As they found in their studies, this was not really the case. Interestingly, in 2 direct studies they found that the exact opposite was the case: students who reviewed vignettes of cases with few victims in fact tended to rate the crimes as more severe than those students who reviewed vignettes of cases with many victims. For example, take two nearly identical cases: A fraudster cheats two people out of their money, and a fraudster cheats 20 people out of their money. Consistently, the first case was rated as more severe, and given harsher punishments than the second.

Weird, right? Observing the results, it’s difficult to grasp that such a thing can even happen, but they were able to document the same result with about 90 different students. While it seems to defy all conventional logic, the researchers were also able to find a cause: identifiably.

In a secondary study, the identifiably of the victims of the groups were increased. The small-group case studies were accompanied by names, occupations, etc. The large-group case studies were accompanied with a photograph of one of the many victims. In this study the severity and punishment scores were drastically normalized, with the differences being statistically insignificant.

While this is an oversimplification of their studies and results, it sufficiently demonstrates the effect, and quite frankly, it just blows my mind! To clarify a bit further, they didn’t just find these results in a lab: they also studied actual jury decisions on all manners of “toxic tort” cases (asbestos, lead poisoning, etc.). Juries awarded smaller judgments to cases with more plaintiffs, and larger judgments to those cases with fewer plaintiffs.

Where this becomes extremely interesting to me is how we all do this illogical thing all the time, without realizing it. I wonder how the actual legal system tends to skew these results as well. Particularly in cases of copyright infringement, especially dealing with the RIAA.

In these cases, the damages sued for are astronomical in consideration of the actual cost of a single song or album, and indeed, jail time for pirating one single song can often be longer (and with more severe parole stipulations) than rape or murder. How do these instances mesh with the findings of this article? Is an advocacy group more immediately identifiable than a murder victim? Or can the advocacy group more readily identify its victims to the jury because of the notoriety any given band already has?

As for how this knowledge can be used to change the world, it seems this article is the perfect explanation for why a martyr is so effective. A singular person is seen as being victimized by a faceless organization, be that a government, interest group, etc. So people are already predisposed to see the acts of the group as more severe (either positively or negatively) because it was just the one person victimized. So no matter which side of the issue you stand on, the martyr is more effective. From his side, he’s an individual victimized by a group. From the group side, an individual was victimizing many. So the predisposition is that the individual is either more powerful as an individual or more identifiable as a “this could happen to me” situation.

Fun stuff. If you would like to read the actual article, it can be found on the SAGE website. Unfortunately, only the abstract is free, unless you have either a personal subscription or a subscription through a school of some sort. If you can figure out a way to read it, I highly recommend it.

First of all, I’ve been spending lots of time with my girlfrie…err fiancee. That’s right, I got engaged back in mid-October. The real surprise is that we’re getting married soon. Like, in December! While we’re not doing the big traditional wedding thing (much to the chagrin of her family), we are going to be having a spiffy reception. If you want to come, or if you just want to buy us some pretty stuff, I’ve setup a small site with the basic info on it, so give it a visit and make sure to check out the registry page.

So, in keeping with the getting married theme, we had to find a house, and quickly, since her lease on her own place was up on the first of this month. Given that we got engaged only a couple weeks before that, we had to hurry. We both spent a lot of time making phone calls, talking with possible landlords, and the like. Ultimately, we found a place, and it’s perfect. It’s a small 1930s 2 bedroom, 1 bath, and it’s really pretty much just perfect for the two of us.

Then, of course, after we found a house in record time, I had to move her in. Her work schedule didn’t afford much time for her to do it, so I grabbed a buddy, and the two of us spent a Saturday moving what she’d packed over to the new place. The rest of that weekend was spent getting things settled in the house.

As it turned out, the fiance doesn’t so much like to stay at the house alone, so we got ourselves a welsh corgi, who we’ve named Thalia (Tall-ee-uh). She’s a little special, but she’s awesome. Pictures to come at some point in the future.

So, I’ve been busy just about every weekend for the last month and a half, but that still leaves the weekdays, you say. Well, it would, but since I’ve been gone every weekend, I’m having to spend more time during the week on homework. I’ve got to make sure I do well, because I’m graduating in December now, not in May. So, you know, if you want, you can get me a nice graduation present, too.

