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Levitt And Dubner Freakonomics Summary

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Levitt and Dubner analyze various approaches or strategies parents exercise on their offspring in attempt to form perfectly obedient children in Chapter 5 of Freakonomics. Such approaches include Head Start, regular museum visits, speaking English in the home, taking off work during the child’s early years, spanking, adopting, reading bedtime stories, having books available throughout the home, educational television shows, and getting involved in the PTA. Copious amounts of so-called “parenting experts” strongly stand their ground and influence worrisome parents with fear. However, according to Peter Sandman, experts and their plausible information cause parents to overreact to a number of these “fears.” In his words, the “outrage outweighs the hazard” (Hamilton, 2004, 153). For instance, terrorist attacks are deemed far more treacherous than heart disease. Sandman refers to his “control” principle when supporting the fact …show more content…
Does this really cure breast cancer? No. This only makes people feel better about themselves. It is an easy way out to not feel guilty. Wearing pink does not help the situation, just like putting a baby in a carseat is not helpful. Yes, some pink shirts are sold and the money goes towards finding a cure, but that is only a tiny percentage. Yes, carseats may decrease the chance of injury or death by a tiny percentage, but the outrage definitely outweighs the hazard in this case. Vehicles are dangerous; plain and simple. If a parent makes the decision to travel in a car with their baby, they are taking a risk. Marketers caught on quickly to this fear just like they did with the fear of breast cancer. Consumers are hungry for an easy problem solver. Companies advertise “the safest” carseats and parents are convinced. When, in reality, carseats do not prevent car accidents. All they do is take some of the fear away. All they do is wear

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