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English title - "Freakonomics"
Title is taken from the book Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores The Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
From the book of the same title, “Freakonomics” presents a number of the ideas and findings from the book in four major segments and in several, short, segment transitional conversations with Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. Having read the book a couple of years ago, I was looking forward to the film. The four film segments are: “A Roshanda By Any Other Name”, “Pure Corruption”, “It’s Not Always A Wonderful Life”, and “Can A Ninth Grader Be Bribed To Succeed?”
In “A Roshanda By Any Other Name” the discussion centers around the baby naming patterns of American parents. The specific focus is on black parents and white parents. Up until the 1960s, the naming of children by black parents and white parents was similar. At the time of the Civil Rights movement the naming pattern began to diverge. Black parents sought to differentiate themselves from white parents and began giving their children names that reflected a cultural connection to Africa, the Muslim religion, or a desire for uniqueness (watch for the “Unique” spelling bit – amusing!). Also bound up in this naming discussion is giving a child a name that would help in making him/her a success in life and not one that would contribute to a lackluster life. Unfortunately there is no “magic” name. For further investigation of this naming topic, I would suggest looking at the child names of couples in which one parent is black and the other is white, as well as other heteroracial couples and single racial couples; and studying the naming patterns in other countries.
The next segment in “Freakonomics” is “Pure Corruption”. Mix one part Shinto, one part Sumo, one part Stable, add a little Hierarchy and you have the makings of sport fixing Japanese style. As in all sports, competition is the name of the game and moving up in the rankings is always desired. But because Sumo wrestlers in Japan, from a very early age, live and train together in stables, there is a cooperative incentive to fix matches late in a tournament. Sumo wrestlers move up in rank by winning at least eight matches in a fifteen match tournament; so if in a fifteenth match of a tournament, Opponent A has eight wins and six losses and Opponent B has seven wins and seven losses, Opponent A can afford to let Opponent B win, who then also gains in ranking. Of course Opponent A would expect the same treatment, if necessary, from Opponent B in a future tournament. Perhaps I’m jaded by the workings of professional wrestling in the US, but I guess the findings don’t surprise me. Even a sport tied up with the Shinto religion is subject to secular sins.
“It’s Not Always A Wonderful Life” examines the connection between the legalization of abortion in the United States and the drop in crime rate. Though people may wonder what the world would be like if they were never born, this segment of “Freakonomics” postulates that the non-existence of children from lower socioeconomic women decreased the crime rate by not having potential criminals born. I have mixed feelings about this segment. I can understand that the reduction of some population groups can have an impact on criminal activity, but I think there have to be other contributing factors, not just one – state of the economy, level of education, increase in technology. In any case, if the crime rate has gone down, then that improves life for everyone and perhaps some version of “It’s A Wonderful Life” is possible for most.
The final segment in “Freakonomics” is “Can A Ninth Grader Be Bribed To Succeed?”. Focusing on two underachieving ninth grade boys, the experiment takes place in a Chicago-area school over one semester. Students who achieve Cs or above in their classes receive fifty dollars and are eligible for a drawing for five hundred dollars and a limousine ride. The payouts and drawings happen three times over the course of the semester. The two boys are followed during the experiment to see if they can bring up their grades to meet the fifty dollars criteria. One of the boys is a D/E student and the other one is a C/D one. There are ups and downs in the grades for both boys, but in the third and last time of checking grades, one of the boys (C/D) finally meets the criteria and gets fifty dollars. The fifty dollars (along with his mother’s offer to match it) was not enough of a motivation for the D/E student to meet the criteria; in fact he didn’t even improve to be a C/D student. On the other hand, the boy who eventually got the fifty dollars had shown a lot of self-motivation during the semester, in addition to his wanting to win the fifty dollars. If this experiment is done again, perhaps monetary tiers could be used – fifty for Cs, one hundred for Bs, one hundred fifty for As, and something for students below the criteria who show and sustain improvement over the time frame.
“Freakonomics” is a quick-paced documentary with lots of information and graphics thrown at the viewer throughout the film. Because of this, more than one viewing might be necessary to take in all the ideas and visuals presented. I know that there are things that, upon reflection, I don’t quite remember. For example, the transitional segment to “It’s Not Always A Wonderful Life” concerned Romania, but I’ve forgotten the point that was being made. Reading the book, whether before or after seeing the film can only help. The transitional segments are good and usually relate to the upcoming major segment. So if you like coming at things from a different perspective, then see “Freakononomics”; it will engage your mind.