In any event, apart from homework, things have settled down a bit, and I think it’s time to just hit “Mark all as read” and jump back into blogs now, rather than catching up on the couple thousand posts that have amassed there. Sorry, but I’ll try to go through archives and catch what I missed later on, though.

We’ll start with what’s gone down that will be forever indelible.

I got a tattoo this past Wednesday night, after several years of consideration on the subject. I’ve had this design in mind for several years, with some minor modifications along the way. The central symbol is the Green Lantern’s. On the top and bottom are the first two lines from the Green Lantern Code (as done by Hal Jordan) with a small modification to avoid having to put punctuation in there, which would have looked silly.

The Green Lantern has long been my hero. He’s a super hero of a different sort, you see. Rather than garnering his power from radiation or being an alien, his power comes from a ring he was given. That ring allows him to bring his imagination to life. As a result, rather than being a super hero of strength or speed, he’s a super hero of intelligence, wit, and cunning. His only limitations are his intelligence and his imagination, and I’d like to see myself in that same light.

I’m a very mentally-based person. I take pride in my mental faculties (even if I sometimes don’t think they’re up to par), and whenever I come at a problem, I don’t go for trial and error so much as I reason through it, and I try to come up with creative solutions to problems. I would like to imagine myself as being able to do anything that I set my mind to, and the only thing that can stop me is if I stop thinking, imagining. Yeah, I know it might be geeky, but I’m geeky, and it means a lot to me. So there. Also, the story of getting the tattoo is pretty funny, but I’ll tell that in another entry.

The other major happening was hearing back from the people on my application to go to Oxford from January to April. After being entirely unproductive at work because I was pacing around waiting for them to contact me to say yea or nay. Around two that afternoon, I finally got an email.

Dear Tyler,

Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted as a participant in the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities’ The Scholars’ Semester in Oxford (SSO) for the Spring 2009 semester (09 January – 18 April, 2009). You will be joining a talented and exciting group of fellow Christian university students on what I hope will be a life-changing journey.

So. There it is. I’ve been accepted! I’ll be going to Oxford! There’s a lot to do between now and then, but goodness me. It’s going to be a heck of a trip. I’m not looking forward to being away from my girlfriend for that long, but she’s being very supportive of my going, and we’ll work through it, hard as it’s going to be.

I don’t really have anything else to say about the trip as of now, because there’s so much information that I still have to receive from them regarding details, but rest assured that I’ll post more whenever I know more. I’ve created a new category, Oxford 2009, so you can easily keep track of anything Oxford related.

I’m really jonesing after Rice. One, because the program looks awesome. Two, because they’ll offer me lots of money to go there. Three, because it’s in Houston, and I wouldn’t be going out of state.

As I’ve been looking around, there are a few other programs I’ve been looking at, too. I think I’ve narrowed it down to three possibilities, and they’re all very different from what I had been thinking previously; however, I think I’d have a blast at any of the three places.

So, here are the places I’m really wanting to get into, but probably not the only places I’ll apply, just to cover my butt.

1. Rice
2. Emory
3. Temple

Some other considerations are Florida State University or Purdue (West Lafayette).

Thoughts? Comments? Grad school suggestions? Horror stories? Success stories? Want to tell me how incredibly awesome I am? Have at it in the comments section. I’m really stressing out over this whole graduate school business because I’m constantly telling myself I’m not good enough, or I’m not ready for it, and any number of other things, but I’m really excited about being able to do some advanced research in a field I love, surrounded by people who love the same things. It’s going to be a hoot, I imagine. A tough time, but a hoot nevertheless.

1. Constitutional Law Paper (3/31)
2. American Lit presentation (4/1)l
3. Spanish Country Presentation (4/1)
4. Brit Lit presentation (4/2)
5. Hootenanny (4/4) (Including rehersals all next week)
6. Brit Lit Paper (Early April)
7. American Lit Paper (Early April)
8. Constitutional Law Briefs (Mid April)
9. American Lit Journals (Mid April)
10. Brit Lit Journals (Late April)
11. Lit Crit Journals (Late April)
12. Lit Crit Paper (Late April)
13. Inklings Final (Late April)
14. Inklings Reading Reviews (Late April)

I’m pretty sure that’s everything. I hope it’s everything, anyways. So, basically, between now and the end of April, I shall be living in the library. Forgive me if I’m not around the internets too terribly much for the next little while. I shall try to keep on top of things as best I can, though.

