To conclude malcolm gladwell appeals to ethos logos

against suicide and believes his ideology could aide this epidemic.
To conclude, Malcolm Gladwell, appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos throughout the
Tipping Point. He uses logos the most efficiently because his argument depends on
logic when discussing worldly events. However, ethos is present when he cites his
social research from interviews with “Connectors”. Pathos is not as prevalent but is
showcased towards the end of the book when discussing how to improve social
epidemics such as suicide rates. All in all, Gladwell effectively portrays all three
appeals, and show readers how the Tipping Point is prevalent in everyday life.

5 Anisah Hassan
The purpose of the Tipping Point is to examine why social epidemics occur. In
order to prove his point, Gladwell indirectly offers commentary on issues such as
lowering crime rates in big cities and the cause of mass suicides in Micronesia.
Gladwell's information on these social issues has allowed me to become more
knowledgeable about both topics. However, I do not completely agree with every
action Gladwell suggests.
Addressing how the Tipping Point correlated to lowering crime is detailed in
chapter 4. Gladwell speaks of the major crime streak in New York City, circa the late
80’s- early 90s, and examines how the crime rate fell. Gladwell indirectly supports
the Broken Window Hypothesis which is the idea of major crimes (robbery, rape,
murder) are encouraged by smaller crimes such as (graffiti, public urination, and
vandalism). Gladwell related this Hypothesis to his idea of Power of Context, - which
is the belief small environmental factor can have a major effect on public behavior.
Although crime did begin to fall after New York instituted the Broken Window
Hypothesis, I do not fully agree with this method. Personally, I believe this
hypothesis was an excuse to unfairly persecute minorities and the poor. What
Gladwell fails to mention is how enacting this hypothesis lead to the incarceration of
10's of thousands of black and Latinos for possession of small amounts of cocaine
and marijuana. While I am not condoning the possession of any amount of drugs, I
am aware that wrongful prosecution still takes place today among minorities, and
the Broken Window hypothesis would have never been the course of action taken
against drug infested white communities. However, on page 134 the author says, “…
people are products of their environment; in other words, people commit crimes

6 Anisah Hassan
because their environment compels them to do so.” I do agree with this statement
because it addresses that people have to adapt to their environment; including
people in the poverty-stricken areas of New York. This statement provides
clarification that not all people who commit crimes are bad; they are only reacting to
their environment.