Chapter 4. The Power of Context (Part One): Bernie Goetz & the Rise & Fall of New York City Crime
1.Who is Bernhard Goetz?
Bernhard Goetz was known as a hero, "Subway Vigilante" and the "Death Wish Shooter." He shot four intimidating criminals on the IRT Subway. He fulfilled the secret fantasy of every New Yorker who had ever been mugged, intimidated, or assaulted on the subway.
2.Describe New York City in the 1980s—specifically crime and public transportation. According to Gladwell, what tipped the NYC crime epidemic?
In the 1980s New York City averaged well over 2,000 murders and 600,000 serious felonies per year with 15,000 felonies occurring on the subway systems. The subways were dark, filthy, and dreary. Graffiti covered almost everything including the walls, ceiling, and the cars from top to bottom, inside and out. The trains were often late due to fires and derailments, and were often cold during the winter months and hot during the summer ones. Gladwell states that the most intriguing candidate for "tipping" the NYC crime epidemic is called the broken window theory
3.Explain the Broken Windows theory.
The Broken Window Theory explains that relatively minor problems are invitations to more serious crimes. A broken window left unattended to will send the message that anything goes.
4.Do you agree that "behavior is a function of social context" and that "what really matters is little things" (on page 150)?
I do agree that "behavior is a function of social context" and that "what really matters is the little things."
Our behaviors are a function of social context because most people in our society prefer to be socially accepted. This results in people acting in a manner that is acceptable to the social situation. People at a Mammoth Lacrosse game would act differently than they would at a church function. Two different social contexts will result in two different behaviors. Even children are aware of this. Students at a pep rally act differently than students at a choir concert.
If the negative little things are deemed unacceptable then it is expected that anything more would also be unacceptable. In the classroom one of my pet peeves is sharpening pencils while someone is talking or giving instructions. If students know that this minor problem is unacceptable then they know anything more, such as talking or messing around, is definitely unacceptable.
5.How did David Gunn, the new subway director, put the Broken Window theory into effect in New York City?
David Gunn put the Broken Window Theory into effect in NYC by overseeing a multibillion-dollar rebuilding of the subway system and starting with the clean up of graffiti. Gunn began with the small, minor problem of graffiti in order to begin solving the larger problems of crime and subway reliability.
6.How did the new head of the transit police, William Bratton, aid Gunn with the Broken Window theory?
William Barton, head of the transit police, also followed the Broken Window Theory to clean up the subway. Although felonies on the subway were at an all time high, Bratton decided to crack down on fare-beating. He felt this minor problem invited more serious crimes. As a result, 1 out of 7 arrests made for fare-beating had an outstanding warrant for a previous crime and 1 out of 20 were carrying a weapon.
7.Describe the prison experiment. What do you make of the results?
The prison experiment consisted of normal volunteers who portrayed the roles of guards and inmates in a prison cell atmosphere made in a basement. The purpose of the experiment was to find out why prisons are nasty places. Philip Zimbardo conducted the experiment to see if he could discover if it was because of the nasty people or the nasty environment that made the people nasty. He quickly found the latter to be true as the volunteers took on the role of nasty prisoners and guards.
8.What effect does birth order have on personality?
Birth order is one of the most fundamental factors around families when explaining personality. Older siblings are more domineering and conservative while younger siblings are more creative and rebellious.
9.What is the Good Samaritan research and what do you think of it?
John Darley and Daniel Batson conducted a study inspired by the biblical story of the Good Samaritan. They asked a group of seminarians to give a short speech. On the way to the presentation, each student ran into a man slumped in an alley, head down, eyes closed, coughing and groaning. The experiment was who would stop and help. Darley and Batson found that although they introduced three variables, the only thing that really mattered was whether or not the student was in a rush. Only 10% of the students in a rush stopped to help and 63% of those not in a rush stopped to help. It does not surprise me that when told that they were late, it affected the student’s reaction toward the man on the street. I think that often people only help if it is convenient for them. It was not a convenient time for the seminarians, who were going to be late, to stop and help this man. Had they, however, been on their way to lunch, I feel that their would have been a higher percent of people that stopped to help.
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?
I do believe that environment truly makes an impact on our actions. I feel that teachers put a lot of time and effort into decorating their classrooms to make it feel warm and welcoming. I feel that this environment helps create an environment that is safe and homey for students to interact in. I strongly believe that if students went into a bare classroom, it would change their actions.