In case I don’t see you all, have a fantastic April!

I’ll cross items off as they get finished. Hopefully, I can knock out several things this week and weekend.

Story the first:
Today in my Marriage and the Family class (I am getting a minor in Psychology), we were talking about the roles of gender in the family. The questions were raised, as they always are, about what makes a person a man or a woman, apart from the obvious anatomical disparities. People began rattling off answers about how men are providers, stoic, leaders, etc. I’m sure you can name the stereotypes. For the women, answers such as home maker, mother, and the rest of those commonplaces were thrown around.

I sat quietly, listening. When the answers slowed down, I raised my hand to chip in my thoughts on gender (which you might remember). Basically, I think gender is overemphasized, and that in today’s increasingly androgynous world, gender lines are getting blurred, and I don’t see the big reason to worry about it. I pointed out that I am not particularly stereotypically masculine in a lot of ways, which has come up in previous discussions in the class.

Today, though, I guess the topic came up one too many times, and from behind me, I heard one of the guys say , “Fag.” Much muted sniggering followed. Typically, I’m not too phased by this sort of thing. I’m quite comfortable in both my masculinity and in my heterosexuality, so I don’t really have anything to hide, but being that I go to a Christian University, and given that this is an upper division course, I figured my thoughts and ideas would be met with a bit more decorum and respect. I would be lying if I told you that it didn’t sting a little.

Story the second:
Being that I go to a Christian school, we have mandatory chapels. Sometimes, these chapels are just onerous, but every now and then, we get a good speaker who really catches our attention. The speaker today was of the latter sort, and I was delighted when I heard he was speaking. He told us a modernized version of the Woman at the Well story. In the end, the woman in the modernized vesion was asked what she would want if she had three wishes. It ultimately came out that she wasn’t so much interested in money or being away from where she was so much as she was wanting forgiveness, a way to start over, and someone to love her.

The speaker concluded by challenging us to ask someone who looked down or alone what they’d want if they had three wishes, in an attempt to try to help them out a little bit. Later that day, as I was sitting on a bench outside, letting the sun wash over me, someone I had never seen before walks up to me, and with a half-smirk asks me what I’d want if I had three wishes. Apparently, I looked depressed.

I looked the person in the eye and said, “That’s not really a hard question for me. I’d like someone I love very much not to be sick. I’d like for the world to stop spiraling into war. And lastly, I’d like for every family who has lost someone in the war to get an answer for why they had to sacrifice a loved one.”

The person stammered for a minute, before I assured him (or her) that it was ok if no answer was coming. No one else seemed to have one. The person said thanks and walked off. A few minutes later, the person came back and sat down next to me. Apparently, this person had lost an uncle in Afghanistan a while back. I had no idea who I was talking to, but I just listened. I just sat there and absorbed every piece of information offered about her uncle, his unit, when he was supposed to come home. After a few minutes, the person looked up at me and said, “Thanks. I needed to get all of that out,” and left.

I don’t know who it was, and I don’t know if I will ever see him (or her) ever again, but that was a day that got better not because I was doing anything, but because I looked like I was in need of some cheering up.

Life’s funny that way. Sometimes you set out to help someone out, but you end up getting the help you need instead. Maybe we aren’t so screwed up after all.

I’ve got an idea that I’ll post about in a few days, after I let it roll around in my head, letting the gaps fill themselves in Katamari style. In the mean time, what are your stories of human kindness or of human cruelty that you’ve seen or experienced? Either post them in the comments, or leave a comment with a link to your own entry, and I’ll put them all together in a nice list and post it in a few days, after you’ve had some time to write your own stories.

In other news, I’ve been working on my application to attend Oxford for the Spring semester of 2009. To be completely frank, the very idea creates in me a giddy anticipation of the adventures (quests?) the trip will hold for me. At the very same time, that idea creates in me a nearly debilitating fear and trepidation that I’m nearly unable to work on the application process at all.

The last time I was considering doing this was just last year. I was thinking about going to Oxford this past fall semester, and following that trip up with a semester in Russia during this semester. I wussed out. As it turned out, though, what with all the crazy stuff that went on with my head, it’s probably a good thing that I didn’t end up going then.

