Episode
Chicago Is So Broken That 7-Eleven Now Uses Opera to Fight Crime
- Podcast
- Crotty Farm Report
- Published
- May 20, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 98
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://crotty.substack.com/p/chicago-is-so-broken-that-7-eleven
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Summary
To get your head around how dysregulated, crime-ridden, and homeless-occupied Brandon Johnson’s Chicago has become, you only have to look at the neighborhood 7-11. To deter criminals from entering the property, the owners of 7-11 play opera. Opera. Because the criminals of Chicago are so openly tolerated by the city’s Woke Mayor, the only effective force against them is civilization itself. It works. Combined with better lighting and the elimination of ledges for sitting, the tactic has been empirically successful in deterring loitering and reducing minor disturbances. Individual franchise owners in Chicago and other major U.S. cities have reported immediate drops in property crime, fewer panhandlers, less vandalism, and cleaner storefronts after installing speakers and playing opera. It’s like an acoustic version of broken windows theory, the only extant theory of law enforcement shown to radically reduce crime where it has been fully implemented. Here’s why the strategy works: * Dopamine Suppression : Studies show that when people are forced to listen to music they dislike, their brains suppress dopamine production, which sours their mood and drives them away. * Acoustic Discomfort : Blasting loud, high-pitched operatic vocals makes it physically uncomfortable to hold a conversation or sleep nearby, breaking up loitering hotspots. * The “Uncool” Factor : Loitering teenagers and young adults often find classical music unappealing or annoying, prompting them to seek another hangout spot. * Cultural Control: Opera instantly communicates that a space is managed, monitored, and intentionally maintained. Criminality and chronic disorder tend to flourish in environments that feel abandoned or culturally ownerless. Opera projects the opposite message. It says: somebody still…