Tipping Point Discussion Questions

Question 1:
Bernie Goetz was raised by a raging father with an authority problem. This resulted in serious psychological problems for Bernie. One day while riding in a New York subway, Bernie felt threatened by four black men who asked him for money. Without hesitation, Bernie pulled out a gun from his pocket and opened fire on the four men. After this incident, he was considered a hero because the men had a criminal background and were only expected to cause further trouble in the future. Bernie turned himself in and was later acquitted on charges of assult and attempted murder. From 1984 to the late 1990s the crime epidemic in New York tipped. Murders dropped by two-thirds, felonies were cut in half, and there were 75 percent less felonies on the subway, making New York the safest big city in the country. According to the public eye, Bernie Goetz was deemed a heroic vigilante. However, I personally feel that no man should perform such deadly actions on other human beings. It seemed as if Bernie had no remorse for what he did when we watched the You Tube interview in class. Why was he carrying a gun in the first place? Did he open fire because of their race? Why were all of his charges automatically dropped? These are all questions open for discussion and further questioning.

Question 5:
The Zimbardo prison experiment further explains the "Power of Context". In this study, prisoners and guards took on the roles of prisoners and mean, cruel guards even if it wasn't their true personality. This shows the importance of one's environment. I feel that if the living conditions in prisons improved, it could dramatically impact the inmates' behavior. This idea could be supported by the example of the graffiti cleanup on all of the subway cars. After the graffiti was painted over time and time again, the crime rates decreased dramatically. The "Power of Context" has everything to do with the physical environment. Therfore, if the environment found within prisons was improved, I feel that the same results as the New York graffiti incident would follow.