As far as what I’ll do if I get in, I already know because I had to pick classes and things as part of the application process. For those of you who don’t already know, the British do things a bit differently in their university system than we do here in the states. I had to pick a seminar track, and a primary and secondary tutorial. The seminars are like typical lectures, given by a number of different faculty members at Wycliffe Hall. The tutorials are just that: one-on-one meetings with faculty to discuss readings, go over papers, etc. The style is largely self-motivated, because you only meet with your tutor once a week, and you have to make sure to get your assignments done in the meantime.

Looking at all the many different tutorials they offer, I decided on these, under the English Language and Literature seminar track. Primary Tutorial: Linguistic Theory; Secondary Tutorial: Old Norse Literature (which will be entirely in Old Norse, which they’ll teach us how to read); Alternate Primary (in case I can’t get into it): The History and Use of the English Language; Alternate Secondary: Old English Literature (Again, it’ll be in Old English, which they’ll teach us).

Those may or may not sound at all interesting to you all in the vast internets, but I can’t wait. ‘Course I’ve got to get myself accepted first. Wish me luck, and please forgive me if my next post is some ramblings as I try to straighten out my application essay.

The title, weighing in at a substantial ten words, really gives a fairly concise explanation of what the book addresses. The book takes the reader on a journey through the memories of its author, Christian George, as he begins putting together the pieces of his life, and weaving a tapestry of faith-centered messages.

George has led a life of travel, having been on many a pilgrimage to pertinent places in the Bible and in the history of the Christian faith. He has also traversed the globe on several mission trips. These experiences, along with some personal medical issues, marriage, and long talks with good friends, have given George some insights that the less world-savvy individual might not be able to grasp. That is, at least, the attitude which seems to run the course of the entire book.

George shares his thoughts on why people feel a need to be connected, ways in which people seek out that connection, and things in his life that have made him feel both connected and completely isolated. His stories are straight from the pages of his past, and each one ultimately reveals a spiritual truth, or a piece of the nature of God. From the mundane lunch-room jitters of talking to a girl for the first time, to the extraordinary grief of emergency room visits, everything, it seems, has a deep spiritual purpose, but he expounds on the story itself more than on its meaning of application.

That was a major theme running through the book: exposition of the circumstances and events with little depth into the spiritual truth he’s trying to outline in that specific chapter. At times, George tries so hard to stretch his situations to fit their theme, I found myself getting lost in the narrative. The narratives, also, seemed at times strained, and the language forced in an attempt to try to sensationalize a feeling or event.

Overall, the book begins to say some great things about Christianity, relationships, personal hardships, missions, community, faith, travel, and the list goes on. The list continues, but the outline is only of the second order, without much meat for each topic. While there were chapters on each of the three aspects of the title, the chapters were each self-contained units, and there wasn’t a sense of cohesiveness through them in regard to the expectations derived from the title: intimacy, community, and eternity.

Sex, Sushi, and Salvation is George’s third book. I expect he will continue writing and publishing, and while I think this book leaves some depth to be desired, George is certainly on the track to becoming a top-notch Christian Life writer. I give this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

In any event, I ended up designing the brochure, making sure we had the facilities all lined up, writing a paper, making sure that all the submissions were in, taking care of late submissions, adding sessions, rearranging sessions, emailing everyone with the program, emailing everyone with the new program when we had more submissions the Thursday before the conference, and well, whatever else didn’t get done.

Don’t get me wrong, the other people in the class ended up with their fair share, but it just seemed like my parts of the work ended up SNAFU.

Anyways, by Friday, the programs were printed, the sessions were set, and all I had to do was finish writing the paper. I was up a good part of that night, but that even got done in time.

When I showed up Saturday morning, everything just fell into place. We had between 80 and 90 people there, including presenters, plenty of food on the snack table, some wonderful presentations, and an all around good time.

It’s funny how crazy things can get before the end, and they end up falling into place anyways. Good times, good times.

It’ll be busy, but it’ll set me up perfectly to be finished with everything here by December 2008, so I can go to Oxford in Spring 2009, which I’m uber excited about, even though I haven’t done the application yet.

Also, watch out tonight for part 3 of Ethiopia pictures and reflections!