderisthelongest-runningandprobablythebest-lovedpoliticalissueinU.S.history.Yetitispainfullyapparent2thatmillionsofAmericanswhowouldneverthinkofthemselvesaslawbreakers,letalonecriminals,aretakingincreasinglibertieswiththelegalcodesthataredesignedtoprot

2、ectandnourishtheirsociety.3Indeed,therearemomentstoday—amidoutlawlitter,taxcheating,illicitnoiseandmotorizedanarchy—whenitseemsasthoughthescofflawrepresentsthewaveofthefuture.4HarvardSociologistDavidRiesmansuspectsthatamajorityofAmericanshaveblithelytakentocommittingsupposedlyminorderelictionsasamat

3、terofcourse.Already,Riesmansays,theethicofU.S.societyisindangerofbecomingthis:“You'reafoolifyouobeytherules.”[2]NothingcouldbemoreobviousthantheevidencesupportingRiesman.Scofflawsaboundinamazingvariety.5Thegraffiti-proneturnpublicsurfacesintovisualrubbish.Bicyclistsoftenrideasthoughtwo-wheeledvehicl

4、esareexemptfromalltrafficlaws.6Litterbugsconverttheircommunitiesintotrashdumps.Widespreadflurriesofordinanceshavefailedtoclearpublicplacesofhigh-decibelportableradios,justasearlierlawsfailedtowipeoutthebeer-soakedhooliganismthatplaguesmanyparks.7TobaccoaddictsremainhopelesslyblindtosignsthatsayNOSMO

5、KING.Respectablydressedpotsmokersnolongerbothertoduckoutofpublicsighttopassaroundajoint.Theflagrantuseofcocaineisafesteringscandalinmiddleandupper-classlife.Andthenthereare(hello,everybody!)8thejaywalkers.[3]Thedangersofscofflawryvarywidely.Thepersonwhoillegallyspitsonthesidewalkremainsdisgusting,b

6、utclearlyposeslessrisktoothersthanthecompanythatillegallyburieshazardouschemicalwasteinanunauthorizedlocation.Thefarebeateronthesubwaypresentslessthreattolifethanthelandlordwhoignoresfiresafetystatutes.9Themostimmediatelyandmeasurablydangerousscofflawry,however,alsohappenstobethemostvisible.Theculpr

7、itistheAmericandriver,whoselawlessactivitiestodayadduptoacolossalpublicnuisance.10Thehazardsrangefromroutinedoubleparking11thatjamscitystreetstothedrunkdrivingthatkillssome25,000peopleandinjuresatleas