Film Facts: Directors/Writers/Producers: Alex Gibney, Seth Gordon, Directors/Writers: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, Eugene Jarecki, Morgan Spurlock, Writers/Producers: Peter Bull, Jeremy Chilnick, Writers: Steven Levitt, Stephen Dubner, Cinematographers: Junji Aoki, Tony Hardmon, Darren Lew, Daniel Marracino, Rob VanAlkemade, Editor/Producer: Sloane Klevin, Editors: Douglas Blush, Tova Goodman, Nelson Ryland, Michael Taylor, Musicians: Paul Brill, Michael Furjanic, Human, Peter Nashel, Michael Wandmacher, Producers: Peter Cerbin, Rafi Chaudry, Joanna Chejade-Bloom, Christina Gonzalez, Alexander Johnes, Damon Martin, Dan O’Meara, Michael Rohan, Mary Rolich, Chris Romano, Michiko Toyoma, Chad Troutwine Production Company: Chad Troutwine Films
Film Type: Documentary, Cast: Zoe Sloane (Blake), Jade Viggiano (High School Girl), Adesuwa Addy Iyare (Temptress Mother), Greg Crowe (Jonny the Mechanic), Jalani McNair (Loser), Carl Alleyne (Boyfriend), Samuel Soifer (Jake), Andrew Greiche (Jake), Amancaya Aguilar (Mercedes), Hassan Brown (Father), Kelli Chaves (High School Girl), Alyssa Wheeldon (High School Girl), Kellli Gerardi (Lexus), James Leibow (Himself), Michael MacAllister (Himself), Length: 86’, Language: English, Country: United States of America, Year: 2010
Film trailer
United States release date November 2010
Images:
Left: Front side of ticket for “Freakonomics”
Center: Graphic interpretation of the “Freakonomics” segment “Pure Corruption” created by Adrean Darce Brent
From the book of the same title, “Freakonomics” presents a number of the ideas and findings from the book in four major segments and in several, short, segment transitional conversations with Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. Having read the book a couple of years ago, I was looking forward to the film. The four film segments are: “A Roshanda By Any Other Name”, “Pure Corruption”, “It’s Not Always A Wonderful Life”, and “Can A Ninth Grader Be Bribed To Succeed?”
In “A Roshanda By Any Other Name” the discussion centers around the baby naming patterns of American parents. The specific focus is on black parents and white parents. Up until the 1960s, the naming of children by black parents and white parents was similar. At the time of the Civil Rights movement the naming pattern began to diverge. Black parents sought to differentiate themselves from white parents and began giving their children names that reflected a cultural connection to Africa, the Muslim religion, or a desire for uniqueness (watch for the “Unique” spelling bit – amusing!). Also bound up in this naming discussion is giving a child a name that would help in making him/her a success in life and not one that would contribute to a lackluster life. Unfortunately there is no “magic” name. For further investigation of this naming topic, I would suggest looking at the child names of couples in which one parent is black and the other is white, as well as other heteroracial couples and single racial couples; and studying the naming patterns in other countries.
The next segment in “Freakonomics” is “Pure Corruption”. Mix one part Shinto, one part Sumo, one part Stable, add a little Hierarchy and you have the makings of sport fixing Japanese style. As in all sports, competition is the name of the game and moving up in the rankings is always desired. But because Sumo wrestlers in Japan, from a very early age, live and train together in stables, there is a cooperative incentive to fix matches late in a tournament. Sumo wrestlers move up in rank by winning at least eight matches in a fifteen match tournament; so if in a fifteenth match of a tournament, Opponent A has eight wins and six losses and Opponent B has seven wins and seven losses, Opponent A can afford to let Opponent B win, who then also gains in ranking. Of course Opponent A would expect the same treatment, if necessary, from Opponent B in a future tournament. Perhaps I’m jaded by the workings of professional wrestling in the US, but I guess the findings don’t surprise me. Even a sport tied up with the Shinto religion is subject to secular sins.