11.How do you define character? Look at how Gladwell defines it on page 163.Compare and contrast your thoughts to his.
Gladwell defines character as "a bundle of habits and tendencies and interests, loosely bound together and dependent, at certain times, on circumstance and context." He also explains that the reason we have consistent character is because most of us are good at controlling our environments. I agree that your character is based off habits, tendencies, and interests as well as your upbringing. I feel that morals and values also play an important role and are instilled in you at a young age. I strongly believe that a high-moral character is not something that someone can learn to have. It is something that is instilled in you through beliefs you were raised by. I think that when negative circumstances and contexts are thrown at a person with a high-moral character then they will still handle the situation in an ethical and moral manner. This is a time when their true character will shine through!
Chapter 5. The Power of Context (Part Two): The Magic Number of One Hundred and Fifty
1.How did the Ya-Ya Sisterhood tip?
The Ya-Ya Sisterhood book tipped through the power of word of mouth. This book was often read in book groups which made the book itself stickier and the number of people who spread the word greater.
2.What is channel capacity?
Channel capacity refers to the amount of space in our brain for certain kinds of information. George Miller concludes that there is a limit that keeps our channel capacity within a certain range. We can only handle so much information at one time, a 7 digit phone number for example.
3.What is Robin Dunbar’s argument about brain evolution?
Robin Dunbar’s argument about brain evolution is that brains evolve based off social group size. A brain grows to handle the complexities and multiple relationships found in large 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 is the "maximum number of individuals with whom we can have a genuinely sociable relationship with. Having around 150 military men together produces functional fighting unite. Much more men results in unruly behavior, loyalty and cohesion issues, and a lack of direct man-to-man contact. The Hutterites also live by the Rule of 150. Once their colony approaches 150 they split in two and start a new one. A colony leader explains that this is a good size of a group to manage and a group much larger would create strangers and the closeness becomes lost.
5.How did Gore become and stay so successful as a business?
Gore became and stayed a successful business by following the Rule of 150. At Gore everyone’s title is "Associate." Employees don’t have bosses, but instead they have sponsors or mentors who watch out for their interests. Salaries are determined collectively and the large corner offices are used for conference rooms or free space. All employees are treated equally and on a level playing field. When the number of employees reaches 150 a new plant is created. Gore has found that the new plants do not have to be far away from each other, yet far enough that there is an obvious separation. With 150 employees Jim Buckley, a longtime associate, explains the power of peer pressure. Since everyone knows everyone else, people want to live up to what is expected of them.
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 do think Gore Associates is a company that more businesses should model. I feel that knowing people does hold them accountable for their portion of the job. It makes the weak link stronger and in result, the business becomes stronger. I also think leveling the playing field like Gore Associates did would create less corruption. Workers are not so caught up on making it "to the top" but instead, making the your business the best. It becomes less about selfish motivations and the focus turns to what is best for the business.
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.
Wegner explains transactive memory system when people know each other well, they create an implicit joint memory system based on an understanding about who is best suited to remember what kinds of things. My husband and I fit perfectly under this system. He remembers and can recall any financial number or situation since we have met 11 years ago. I, on the other hand, can’t even recall how much I spent last week at the grocery store! When it comes to dates or information we receive at our son’s doctor’s appointments, I can recall it like it was yesterday while he makes an approximate guess. When put together, we have all of the information, yet individually we only have part of it. I feel this also holds true for running our house. I can tell you exactly where a specific dish cloth or our son’s piece of clothing is and he can tell you exactly where a specific piece of paper is in our filing cabinet or where an exact tool is.
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?
After taking Gladwell’s quiz I found that there are about 12 people on my list. This falls in line with Gladwell’s assumption about groups and time. Along with work and sports, the people on this list are whom I spend the rest of my time with and energy on. I do not know where I would find the time and energy to double this list!
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?
Both jobs that I have do fit into the Rule of 150. At each place, everyone knows everyone else on a somewhat personal level. There is also little confusion of the rule each person plays. Our church, however, does not follow the Rule with close to 1,000 in attendance each week. Our family finds many more strangers than friends on any given Sunday. Once broken down into smaller groups or activities, it creates a much more organized and welcoming environment where many friends can be found.
