All These Poses Of Classical Torture

England is "weaponizing" classical music against troublesome teens. Don't believe me?

1. West Park School in Derby has been holding "special detentions" consisting of two-hours of classical music as both a relaxant and a deterrent (the school claims bad behavior has fallen by 60%).

2. In the early 2000s, a railroad company began playing Mozart outside their train stations in an effort to discourage young people from loitering. Great success! An expansion of the repertoire has proven Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 to be particularly effective.

3. Classical music has also been piped through speakers in Northern England at "troublesome bus stops," shopping malls, and even in the streets (marked decrease in graffiti, so they say).

While there are those of us who would be JUST FINE with a little extra Mozart, Brendan O'Neill makes a good point: "The dangerous message being sent to young people is clear: 1) you are scum; 2) classical music is not a wonder of the human world, it’s a repellent against mildly anti-social behavior."


Read all about it: How Britain is using classical music as a form of social control, by Brendan O'Neill.

(via metafilter)