

Pearls Before Breakfast - vuknje
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

======
tptacek
This is a Gene Weingarten piece. Weingarten is an absurdly brilliant feature
writer (this article won a Pulitzer, for whatever that's worth), and pretty
funny in his humorous pieces too. I don't think this is his best work; my
favorites of his are:

The Great Zucchini, about a birthday clown

[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2006/01...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2006/01/18/AR2006011801434_pf.html)

Fatal Distraction, about parents locking their kids in cars --- this article
is hard to take, and simply an awesome piece of writing:

[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2009/02...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html)

The first time Weingarten got posted here I spent a couple hours tracking down
as much of his writing as I could find, and ended up happy I did. Very much
worth your time (or worth stuffing into your Instapaper account).

~~~
MatthewCampbell
He recently released a printed collection of his best work, including your two
favorites:

[http://www.amazon.com/Fiddler-Subway-World-Class-
Violinist-P...](http://www.amazon.com/Fiddler-Subway-World-Class-Violinist-
Performances/dp/1439181594)

Great Zucchini is my favorite, too. And his favorite.

------
Lucent
This story is popular for the same reason as Dunning–Kruger. People cite D-K
because everyone acts as certain as them and it's frustrating. If we're all
equally certain, what makes me different from you? D-K gives the answer you
want to hear--the other people are mistakenly confident in their abilities,
unlike you.

If you look at the numbers and graphs for D-K, the actual conclusion is that
everyone thinks they're in about the 70th percentile (with some minor
variation) regardless of their ability, a non-conclusion. That is, however,
not the interpretation we want to be true, so we continue to perpetuate the
more specious analysis that skilled people know their ability level and
unskilled do not, when really it is just a side effect of everyone rating
themselves in the 70th percentile and some people inevitably landing at that
same skill level.

Here's an essay that puts the same reversal in perspective for the Bell story:
<http://essays.dayah.com/face-the-music>. It argues we love to promote and
repeat this story because it proves that _we_ could be unacknowledged
geniuses. In our retelling of the Bell story, we are not referencing the
masses that walk by rather than listen, we're pointing out that others walk by
us.

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eli
I remember that. I thought it was pretty contrived. During the morning rush,
people really don't want to be late for work. I'm not sure that was a thesis
that needed proving.

He'd have had a huge crowd during lunch hour.

~~~
etm117
While I am not positive with whether I agree or disagree with your lunch hour
statement. I would like the test re-done, but in Europe or Brazil, just not
the USA. At multiple points, the article seems to be pointing out in so many
words that Americans would do this because we are too busy or indifferent. But
I am honestly interested if this was done in say London right outside a tube
that lets off a majority of federal workers like L'Enfant to best replicate
the scenario.

And honestly, I do not know if it would do any better in London or elsewhere.
For anyone to say would probably be basing it on the stereotypes that the
author alluded to. But what would really happen?

~~~
frossie
It certainly is the case that in the Paris metro I have seen crowds form
around good buskers.

Sure, doing this at morning rush hour assured the least chance of success, but
the interesting thing is how many people reported not even _noticing_ the dude
- they didn't seem to have interviewed many people who said "Gee that sounded
awesome but I had to run or else my boss would fire me".

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zafka
I think it was fantastic. The allusion is funny too. I have a very
unpretentious little art gallery, and pottery shop. After being in the
business for about ten years, I have come to realize that very few people will
buy for just the beauty, they need validation that others find value in the
object.

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jberryman
Second eli's comment that the experiment was contrived. Also the irony of this
whole article and experiment is that it begins with the assumption that bell
gave a performance in the subway that was great and should have been arresting
to passers-by.

The article _starts_ from the assumption that his performance was good (I'll
just be contrarian and say I don't think it was) based on his celebrity, and
then goes on to conclude that the people _who were actually there_ are a bunch
of fools.

Maybe they all thought "that Bell's such a prima donna, I'm just gonna ignore
him"

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mathogre
Absolutely brilliant. Read this.

