Tuesday, January 24, 2012
In Response To Freakonomics
Now, naturally, I understand that we have not finished the movie yet, but it is my understanding that this blog post is in response to what we have viewed thus far in class, not the entire movie. What I would like to talk about is the opening of the movie, wherein the viewer is first introduced to the idea that to everything there is a hidden side. The example of real estate is used to illustrate the incentives of the real estate agent to prove that in all truth, the home owner wishing to sell and the real estate agent do not have the same goal. While it was a good example because it was simple and straightforward, and allowed the viewer to immerse themselves in the subject without becoming overwhelmed. I do think that it is an oversimplification, and is not sufficiently surprising for an apparently expositional movie. It turns out that real estate agents are not as caring of what price the home owner gets for a house as the home owner him or herself. Surprise, surprise. If the movie had started with something more surprising and less obvious, it would have been a better start to the movie. Not all movies require surprise in the opening to hook a viewer, but a movie that is supposed to be eye-opening should open the viewers' eyes immediately.
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ReplyDeleteIt was my second time watching the movie Freakonomics and I found it just as fascinating as if did the first time. Prior to seeing the movie I had never thought about the impact ones name has on their life and their future. When they shared the research they had presented on the importance of ones name and the role it plays in their life, I found it fascinating because I have never looked into the meaning behind ones name. When the introduced the role of a name in someone’s future and the role it plays in their everyday life I began to wonder if it really did have an impact. People are always saying that ones name says a lot about them but in reality people don’t pick their names their parents do. When they shared their research on names and concluded that names don’t dictate ones future they used the example of the man who named his kids winner and loser. In the end loser was successful and winner a felon. Another test they did that I found interesting was when they took the same résumés and put one with a more common “Caucasian name” and the other with a more “African American name.” In the end, they discovered the person with the “white name” is at an advantage to the person with the “black name” even though they are both equally qualified. This just goes to show that we still have a long way for equality. When they presented the link between abortion and crime. I found it fascinating. The fact that the crime rate went down at the same time abortion was legalized proves the importance of welcoming someone into the world that is wanted and can be taken care of. If a child is not welcomed they are at a higher risk to act out. I loved this movie and I want them to make another.
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