Freakonomics

Most things are not what they appear to be when it comes to social issues. Since I have somewhat of a background in sociology, I enjoy reading books like Freakonomics. Freakonomics delves into the reality of such issues as why did crime suddenly drop in New York City. Although politicians quickly took credit for it, statistical research indicated the real reason was abortion. The book looks at the influence economics has on a variety of issues. One segment deals with real estate agents. It turns out, as you might suspect, that real estate agents do not act in your best interest. The fun of the book is how Steven Levitt figures it out. There are two other books along a similar vein, Blink and The Tipping Point. I think it is good to take a look at things from a different perspective. Two other books I have been trying to get to are God Not Great, and The God Delusion. We all assume religion is a good thing; maybe we should rethink it. This is the premise of these two books. I rarely read a book at one sitting, but I did manage to buzz through Freakonomic last night. It is a lot of fun to read, and there are a couple of examples that made me laugh out loud. One incident involved a graduate student who was sent into high rises in Chicago to interview the people living there. His questionnaire was basically one question, "How do you like being a negro?". The possible answers went from from very bad to very good. After a hilarious encounter with drug dealers in the hallway, the interview came to the conclusion that one more choice needed to be added to the questionaire !@#$#@ You. The research assistant ends up becoming friends with the drug dealers and delves into the question, "If drug dealers make so much money, why are they living at home with their mother?". It is a good story, and the method for getting real answers to questions is something everyone could learn from.