Pearls Before Breakfast - Tom Burkland

On the morning of January 12, 2007, world renowned violinist Joshua Bell performed 6 intricate classical pieces as hundreds of people made their way through Washington D.C.'s L'Enfant Plaza on their way to work. This performance was arranged by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment on people's tastes, perceptions, and priorities.  A few evenings prior to this experiment, Bell played to a sold out crowd at Boston's Symphony Hall; tickets sold for around $100. Out of the hundreds of people that passed through the station that day only a handful stop to appreciate the performance.          




This experiment reminded me a lot of the discussion in the Simmel reading of how the modern mind operates through calculation. Many of the people who chose to pass by Bell's performance that morning most likely made up their minds in a matter of seconds as to whether or not they would stop and listen.  Aside from the handful of people who stopped to a appreciate the music, people generally felt it was more important to arrive at their destination in a timely manner. This experiment exposes a part of the urban lifestyle that I have always disliked; that people are often too preoccupied with the monotony of their daily routines to stop and appreciate the little things.

Pearls Before Breakfast - Washington Post

-Tom