The Kindness of Strangers Research Paper
877 Words
Apr 5th, 2008
4 Pages
In the article “The Kindness Of Strangers”, the author, Levine (2006/2007) writes of the helpfulness of strangers. He does extensive research and also performs experiments. He found that in some places of the world people were more likely to help people they do not know than in other places. He explains that environment, socialization, and economics affects how willing people are to help. Levine (2006/2007) uses economics the most through his article. He does this, because experiments showed that people who are poor are more than likely going to help someone in need. The reason for poorer communities being more helpful is because, to them social interactions are more important then their own achievements. Usually they aren’t very
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One theory Levine (2006/2007) had was that not all cities were the same, like
people they have different personalities to them. He believed that some people in certain cities with specific qualities, would be the ones helping strangers in need. The reasoning behind this idea he had came from an experience as a child in New York, where hundreds of people walked over a man, that in his opinion needed help. Then years later in Rangoon he saw dozens of people abandoning there stalls to help someone. He went on to test his theory with experiments around the world. His experiments lead him to realize that cities were extremely diverse, mostly in the way people helped and their reason for helping or not helping. Another theory Levine (2006/2007) used, was the fact that living in a nicer environment, even a simpler environment might raise the helpfulness of people. Stating that people in places like New York are just afraid to offer help after they have been burned too many times Levine (2006/2007). Most all of us know and are aware of “stranger danger” we know that its most likely unsafe to offer help to people we do not know. In most cases people believe their own life is more important than that of a stranger. Especially in the more dangerous cities, people living in fear would make them callused to others. There are very few biases in this article, although one makes itself so apparent throughout its entirety. Most of Levine’s attempts to identify the
people they have different personalities to them. He believed that some people in certain cities with specific qualities, would be the ones helping strangers in need. The reasoning behind this idea he had came from an experience as a child in New York, where hundreds of people walked over a man, that in his opinion needed help. Then years later in Rangoon he saw dozens of people abandoning there stalls to help someone. He went on to test his theory with experiments around the world. His experiments lead him to realize that cities were extremely diverse, mostly in the way people helped and their reason for helping or not helping. Another theory Levine (2006/2007) used, was the fact that living in a nicer environment, even a simpler environment might raise the helpfulness of people. Stating that people in places like New York are just afraid to offer help after they have been burned too many times Levine (2006/2007). Most all of us know and are aware of “stranger danger” we know that its most likely unsafe to offer help to people we do not know. In most cases people believe their own life is more important than that of a stranger. Especially in the more dangerous cities, people living in fear would make them callused to others. There are very few biases in this article, although one makes itself so apparent throughout its entirety. Most of Levine’s attempts to identify the