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Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dunbar, Freakonomics Chapter 4 summary
Freakonomics chapter summary
Freakonomics by steven levitt and stephen dubner analysis
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In chapter 2 of Freakonomics the main argument is that the hoarding of information can be manipulated for personal use. While the chapter includes many examples of this tactic, the majority of it focuses on the history of the KKK and Stetson Kennedy’s efforts to stop it through the reveal of their secrets via radio. The authors explain how the Klan was far less violent than generally thought and relied almost entirely on the reputation of the older more violent Klansmen. Kennedy realized the only way to alter their appearance to the ignorant and fearful public was to make their secrets known. Kennedy understood the power of information and how exposing the Klan’s information would empower the public. In doing so, he severely handicapped the Klan almost to the point of it’s extinction. …show more content…
For example, agents try to persuade their consumers that lower offers are better offers while knowing the house can sell for far more. In an effort to get you to do as they say, agents manipulate their position and your lack of information to instill fear. They will tell you things such as the market is tanking or a house far better than this was difficult to sell. They will also use words with positive connotations when describing a house with higher or lower selling price in an attempt to make the house more desirable. Although real-estate agents are in no way as terrible as the KKK, they do display a similar strategy when it comes to information. The final part of the chapter discusses more situations involving hoarded information, ranging from how we describe ourselves during interviews to how people vote on The Weakest Link to how we present ourselves on dating
This gave the Klan a large amount of power; the power was way over their heads. In order to break the Klan, a human rights activist named Stetson Kennedy joined the Klan to learn all of its secrets and information. Kennedy learned that the his clan’s chapter primarily consisted of low-earning, poorly educated men who wanted a place where they can stay out all night and vent their frustrations. After learning the secrets and information from the Klan, Kennedy gave this information to authorities and to the writers of the Superman radio program, where they used this information to create a radio show featuring Superman defeating the Klan. This lead to an influx of people learning about the Klan, and even talking about the Klan became a game for kids; and it lead to the Klan’s loss of appeal and loss of power.
"Freedom of Speech: Missouri Knights of the Ku Klux Klan v. Kansas City" is an article about the KKK's attempt to spread their beliefs through a public access cable television channel. Dennis Mahon and Allan Moran, both of the KKK, asked to be broadcasted on air in 1987, and the whole situation led to a major problem. The KKK is known for its killings, prejudice, and cross burnings, and they wanted to be shown on television to further spread their message. The First Amendment states the right to the freedom of speech, but many of the community members had a problem with the whole situation. People with race relations, local leaders, and members of the cable company did not want to grant the KKK the right to appear on air. Black ministers and important politicians were not happy with the KKK's request to voice their opinions. The KKK complied with all of the rules that were presented by the cable company, even when they were told to create a locally produced show and receive training in video production. They happily obeyed the regulations and didn't cause additional problems to what they were soon to face. The cable company studio was located in a neighborhood that was 95% black, and violence was a major concern for the cable company. Many of those people threatened to drop their cable subscriptions if the K...
James Robert "Radio" Kennedy, is a mentally challenged, young Black man, who in the mid 1970's, spent his afternoons walking past the local high school football field. Radio would walk past the field pushing a shopping cart every day. In the cart was a radio. One day a football came over the fence nearby where he was standing, watching and learning how to coach and how to make friends with many people, and as he picked up the ball, he looked at the players and the coach and walked away with it. Coach Jones invited Radio to be his assistant. The football players didn't like this, so they tortured the young man in every way they could possibly think of. Coach Jones didn't tolerate this kind of behavior and asked Radio to stay as long as he wanted. Some people in the town complained that Radio was a distraction to Coach Jones and the football team, but soon he would change T.L. Hannah High School forever.
The population of African Americans from 1865 to 1900 had limited social freedom. Social limitations are limitations that relate “…to society and the way people interact with each other,” as defined by the lesson. One example of a social limitation African Americans experienced at the time is the white supremacy terrorist group, the Ku Klux Klan or the KKK. The KKK started as a social club formed by former confederate soldiers, which rapidly became a domestic terrorist organization. The KKK members were white supremacists who’s objective was to ward off African Americans from using their new political power. In an attempts to achieve their objective, Klansmen would burn African American schools, scare and threaten voters, destroy the homes of African Americans and also the homes of whites who supported African American rights. The greatest terror the KKK imposed was that of lynching. Lynching may be defined via the lesson as, “…public hanging for an alleged offense without benefit of trial.” As one can imagine these tactics struck fear into African Americans and the KKK was achiev...
