Question 1. What is the story of Bernie Goetz? Is Bernie Goetz a cold-blooded murderer or a heroic vigilante?
Bernie Goetz left his home and went to the station to board the subway. Goetz went to the back of the car and was sitting next to four "rowdy" teenage boys. One of the teenagers approached Goetz and asked for five dollars. Another one of the boys motioned to something he had in his pocket, which could have been a gun for all Bernie knew. Bernie stated that one of the teenager's "eyes were shiny, and he was enjoying himself...He had a big smile on his face." (p 134) This was the moment that Goetz snapped, pulled out his gun and shot the four teenagers. After the shooting happened, New York City saw Goetz as a hero, even giving him the names, "Subway Vigilante" and "Death Wish Shooter." (p 135) I found this story disturbing, especially because of the fact that Goetz did not think he did anything wrong. I think Goetz should be seen as a cold-blooded murderer not a hero. He had planned out that morning to take a gun with him to the subway station. Also, when he saw the four teenagers, he didn't try to stay away from them; instead Goetz sat right near the boys. This suggests that they were just the victims Goetz was looking for when he decided to take his gun with him that morning.
Question 4. Most conservative theories say that the criminal is a personality type whereas the Broken Windows theory and Power of Context suggest the opposite--the criminal is actually someone acutely sensitive to his environment and who is prompted to commit crimes based on his perceptions of the world around him. Which theory do you believe?
I believe the Broken Windows theory to a certain extent. I believe that this works for stopping such crimes as burglary, vandalism, mugging/robbery, graffiti, etc. In my opinion, the Broken Windows theory works on less serious crimes. In the case of Bernie Goetz, I don't think the Broken Windows theory would have worked. I think Goetz would have shot the teenagers whether the graffiti and subway car were cleaned up or not. However, the Broken Windows theory may have had an impact on the teenagers, which might have helped stop Goetz from shooting the boys.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
English Undergraduate Conference
The first session I attended was Session 4 from 1:25-2:15. In this session the panelists were presenting there research they had done. The first panelist was Sara Kirkpatrick. Her research was on "Temptation and Martyrdom: Religious Symbolism in Christina Rossetti's 'The Goblin Market'." The presenter explained what the poem was about and how she found religious symbolism within the poem. Her PowerPoint presentation showed pictures that came from the poem, which helped me to see what the poem was about. The symbolism she found was with the temptation of fruit in the poem. Sara also read from Genesis about the temptation of the fruit from the tree of knowledge and evil.
The second presenter was Theo Reddinger who did research on "Sherlock Holmes and the Media's Negative Influence." The presenter was connecting how a book could influence behavior. There was the example of work by Thomas De Quincey and his fascination with opium. Theo's main question was asking, "Was Whitney abusing drugs because De Quincey made them seem appealing?"
The third presenter, Natalie Corkos, researched and wrote a paper on "The Portrayal of Women in Horror Films." She gave examples from past to present movies showing how horror films are still negative towards women. She used both sexist and feminist theories to back up her research. One example Natalie used was the Phantom of the Opera. The character Christine is empowered and overtaken by the phantom. She is the one who needs to be rescued. Another example was Dracula. In this young women are shown as being sexual and being dependent. The presenter also gave the point that if women are the heroines or seen as being strong, they are described as being emotionally unstable or are presented as being extremely sexual.
All three of the presenters stated that they had a personal interest for the topic that they were presenting. I saw that each one of them enjoyed what they had research and wanted to continue to research about their topics. They also stated that by doing this research they are more aware of situations going on today related to their topic. I am hoping I get the same reaction when I am working on my social action research project.
The second session I went to listen to was Session 5 from 2:30-3:20. Laken Tassos was the first presenter and wrote an identity paper about Bill Strickland's speech at IUP. She expressed numerous times that Strickland's words inspired her in so many ways. Laken said one empowering statement Strickland said was, "do not give up on the poor kids." I thought this also was an important point. I read his book Make the Impossible Possible, and found what he did with the students at Manchester Bidwell inspiring. Laken read her paper aloud to us and you could tell this meant a lot to her. She is planning on taking what she has learned from Strickland and applying it to her future teaching career.
