1. Full citation.
"Why Do Americans Feel that Danger Lurks Everywhere?" Wall Street Journal, April 3, 2003.
2. Where did/does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?
Jane Spencer and Cynthia Crossen are reporters for the Wall Street Journal. They have reported on a number of stories such as topics like being stalked, film festivals, and the stock market.
3. What are the topics of the text?
America’s fixation on risk which has been fed by labs, law, and media
4. What is the main argument of the text?
Americans are being bombarded with new risks/fears all the time but do not know how to handle hype or think critically enough to evaluate risks on their own. In addition, people’s vulnerability gets capitalized upon to make money.
5. Describe at least three ways that the argument is supported.
The very process of scientific discovery, with conflicting studies recommending different paths, can leave laymen in a muddle. (Scientists say it's risky for older women to use hormone-replacement therapy -- but it used to be risky not to.)
Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of risk now is that humans are actually manufacturing it -- with nuclear power plants, the ozone hole, toxic waste, global warming, nuclear weapons, even terrorism. Most of these systems are so huge, complex and relatively new, that the possible consequences of them are wholly unknown.
In early April, Farid Tahbaz, marketing manager for a rubber and vinyl manufacturer in Buena Park, Calif., canceled a business trip to China because of SARS. "At first I wasn't really that scared," he says. "I didn't think I was going to catch it, and I figured if I did, I'd just get sick for 10 days." As the trip approached, however, and many people urged him not to go, Mr. Tahbaz began trying to find information on SARS in newspapers and on the Internet. While there are still no dependable statistics on the disease, "I took into account everything I'd read, and decided there was about a 5% chance that I would contract it," Mr. Tahbaz says. "And then there was a 5% chance that if I got it, I might die from it. When I thought about the numbers, it wasn't worth it."
6. What three quotes capture the message of the text?
Government officials, scientists, marketers and the media learned to use risk as a way to get people's attention. "It's much easier to scare than unscare," says Paul Slovic, professor of psychology at the University of Oregon. "We trust people who tell us we're in danger more than people who tell us we're not in danger."
"The fact was, here was something I thought was OK, and suddenly there's a risk to it," says Ms. Rasmussen. "Either the medical community doesn't have a clear handle on these issues when they release these studies, or the media don't present it clearly. Between the two, you aren't sure what you're being told and why."
H.G. Wells once wrote, "Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary for efficient citizenship as the ability to read and write." Even Mr. Wells couldn't have predicted how many statistics people face in their everyday lives now -- and how poorly trained they are to interpret them.
7. What three questions about environmental risk and precaution does this article leave you with?
What would a successful educational program for people of all ages entail, if one was to learn about critical thinking with regards to risk and statistics? Should it be required? Who needs it the most?
How many highly trained statisticians and risk analysts are there in government that actually gets to work with new policies?
Are there any examples worldwide of a country that does handle risk assessment responsibly and in such a system that its citizens are well versed in critical thinking?
"Why Do Americans Feel that Danger Lurks Everywhere?" Wall Street Journal, April 3, 2003.
2. Where did/does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?
Jane Spencer and Cynthia Crossen are reporters for the Wall Street Journal. They have reported on a number of stories such as topics like being stalked, film festivals, and the stock market.
3. What are the topics of the text?
America’s fixation on risk which has been fed by labs, law, and media
4. What is the main argument of the text?
Americans are being bombarded with new risks/fears all the time but do not know how to handle hype or think critically enough to evaluate risks on their own. In addition, people’s vulnerability gets capitalized upon to make money.
5. Describe at least three ways that the argument is supported.
6. What three quotes capture the message of the text?
7. What three questions about environmental risk and precaution does this article leave you with?