The Tipping Point
Malcom Gladwell
Summary
Author's Purpose
Three Principles Learned
A) The Law of the Few: Certain types of people are good at spreading news or trends
B) The Stickiness Factor: Factors make trends, ideas and social behaviors more "sticky", or appealing, and cause them to spread to the masses more willingly
C) The Power of Context: The events around an idea, trend or behavior can be just as, if not more, important than the big event
Two Passages
Page 9: This passage is a prime example of how easily things can spread just by hearing a word, seeing an action or even thinking of one. And on top of that, just seeing, hearing or thinking of a yawn can cause you to think you may be tired, even when you may not have been feeling that way before.
Page 141: This passage is important because it talks about the Broken Window theory, a theory that is the main explanation as to why the Power of Context is so important in causing a "tipping point". I also find it incredibly interesting that a simple thing, like a broken window, can change the whole view of a place, and from that, cause it to be more susceptible to crime.