The second presenter, Heidi Zibura, wrote a paper on Islamophobia. She researched and showed how the government and media portrays them in a bad way. Many people have predetermined concepts of who they are as people. Heidi made the point that the government works to closely with the media and controls what is shown and presented. The main point of her paper was that we need to shed the bias and try to break down the barriers for others.
Amanda Petrunak was the last presenter and she did research on "The Influence of Family." She wrote about how Spain is very family oriented. They are more family oriented than what people are here in the United States. In Spain, businesses shut down in the middle of the day in order to have lunch with their families. People in Spain are also given a month leave from work to have vacations with their families; which is paid by the way.
Each one of the presenters showed that there are so many cultures in the world. They want to take what they have learned and researched with them in their lives and use it in their careers. There is always going to be culture diversity and people need to learn more and be more accepting. One point Laken made was that she wanted to be able to have her students share different experiences from their culture and lives. This would give the student's peers an exposure to other cultures. They could learn at an earlier age about other cultures and grow to be more understanding of diversified cultures.
The second presenter was Theo Reddinger who did research on "Sherlock Holmes and the Media's Negative Influence." The presenter was connecting how a book could influence behavior. There was the example of work by Thomas De Quincey and his fascination with opium. Theo's main question was asking, "Was Whitney abusing drugs because De Quincey made them seem appealing?"
The third presenter, Natalie Corkos, researched and wrote a paper on "The Portrayal of Women in Horror Films." She gave examples from past to present movies showing how horror films are still negative towards women. She used both sexist and feminist theories to back up her research. One example Natalie used was the Phantom of the Opera. The character Christine is empowered and overtaken by the phantom. She is the one who needs to be rescued. Another example was Dracula. In this young women are shown as being sexual and being dependent. The presenter also gave the point that if women are the heroines or seen as being strong, they are described as being emotionally unstable or are presented as being extremely sexual.
All three of the presenters stated that they had a personal interest for the topic that they were presenting. I saw that each one of them enjoyed what they had research and wanted to continue to research about their topics. They also stated that by doing this research they are more aware of situations going on today related to their topic. I am hoping I get the same reaction when I am working on my social action research project.
The second session I went to listen to was Session 5 from 2:30-3:20. Laken Tassos was the first presenter and wrote an identity paper about Bill Strickland's speech at IUP. She expressed numerous times that Strickland's words inspired her in so many ways. Laken said one empowering statement Strickland said was, "do not give up on the poor kids." I thought this also was an important point. I read his book Make the Impossible Possible, and found what he did with the students at Manchester Bidwell inspiring. Laken read her paper aloud to us and you could tell this meant a lot to her. She is planning on taking what she has learned from Strickland and applying it to her future teaching career.
The second presenter, Heidi Zibura, wrote a paper on Islamophobia. She researched and showed how the government and media portrays them in a bad way. Many people have predetermined concepts of who they are as people. Heidi made the point that the government works to closely with the media and controls what is shown and presented. The main point of her paper was that we need to shed the bias and try to break down the barriers for others.
Amanda Petrunak was the last presenter and she did research on "The Influence of Family." She wrote about how Spain is very family oriented. They are more family oriented than what people are here in the United States. In Spain, businesses shut down in the middle of the day in order to have lunch with their families. People in Spain are also given a month leave from work to have vacations with their families; which is paid by the way.
Each one of the presenters showed that there are so many cultures in the world. They want to take what they have learned and researched with them in their lives and use it in their careers. There is always going to be culture diversity and people need to learn more and be more accepting. One point Laken made was that she wanted to be able to have her students share different experiences from their culture and lives. This would give the student's peers an exposure to other cultures. They could learn at an earlier age about other cultures and grow to be more understanding of diversified cultures.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Chapter 3: The Stickiness Factor
1. On advertisements, there are a lot of models who portray how girls/women are supposed to look. Especially younger girls will take extreme measures to change their bodies to look like the people on TV. There are always advertisements about weight loss pills and plastic surgery. Another would be the tobacco problem.
4. For the younger age group, we said television shows are stickier than books. The TV is more interactive for children. When reading books they can lose interest and get bored, but with the TV, they are able to participate. The repetition factor also helps teach children. For older children, books may be more educational. As they get older, they can retain more information and won't be as bored with reading a book.