Levitt and Dubner’s ability to speak to the reader in a conversational tone by writing in second person is an amazing use of an inoffensive writing style. The authors inform their readers about how information concerning the Ku Klux Klan is released
At first I was a little hesitant, walking by the small market stand full of hair styling products I have never seen before. As usual, there is a salesman standing on the other side trying to persuade every individual to buy their new products. That may seem familiar and yes it can be very annoying. Targeting uninformed consumers is extremely unethical because the consumer most likely is not interested and they may be getting lied to. Many people know they will say anything to them to buy their product. In fact, two thirds of salesmen admit they lie about products they sell. Usually when someone is interested in a product, they will proceed to the salesman to learn more. But now, the salesmen are going out of their way to inform others about
The American civil war was fought between 1861 and 1865. A civil war is a war fought between different regions within a country. The American Civil War was fought between the North and the South. Shortly after President Abraham Lincon was elected, eleven states in the south seceded from the union. After only being president for six weeks, Abraham Lincon declared these southern acts of succession as illegal. Lincon then requested that congress would allow him to use 500,000 soldiers to help crush the very threatening rebellion in the south. Massive sections in the south were destroyed in the process of the north attempting to regulate the south. Lands were destroyed along with social structure and economics. In 1862, Lincon began to liberate the slaves in the south. On January 1st, 1863, Abraham Lincon issued the emancipation proclamation. When the proclamation was issued it was clear that the war was now about slavery. The emancipation proclamation freed many slaves, but not all of them. It wasn’t until December in 1865 that the thirteenth Amendment was ratified. The thirteenth amendment states "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, nor any place subject to their jurisdiction."(US Constitution). When the slaves were freed, the southerners were frenzied because the slaves were their main way of achieving money. The hate towards the North caused a small group to transition into one of the largest hate groups in American history. The Ku Klux Klan was first formed in the town of Pulaski, Tennessee in the year 1865. The Ku Klux Klan first started as a fraternity group including six confederate veterans and lat...
The Rise and Fall of the Ku Klux Klan "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" - Thomas Jefferson (Cultural Racism 1). This excerpt from the Declaration of Independence specifically stated that all men are created equal, but that is contrary to the governments decisions. The Ku Klux Klan, founded in 1865 by William Nathan Bedford, a former confederate general, began a campaign of terror against free blacks and their white supporters. The KKK had a wide array of uneducated people because their main incentive was to recruit young, homeless, and mindless children to follow in their footsteps and become a member of the KKK. In many instances Klan members were taught the KKK did not believe that blacks were capable of the necessary decision making in life, they thought that Blacks were sub-human(Student Handbook 316). & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbs The KKK had many wrong beliefs, like that Blacks were not capable of decision making, recruiting young children who did not know better to become members of the KKK, that they were above the law in many instances. On the other hand, very few Klan members were educated to know what they were in the Klan for, like David Duke.
During the late 19th century, leading into the 20th century, The Gilded Age was in full swing. The exploitation and graft of the time motivated a group of investigative journalists, entitled muckrakers, to emerge. These muckrakers sensationalized the social, economic, and political corruption in America and brought the issues to the public eye. In looking at a common story threaded through the history of muckraking- poverty- one can see the style of muckraking, and the way it affects society has dramatically changed over time. At their start, muckrakers were effective, as they targeted the white, middle class population; a population capable of enacting changes. Yet, as multimedia news has arisen, individuals all of socioeconomic backgrounds have access to news, and due to bias broadcasting people are becoming jaded to the news. Hence, the reputation and credibility of modern muckrakers is growing increasingly weak.
"Real Estate Agents and Brokers." Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance. 15th ed. Vol. 5. Chicago: Ferguson's, 2010. 235-44. Print. Ferguson's.
The Ku Klux Klan, otherwise known as the KKK, was flourishing with its second era in the 1920’s. The KKK was reinvigorated by William J. Simmons, a man who was a frequent joiner of clubs, through the period of the 1920’s, The KKK launched a campaign of political correctness as well as a hidden, dark movement which included lynching, beatings, tarring and feathering, and at some points, even murder of what they believed was the inferiors. Although this status was short lived, it was a dark, mysterious portion of the United States’ history and should never be forgotten.
The Invisible Empire of the South, also known as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), has been a major role in shaping the views of the United States and the South, particularly speaking the eleven former states of the Confederacy. From significant national figures, down to the local county councilman, evidence of the Klan being involved in politics is clearly there. One also cannot rule out the amount of legislation that the Klan has affected due to its terrorist-like tactics. It can definitely said that the KKK not only impacted government and policy making, but it affected Southern life. Since the formation of the first Klan after the end of the Civil War, it has been clear that the KKK will not stop at nothing to ensure the continuity of the white supremacy, especially in the South. The Invisible Empire clearly had a good hold on Southern politics throughout the height of their existence.
A subculture is defined as a group of people within a larger culture who have different beliefs or interests than those in the larger group. The KKK was created in the town of Pulaski, Tennessee in the year 1866. This group was established by former Confederate veterans J. Calvin Jones, Frank O. McCord, John B. Kennedy, John C. Lester, James R. Crowe, Richard R. Reed as a social club, and by the year 1870 it extended to almost every southern state. The Klan started off as a secret fraternity group, but quickly became known as a terrorist organization. In the summer of 1867, branches of the Klan met and established what is known as the “Invisible Empire of the South” (http://www.history.com/topics/ku-klux-klan
"KKK, Though in Decline, Packs Punch." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 26 August 1996, Section News Analysis.
Because of this calculated and what many deem as manipulative way of enticing the target