The Social Experiment
I remember hearing this story a few years back and it still amazes me. Josh Bell is an American Grammy Award winning violinist who is recognized all over the world. According to the Washington Post, the social experiment was done in 2007 about social perception, taste and priorities of people. The experiment was done for Gene Weingarten of the Washington post. It is interesting to note that only a few days before the experiment was conducted, Bell sold out an entire theatre with tickets priced at $100 a seat.
The Experiment
Bell went to a metro station in Washington DC and played the violin for about 45 minutes during rush hour. Bell looked like a typical guy who was playing violin for some spare change. It was estimated that 1097 people passed Bell and only six people gave him money (Weingarten). It was noted that the children were the ones who paid the most attention before being pulled away by their parents. After almost an hour he collected a total of $32.00 and only one woman recognized him.
Some of the questions raised in the Washington Post include:
1."Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?"
2. "If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?"
I think both of these questions are significant in explaining the purpose of the experiment. It is shocking how people do not recognize Bell at the metro station simply because people assume he would not play there. Even for people who are not familiar with Bell or his music, it is crazy how people do not stop and recognize the talent. Because Bell was playing in the metro station, onlookers do not consider the music famous or the best. If it was advertised that Bell would be playing at the station then it is almost certain that many more people would stop to appreciate the music. The second question that was asked in the Washington Post is interesting because it makes me think deeply. I think that we have become so focused on what we need to do that we do not stop to appreciate other things. The thousands of people at the metro station quickly rushed by Bell and were too determined to get to where they needed to go that most did not even acknowledge one of the world's best violinists.
Weingarten raised some good questions in his personal article on the experiment. He asked, "Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Do you have time for beauty?" These are all questions that I can personally ask myself. I can honestly admit that I would probably have passed by Bell and not really listen to the music. There have been a few times I gave someone a couple bucks to be polite. I look forward to the next time I pass a musician in Union Station in Toronto because I want to really hear the music. What is so important in my life that I cannot stop and appreciate someone's talent for 2 minutes? Here is a video of Bell at the station summarized into two minutes. Below the video is the Washington Post article.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/15/the-things-we-miss-a-viol_n_158188.html
1. Note:, Editor's. "The Things We Miss: A Violin Virtuoso Plays A DC Metro Station."The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 Jan. 2009. Web. Mar. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/15/the-things-we-miss-a-viol_n_158188.html>.
2.Weingarten, Gene. "Pearls Before Breakfast." (2007): 1-16. Uww.edu. Web. Mar. 2012. <http://facstaff.uww.edu/hansonf/ICM/Week_1_Assignment_files/Pearls%20Before%20Breakfast%20-%20washingtonpost.pdf>.
3.WashingtonPost. "Stop and Hear the Music." YouTube. YouTube, 10 Apr. 2007. Web. Mar. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw>