Being a Freakonomic – Exploring Abortion and Crime in the US
In 1989 US crime was at its peak. Violent crime rates rose by 80% in the 15 previous years. But the 1990s saw a sudden steep drop in crimes rates. Take a look at the US Homicide Rate below: One can see the drop during the 1990s and the high level of homicides in the previous years, fueled by the crack-cocaine epidemic in the 1980s.
Experts have presented far ranging hypothesis for these developments. Ranging from more police being on the street to better policing strategies and a better economy.
In their book “Freakonomics” Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner claim that some of these factors have contributed virtually nothing to the drop in crime. Instead, they claim that the legalization of abortion was the main reason for the good development in the 1990s.
“Where have all the criminals gone” is the chapter about the drop of crime rates called. Its subheading includes the phrase: “Why early crack dealers were like Microsoft millionaires and later crack dealers were like Pets.com”. The chapter is brilliant!
What Freakonomics Really is About
I was once asked by my stepdad what “Freakonomics” is about. “I don’t know”, I said. I couldn’t tell him. As Levitt and Dubner wrote: “this book indeed has no unifying theme”. It’s not about statistics or economics. It’s about why the Ku-Klux Klan is like a group of real estate agents, about why crack dealers still live with their mums and what schoolteachers and sumo-wrestlers have in common.
While these might not be questions that you have or will ever ask yourself (at least not voluntarily), they might help you an awful lot with the questions you do ask yourself daily (and voluntarily).
Why You will Enjoy “Freakonomics”, Even if You Don’t like Economics
So naturally you might wonder, why would I need to know what schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common. For starters: You don’t actually have to (although it is fun to know). It’s really not about the answer itself but about the process of getting there.
Dubner and Levitt explain basic economic principles and statistical methods in a humorous and funny way. I read the book before starting my economics bachelors and had no trouble of understanding the two “Freaks”. And what better way to learn some basic about economics then by the story of a crack dealer in his 40s who still is a mamma’s boy. You may even get some parenting advice or learn which name sets your kid up for success (it’s not Maya or Maximilian).
Think like a Freak
The combination of Levitt’s economic brilliance and Dubner’s hilarious yet exciting writing style shows how beautiful economics can be. Knowing that causation and correlation are not the same thing will probably help you out in life even if you’re not an economist.
“If morality represents the way we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually works”
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner in “Freakonomics”
But still the book really isn’t that much about economics. Yes, it uses linear regression, but “Freakonomics” is about a style of thinking. Approaching everyday things with curiosity and a good amount of skepticism. Being eager to learn, willing to dig deep into problems and not being afraid of challenging popular opinions even by experts. Yes, the world is complicated but we can figure it out. Dubner and Levitt are confident that everyone can.
That is one reason why they wrote another two books in the “Freakonomics” series that deal with the further astonishing facts (“Super Freakonomics”) and the mindset of a “Freak” (“Think like a Freak”).
Final Thoughts – Becoming a Freakonomic
I hope I was able to get the brilliance and meaning of this book across. It’s one of the best ones I have read, and I look forward to reading Dubner’s and Levitt’s other publications. “Freakonomics” not only helps to solve our Reading Dilemma, but it also maps out the mindset of a curious, independent thinker of whom the world should see many more of.
And if you don’t really care about that or the statistics then maybe just remember after reading “Freakonomics” why the Ku-Klux Klan is like a group of real estate agents, why crack dealers still live with their mums, what schoolteachers and sumo
wrestlers have in common or why naming your kid Maximilian will not automatically get him into Harvard. Enjoy!
Joe
If you have enjoyed the book, then check out the Freakonomics blog for further articles and podcasts from Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt.
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