The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell is truly fascinating. Through school we learn about epidemics,
such as the Black Death. Through life we see trends come and go, such the toy
craze of Beanie Babies or fashion styles like the outrageous clothing of the
80’s. I think we all assume that trends and epidemics result from a mass
movement, or we never think about their initial occurrence. Gladwell, in The Tipping Point, discusses the beginning of ideas, trends, and
behaviors that spread worldwide.
What I found most interesting in this book was Gladwell’s discussion of
the causes of the syphilis epidemic in Baltimore in the mid-90’s, the
discussion of how television became educational through “the stickiness
factor”, and the case study researching teen suicide in Micronesia.
In the first chapter Gladwell discusses the Syphilis epidemic in Baltimore in 1996. What I find interesting are the three very different
theories he examines while trying to determine what caused the exponential
increase in carriers of the disease.The first theory was produced by the Center for Disease
Control. This theory claimed that an influx of the use of cocaine was the cause
of the Syphilis epidemic because drugs, like cocaine, lead to illicit behavior.
A second theory was presented by John Zenilman, who claimed the rapid spreading
of Syphilis was caused by breakdowns and budget cuts to medical centers in the
poorest neighborhoods. John Potterat presents the third theory. Potterat claims
the epidemic began as a result of the demolition of two huge high-rises that
housed 100s of families and also served as centers for crime and disease. What
I find fascinating is that, as Gladwell points out, none of these theories are
dramatic; in fact all three are very subtle in nature. I find it very
interesting that something so deadly and quickly spreading can result from a
minor change in the behavior or conditions of a few residents.
Sesame Street is a childhood favorite for many in my generation. We grew
up loving Big Bird, the cookie monster, and all the while being educated. I
think it is interesting that Gladwell points out that Sesame Street was
engineered around one insight, “if you can hold the attention of children, you
can educate them”. While this does seem obvious, Gladwell goes on to explain
that it is not. He points out that researchers discovered that children
actually do not simply stare at the Television screen; instead, they divide
their attention between multiple things at one time. Their breakthrough discovery was that children watch TV when
they understand and look away when they are confused. This breakthrough provided the “stickiness factor” for
Sesame Street. The “stickiness” was enhanced through distraction testing done
at Harvard. For instance, in one study researchers concluded that Oscar the
character was “sticky” but the lesson he was teaching was not because Oscar was
distracting the children from learning.
After much research and trials producers of Sesame Street finally found
a perfect balance and Sesame Street, as well as its lessons, stuck.
Finally, I found the case study on suicide in Micronesia to be
fascinating and morbid. Suicide is such an uncommon thing here in America and
is severely frowned upon. It is often even associated with mental disorders or
extreme depression. But, as the study points out, suicide in Micronesia is a
very common practice among teenage boys, as there are 160 people who commit
suicide per every 100,000. It is also rare because suicide in Micronesia can be
set off by something as simple as not receiving a few extra dollars from
parents or seeing their girlfriend with another boy. What is also unnerving is
the idea that in Micronesia children often imitate suicides at ages as young as
five years old. Gladwell points out that based on suicide research, in some
places committing suicide can be contagious. David Phillips, a sociologist, explains that this contagion
is not like a disease or in any way rational, it is more like imitation,
imitating a person who provided permission to perform some kind of deviant act.
