Freakonomics: “What Do School Teachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common”
Freakonomics: “What Do School Teachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common”
Daily Humans face the difficulty of choosing what's morally right, and morally wrong. Whether it be the simple everyday 'thank you' and 'please' or perhaps the wrong decision made under the carpet for personal gain, every action has a reaction. These choices seem simple when seen on paper, however the once simple decision becomes quite the opposite when an alternate motive poisons the minds of unsuspecting civilians. Freakonomics illustrates the harsh reality that once people are given a choice, no matter how wrong it may seem; when their neck is on the line, the majority of civilians will do what it takes to benefit themselves. Reffering to the rhetorical evidence of logos, Levitt and Dubner use examples from school systems to sumo wrestlers to explain to readers the motivation behind the so called cheating that plagues society. In “What Do School Teachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common” Levitt and Dubner describes the situation for the teachers inside the Chicago Public Schools. It just so happens that the year the teachers proved to be fraudulent “high stakes testing” implemented itself into the school system (22). With bonuses and jobs on the line are the teachers really to blame? If it is true everyone has a price then it must be true that the Chicago Public Schools hit the teacher’s price dead on. In turn the question must be asked: who cheats? “Anyone, if the stakes are right” (22). As rhetorical elements, these descriptions convince the audience that everyone has a price to do what’s proven as morally wrong. Overall Levitt and Dubner sufficiently paint a picture in the minds of readers why someone would go against morality to benefit
Daily Humans face the difficulty of choosing what's morally right, and morally wrong. Whether it be the simple everyday 'thank you' and 'please' or perhaps the wrong decision made under the carpet for personal gain, every action has a reaction. These choices seem simple when seen on paper, however the once simple decision becomes quite the opposite when an alternate motive poisons the minds of unsuspecting civilians. Freakonomics illustrates the harsh reality that once people are given a choice, no matter how wrong it may seem; when their neck is on the line, the majority of civilians will do what it takes to benefit themselves. Reffering to the rhetorical evidence of logos, Levitt and Dubner use examples from school systems to sumo wrestlers to explain to readers the motivation behind the so called cheating that plagues society. In “What Do School Teachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common” Levitt and Dubner describes the situation for the teachers inside the Chicago Public Schools. It just so happens that the year the teachers proved to be fraudulent “high stakes testing” implemented itself into the school system (22). With bonuses and jobs on the line are the teachers really to blame? If it is true everyone has a price then it must be true that the Chicago Public Schools hit the teacher’s price dead on. In turn the question must be asked: who cheats? “Anyone, if the stakes are right” (22). As rhetorical elements, these descriptions convince the audience that everyone has a price to do what’s proven as morally wrong. Overall Levitt and Dubner sufficiently paint a picture in the minds of readers why someone would go against morality to benefit