Chapter 4. The Power of Context (Part One): Bernie Goetz & the Rise & Fall of New York City Crime
1.Who is Bernhard Goetz?
Goetz was a man that shot four youths on the IRT. He was acquitted of the
shooting and was known nationally as the "Subway Vigilante" or the "Death Wish
Shooter."
2.Describe New York City in the 1980s—specifically crime and public transportation. According to Gladwell, what tipped the NYC crime epidemic?
During the 80's in NYC the average on murders was well over 2,000 and there
were 600,000 serious felonies a year. Chaotic is the best word to describe public
transportation during this time. Platforms were dimly lit and covered in graffiti.
Graffiti and litter also decorated all of the subway cars. Fare-beating which
resulted in a loss of $150 million a year, as well as damaged track allowing
speeds of only 15 mph presented hardships. In addition, panhandlers and petty
criminals made many people opt out of public transportation.
The Goetz case has become a symbol of a particular, dark moment, when the
city's crime problem reached epidemic proportions. But then, suddenly and
without warning, the epidemic tipped. Gladwell, said it was the Power of Context.
3.Explain the Broken Windows theory.
The brainchild of the criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling. Crime
is the inevitable result of disorder. A broken window not repaired creates an
invitation for more serious crimes in big cities.
4.Do you agree that “behavior is a function of social context” and that “what really matters is little things” (on page 150)?
To a certain extent, I do agree behavior is a function of a social context and that
little things matter. Sometimes the actions of people who do the wrong thing are
influenced by an accumulation of a lot of escalations in their lives. Also, peer
pressure within a group can cause turmoil and and choices.
5.How did David Gunn, the new subway director, put the Broken Window theory into effect in New York City?
Gunn started with the graffiti because he felt that it was symbolic for the collapse
of public transportation. Gunn set up cleaning stations and reclaimed each car.
Dirty cars were not allowed to be used to transport passengers. They allowed
kids to tag them then would paint over them with white paint.
6.How did the new head of the transit police, William Bratton, aid Gunn with the Broken Window theory?
Bratton picked stations where fare-beating was the biggest problem. They had a
rolling station house where they ran checks on all those arrested. The focus
started on the smallest infractions
7.Describe the prison experiment. What do you make of the results?
The prison experiment put 21 normal people into a mock prison. Half were
randomly selected to be guards the other were prisoners. The prisoners were
identified by a number only. The guards fell into the role I'd hard-bitten
disciplinarians, which the prisoners became complacent to the guards demands.
I think prisons are nasty places because criminals lose the identity they had prior
to their crime. For the most part, prisoners come to be known by the crime they
commit.
8.What effect does birth order have on personality?
Older siblings are domineering and conservative, while younger siblings are
more creative and rebellious. However, theses personality traits are only utilized
around their own families.
9.What is the Good Samaritan research and what do you think of it?
The Good Samaritan research found people will aid those in need only if the are
not running late.
I think people do want to do the right thing but certain circumstances or
obligations tend to get in the way.
10.Gladwell states that “…our inner states are the result of our outer circumstances” (on page 152).Do you believe that environment truly makes an impact on our actions?
Yes, mostly in part because of obligations requiring you to be somewhere else. I
also think people tend to have faith in other people and we can defer it to the
next person that comes along.
11.How do you define character?Look at how Gladwell defines it on page 163.Compare and contrast your thoughts to his.
Melissa: Character are the traits, actions, beliefs you have/demonstrate when no one is looking. It is always evolving and changing.
Gladwell: A bundle of habits and tendencies and interests, loosely bound
together and dependent, at certain times, on circumstance and context.
12.Do you follow your convictions and thoughts or the immediate context of your behavior?Give an example or two.
I try to follow my convictions and thoughts but truth be told I follow the immediate
context of my behavior.
When I was living in Denver, I lived in an apartment that overlooked I-25. I was
sitting on my balcony waiting for my friend to come pick me up. I saw an
accident occur, but I did not call 911. Reflecting on it now, I didn't call for two
reasons. 1) I wasn't the only one that saw it and I didn't think I had the best view.
2) I would have been late going out with my friends.
Chapter 5. The Power of Context (Part Two): The Magic Number of One Hundred and Fifty
1.How did the Ya-Ya Sisterhood tip?
Through the power of the word of mouth...the Power of Context because it spoke to people.
2.What is channel capacity?
Channel capacity is the amount of space in our brain for certain kinds of
information.
3.What is Robin Dunbar’s argument about brain evolution?
Social channel capacity...neocortex size is correlated with the group size they
associate with. Dunbar argues that brains evolve in order to handle the
complexities of larger social groups.
4.What is the Rule of 150 and how do Gladwell’s examples support the validity of this rule?
The Rule of 150 represents the maximum number of individuals with whom we
can have a genuinely social relationship, the kind of relationship that goes with
knowing who they are and how they relate to us.
All of Gladwell's examples talk about the cohesiveness of groups and what
happened when it went over the 150 limit.
5.How did Gore become and stay so successful as a business?
Gore became a success and stayed so successful because when 150 people
were reached they split. Also, they didn't allow titles...everyone was equal. All
departments had their own specialties and they didn't deviate from their
expertise.
6.Is Gore Associates a company more businesses should model?Do you think we’d see less corruption and job dissatisfaction if more companies subscribed to the Rule of 150 and Gore Associates’ philosophy?
I personally do believe Gore's model would be beneficial. I do think that it would
reduce corruption and job dissatisfaction, because people in positions of
administration tend to forget where they came from. This puts everyone as an
equal, which in all actuality is a good thing for all the people involved.
7.What is transactive memory? Do you believe in the idea of family memory sharing?Examine your own family and see if the process holds true.
Transactive memory is when people know each other well, they create an implicit
joint memory system, which is based on an understanding about who is best
suited to remember what kind of things. The ability to store information with other
people.
Yes, I do believe in the idea of family memory sharing. One half of my family is
Italian and we have family reunions every year. We are all very close but their
are a lot of us! When i was still in high school my great aunts and grandma
started putting all of the vital statistics and family history together. Each family
got a copy...we used to update it yearly. Things haven't been updated lately and
now we have only one Great Aunt living. It is good to know where you came
from.
8.Take Gladwell’s quiz: List all the people you know whose death would leave you devastated.Does your list fall in line with Gladwell’s assumption about groups and time?
Everyone on my list does fall into the group of family and very close friend. I
have invested a lot of time and energy, as have they with me.
9.Think of groups you belong or belonged to.Do they fit into the Rule of 150?Describe each group’s dynamics.Would each group function better if it followed to the Rule of 150?
All of the groups that I thought of, do fall within the Rule of 150. I was blessed to
grow up in a small town and now I work in a small school district. Although we
have some strong personalities and beliefs, we are very good at cooperating and
compromising. We care about each other and have a good time when we get
