2 out of 4 stars
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In The One Slap Rule, author Daniel W. Orrock offers a critique of rude behavior and how society responds to it. Welcome to the OSRS (One Slap Rule Society), a world in which rudeness is not overlooked. In the OSRS, Slap Cards allow people to slap one rude person of their choice per year in hopes of gradually reforming the rude party's behavior. In addition to issuing these punitive slaps, the OSRS employs situational punishments such as Dummy Darts (devices used for shutting down rude drivers' vehicles), Dummy Boxes (used for confining rude supermarket patrons), and Slop Boxes (used for confining and throwing leftovers at rude restaurant patrons). Armed with a comprehensive list of rude behaviors, the author uses this book to construct a creative system of enforcing courtesy.
One thing I appreciated about this book is that the author makes it clear from the beginning that this book is satirical, and that its contents were devised solely for humorous purposes. At the end of the book, he even goes as far as to reassure the reader once again that the idea stemmed from a running joke with his family, and he does not support actually slapping strangers. Additionally, he goes on to offer practical solutions, such as communication with rude people about the impact of their behavior.
Although satire is meant to be read with a grain of salt, this rule generally applies within specific perimeters. In The One Slap Rule, these perimeters are the author's critique of behaviors he considers to be rude. That said, the author's definitions of rudeness are problematic. For example, the same list that complains of "animal abuse" also complains of "slow walking." Likewise, the same list that critcizes "bullying" also frowns upon "lack of eye contact." While most people would agree that animal abuse and bullying are dangerous behaviors that need to be stopped, lack of eye contact and walking slowly are often related to an individual's communication skills and level of ability. Consequently, I feel that the juxtaposition of abusers with otherly-abled individuals creates an unbridgeable chasm in the rhetoric of this critique.
In addition to the problematic definitions of rudeness, the scope of the book fluctuates, and at times it becomes too broad. For example, in chapter 5 the description of the OSRS is put on the back burner as the author embarks on a religious argument to justify anger at rudeness. At this point, the author introduces a scripture about Jesus becoming "ticked off" at the tax collectors in the temple (loc 529). The author states this information as a historical fact and uses it to justify human frustration with rudeness. I can see that this argument might be problematic to entities who do not belong to the author's belief system. Furthermore, there is not much transition into this sermon-like interlude; overall, it feels poorly incorporated and not very inclusive.
I am giving this book 2 out of 4 stars. In addition to the problematic elements listed above, the book also has a lot of editing and formatting issues. If the book were revised for sensitivity and grammatical issues, I would be able to mark it higher. Despite these issues, there were relatable elements of the book, and I appreciated that the author concluded with practical solutions instead of letting this impossible hypothetical stand on its own. If rudeness is a pet peeve of yours, you will undoubtedly enjoy this book! If you are not religious and are sensitive to issues of ability, this book will probably not be enjoyable for you.
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The One Slap Rule
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Honestly, I think that I will have to give this one a try.