4. For the younger age group, we said television shows are stickier than books. The TV is more interactive for children. When reading books they can lose interest and get bored, but with the TV, they are able to participate. The repetition factor also helps teach children. For older children, books may be more educational. As they get older, they can retain more information and won't be as bored with reading a book.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Comparing/Contrasting Reading Habits
For my everyday types of reading in college, I read a lot of emails, textbook assignments, and posts on facebook. While reading the two chapters in Gladwell's book, the genre is reading someone elses research. While reading facebook posts, they are usually about what a person is doing or how they are feeling at that point in time. You don't really have to think a whole lot when reading on facebook. The Tipping Point makes you think about different topics that you normally wouldn't hear or think about. It's a different type of reading because there is a lot of research, but Gladwell also includes a lot of examples to back up what he has to say. A big research technique that he uses is doing interviews. Throughout the first two chapters of the book you are reading about the interviews he went on and also what he gained and learned from the interviews. This is different reading than sitting down and reading a textbook for a certain subject. The entire text is about that main point and makes you think about that point while reading. Gladwell's research gives you different topics and points to think about.
Reflective Writing: Chapter 2
The first of the three rules of epidemics is The Law of the Few. In Chapter Two, author Malcolm Gladwell talks about Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. These are the three types of people who can start a word-of-mouth epidemic. The Law of the Few enables certain people to cause the "tip" of an epidemic. The first example is about Paul Revere's ride of warning people that the British were coming. This shows how a word-of-mouth epidemic can start.
Malcolm goes on to discuss what a Connector is. "Connectors know lots of people. They are the kinds of people who know everyone." (Gladwell 38) One person he describes as being a Connector is Roger Horchow, a businessman from Dallas. Gladwell described Horchow as a collector of people, since he has so many acquaintances with so many people. Gladwell stated that, "the point about Connectors is that by having a foot in so many different worlds, they have the effect of bringing them all together." (Gladwell 51) Connectors bring people together, just as Paul Revere did on his midnight ride. I related the Connector to be similar to my grandmother while I was reading the chapter. She knows a lot of people and a lot of people know her.
Paul Revere was also a Maven. The definition Gladwell gives is, "the word Maven comes from the Yiddish, and it means one who accumulates knowledge." (Gladwell 60) One thing Gladwell describes about Mavens is that they remember prices and information most people wouldn't acknowledge or think twice about. Another ability of Mavens is that they can recommend information, hotels, restaurants, etc. to you and most people will take their word on it and try it. Mark Alpert is a Maven Gladwell talks about in this chapter. Alpert wants to share the information he had with the people he meets. He is also one who wants more information, to find out what others know, in order to pass the information along. I thought this was an interesting part of Chapter 2. I thought it was interesting how Mark Alpert retained so much information, but was also open to learning new information so he could share that with others that he meets.
The third group of people are the Salesmen, "with the skills to persuade us when we are unconvinced of what we are hearing." (Gladwell 70) According to Gladwell, Tom Gau is an example of a Salesman. Gau is a financial planner, who loves and is enthusiastic about his job. He is also an optimistic person. Gau is a natural at persuasion. Gladwell states, "He seems to have some kind of indefinable trait, something powerful and contagious and irresistible that goes beyond what comes out of his mouth, that makes people who meet him want to agree with him." (Gladwell 73) Gladwell also talks about how people's movements and facial expressions can influences others around them.
"In a social epidemic, Mavens are data banks. They provide the message. Connectors are social glue: they spread it. Salesmen, with the skills to persuade us when we are unconvinced of what we are hearing." (Gladwell 70) Each of these types of people contribute to word-of-mouth epidemics. I like hearing about how just a few people can cause a social epidemic, just as Paul Revere did on his midnight ride. In each section of talking about the three types of people, Gladwell conducts interviews with people of each group. He gathered statistics and new information from each person he spoke to. Each person was enthusiastic about what they knew and the information that they shared with Gladwell. Gladwell concludes the chapter by reminding us how the word-of-mouth epidemic of Paul Revere's ride all began.