“It’s Not Always A Wonderful Life” examines the connection between the legalization of abortion in the United States and the drop in crime rate. Though people may wonder what the world would be like if they were never born, this segment of “Freakonomics” postulates that the non-existence of children from lower socioeconomic women decreased the crime rate by not having potential criminals born. I have mixed feelings about this segment. I can understand that the reduction of some population groups can have an impact on criminal activity, but I think there have to be other contributing factors, not just one – state of the economy, level of education, increase in technology. In any case, if the crime rate has gone down, then that improves life for everyone and perhaps some version of “It’s A Wonderful Life” is possible for most.
The final segment in “Freakonomics” is “Can A Ninth Grader Be Bribed To Succeed?”. Focusing on two underachieving ninth grade boys, the experiment takes place in a Chicago-area school over one semester. Students who achieve Cs or above in their classes receive fifty dollars and are eligible for a drawing for five hundred dollars and a limousine ride. The payouts and drawings happen three times over the course of the semester. The two boys are followed during the experiment to see if they can bring up their grades to meet the fifty dollars criteria. One of the boys is a D/E student and the other one is a C/D one. There are ups and downs in the grades for both boys, but in the third and last time of checking grades, one of the boys (C/D) finally meets the criteria and gets fifty dollars. The fifty dollars (along with his mother’s offer to match it) was not enough of a motivation for the D/E student to meet the criteria; in fact he didn’t even improve to be a C/D student. On the other hand, the boy who eventually got the fifty dollars had shown a lot of self-motivation during the semester, in addition to his wanting to win the fifty dollars. If this experiment is done again, perhaps monetary tiers could be used – fifty for Cs, one hundred for Bs, one hundred fifty for As, and something for students below the criteria who show and sustain improvement over the time frame.
“Freakonomics” is a quick-paced documentary with lots of information and graphics thrown at the viewer throughout the film. Because of this, more than one viewing might be necessary to take in all the ideas and visuals presented. I know that there are things that, upon reflection, I don’t quite remember. For example, the transitional segment to “It’s Not Always A Wonderful Life” concerned Romania, but I’ve forgotten the point that was being made. Reading the book, whether before or after seeing the film can only help. The transitional segments are good and usually relate to the upcoming major segment. So if you like coming at things from a different perspective, then see “Freakononomics”; it will engage your mind.
Film Facts: Directors/Writers/Producers: Alex Gibney, Seth Gordon, Directors/Writers: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, Eugene Jarecki, Morgan Spurlock, Writers/Producers: Peter Bull, Jeremy Chilnick, Writers: Steven Levitt, Stephen Dubner, Cinematographers: Junji Aoki, Tony Hardmon, Darren Lew, Daniel Marracino, Rob VanAlkemade, Editor/Producer: Sloane Klevin, Editors: Douglas Blush, Tova Goodman, Nelson Ryland, Michael Taylor, Musicians: Paul Brill, Michael Furjanic, Human, Peter Nashel, Michael Wandmacher, Producers: Peter Cerbin, Rafi Chaudry, Joanna Chejade-Bloom, Christina Gonzalez, Alexander Johnes, Damon Martin, Dan O’Meara, Michael Rohan, Mary Rolich, Chris Romano, Michiko Toyoma, Chad Troutwine Production Company: Chad Troutwine Films
Film Type: Documentary, Cast: Zoe Sloane (Blake), Jade Viggiano (High School Girl), Adesuwa Addy Iyare (Temptress Mother), Greg Crowe (Jonny the Mechanic), Jalani McNair (Loser), Carl Alleyne (Boyfriend), Samuel Soifer (Jake), Andrew Greiche (Jake), Amancaya Aguilar (Mercedes), Hassan Brown (Father), Kelli Chaves (High School Girl), Alyssa Wheeldon (High School Girl), Kellli Gerardi (Lexus), James Leibow (Himself), Michael MacAllister (Himself), Length: 86’, Language: English, Country: United States of America, Year: 2010
Film trailer
United States release date November 2010
Images:
Left: Front side of ticket for “Freakonomics”
Center: Graphic interpretation of the “Freakonomics” segment “Pure Corruption” created by Adrean Darce Brent
Right: Poster of “Freakonomics” from the website imdb.com
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