- Joined
- Oct 29, 2002
- Messages
- 36,453
- Location
- East of Suez
Another innovative idea was to use mimes to improve both traffic and citizens’ behavior. Initially 20 professional mimes shadowed pedestrians who didn’t follow crossing rules: A pedestrian running across the road would be tracked by a mime who mocked his every move. Mimes also poked fun at reckless drivers. The program was so popular that another 400 people were trained as mimes.
“It was a pacifist counterweight,” Mockus said. “With neither words nor weapons, the mimes were doubly unarmed. My goal was to show the importance of cultural regulations.”
Source:
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2004/03/academic-turns-city-into-a-social-experiment/