Malcolm goes on to discuss what a Connector is. "Connectors know lots of people. They are the kinds of people who know everyone." (Gladwell 38) One person he describes as being a Connector is Roger Horchow, a businessman from Dallas. Gladwell described Horchow as a collector of people, since he has so many acquaintances with so many people. Gladwell stated that, "the point about Connectors is that by having a foot in so many different worlds, they have the effect of bringing them all together." (Gladwell 51) Connectors bring people together, just as Paul Revere did on his midnight ride. I related the Connector to be similar to my grandmother while I was reading the chapter. She knows a lot of people and a lot of people know her.
Paul Revere was also a Maven. The definition Gladwell gives is, "the word Maven comes from the Yiddish, and it means one who accumulates knowledge." (Gladwell 60) One thing Gladwell describes about Mavens is that they remember prices and information most people wouldn't acknowledge or think twice about. Another ability of Mavens is that they can recommend information, hotels, restaurants, etc. to you and most people will take their word on it and try it. Mark Alpert is a Maven Gladwell talks about in this chapter. Alpert wants to share the information he had with the people he meets. He is also one who wants more information, to find out what others know, in order to pass the information along. I thought this was an interesting part of Chapter 2. I thought it was interesting how Mark Alpert retained so much information, but was also open to learning new information so he could share that with others that he meets.
The third group of people are the Salesmen, "with the skills to persuade us when we are unconvinced of what we are hearing." (Gladwell 70) According to Gladwell, Tom Gau is an example of a Salesman. Gau is a financial planner, who loves and is enthusiastic about his job. He is also an optimistic person. Gau is a natural at persuasion. Gladwell states, "He seems to have some kind of indefinable trait, something powerful and contagious and irresistible that goes beyond what comes out of his mouth, that makes people who meet him want to agree with him." (Gladwell 73) Gladwell also talks about how people's movements and facial expressions can influences others around them.
"In a social epidemic, Mavens are data banks. They provide the message. Connectors are social glue: they spread it. Salesmen, with the skills to persuade us when we are unconvinced of what we are hearing." (Gladwell 70) Each of these types of people contribute to word-of-mouth epidemics. I like hearing about how just a few people can cause a social epidemic, just as Paul Revere did on his midnight ride. In each section of talking about the three types of people, Gladwell conducts interviews with people of each group. He gathered statistics and new information from each person he spoke to. Each person was enthusiastic about what they knew and the information that they shared with Gladwell. Gladwell concludes the chapter by reminding us how the word-of-mouth epidemic of Paul Revere's ride all began.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Summary Writing
The author of The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell, discusses the issues of epidemics and the tipping point. In the introduction, Gladwell starts by giving us an example of how quickly a fashion trend can "tip." He talks about the Hush Puppies Tipping Point in New York. The Hush Puppies were going out of style and the sales were down. A few people in New York were wearing the shoes and more and more people started to wear the shoes. Within a period of one year, Hush Puppies were being sold in malls and stores all over. Another point Gladwell raises is about the crime rates in New York City. He speaks of the specific towns of Brownsville and East New York. The crime rates were "tipping." The crimes had fallen "by about half" within five years.
Gladwell given the definition of the Tipping Point as, "The name given to that one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once is the Tipping Point." (Gladwell 9) In chapter one, Gladwell discusses the epidemic of syphilis in Baltimore. He goes on to talk about how there were three contributors of how the epidemic got started. Also, in this chapter, Gladwell talks about "the three rules of epidemics." The three rules are the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context.
Gladwell concludes the introduction and chapter one by asking questions to keep us wondering what will come next and to make us think about what we just read. One question he ended chapter one with was, "How do these three rules help us understand teenage smoking, for example, or the phenomenon of word of mouth, or crime, or the rise of a bestseller?" (Gladwell 29)
Gladwell given the definition of the Tipping Point as, "The name given to that one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once is the Tipping Point." (Gladwell 9) In chapter one, Gladwell discusses the epidemic of syphilis in Baltimore. He goes on to talk about how there were three contributors of how the epidemic got started. Also, in this chapter, Gladwell talks about "the three rules of epidemics." The three rules are the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context.
Gladwell concludes the introduction and chapter one by asking questions to keep us wondering what will come next and to make us think about what we just read. One question he ended chapter one with was, "How do these three rules help us understand teenage smoking, for example, or the phenomenon of word of mouth, or crime, or the rise of a bestseller?" (Gladwell 29)
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