Practice paraphrasing: (post by Monday, September 9th)
Please answer the following questions/prompts about the video clip, "Pure
Corruption," and incorporate your answers into a 200-word paragraph.
What is the main point of the portion of the video that discusses "the numbers"and cheating?
(Keep your writing to just this part of the video, and expand on the ideas without reaching into opinion or outside the context of the video)?
How does the information on the numbers relate to the video as a whole?
Include any unknown words from this portion of the video (even English ones that you might have to look up).
Stick to information that was only in the video and nothing more.
Please keep your post free of opinion, as this is meant to only be a
paraphrase.
By Wednesday, midnight, reply to a classmate. Point out one aspect
of your classmate's paraphrase that made sense to you, and mention one aspect of
your classmate's summary that you feel s/he could improve on and why.
Please
remain thoughtful and respectful with your interactions with each
other.
For those who did not make it to class, please post your blog
before midnight tonight. The clip we watched was Chapter 2, "Pure Corruption"
from the movie, Freakonomics. You can also find the video clip on http://vimeo.com/12033732, or on Netflix
instant watch.
In the video “Pure Corruption”, economist Steven Levitt presents his case that economics is not a pure science, and argues that proof of corruption can be found by studying numbers. He supports his argument with an example from the popular Japanese sport Sumo wrestling.
ReplyDeleteSumo is a long standing tradition in Japanese culture and has strong ties with the Shinto religion, giving the sport a illusion of purity. However, a series of incidents exposed cheating (or "Yaocho," match rigging) in the sport. Levitt provides proof of Yaocho by looking at the recorded winnings of wrestlers.
In Sumo, a contestant must have eight wins, not only to advance to the next level of competition, but also to advance in his sporting career. Records show, that in competitions between a wrestler with eight wins and a wrestler with seven wins, the wrestler with seven wins advances 75% of the time. On average, each wrestler has a 50% chance of winning the match. A consistent 25% above average chance points to the likelihood of a corrupt or rigged match. Similarly, corruption within economic systems can be found by looking at numbers.
I like how yo said, in the middle of the first paragraph how Sumos strong ties with the Shinto religion, giving the sport a illusion of purity.
DeleteIn the video "Pure Corruption", economist's Steve Levitt and Steve Dunbar make a point that even the most purest things of things can be corrupted and you can easily see just by " looking at the numbers". In the video they use the most pure sport based off religion and honor, Japanese Sumo wrestling. A sport where they honor the gods and do what they can to purify the ring before every match makes it hard to believe it can be corrupted, but Levitt and Dunbar argue and give proof to prove that is false. In Sumo wrestling winning 8 matches moved you up slowly to the top of the "sumo pyramid", where the competitors are treated like kings, but the wrestlers who have already won 8 lose matches to let another part of their brotherhood win so he can move up his ranks as well. Tracking the numbers could give this pattern away but no one dare say anything in fear of getting kicked put of the Sumo Association. The only life style and family they know.
ReplyDeleteThis summary is great. You used quotes and data from the film to help prove your point. The only part I would change is that the last line "the only life style and family they know" sounds like a bit of an opinion.
Delete"Pure Corruption" talks about corruption in aspects of culture that are seen as pure, areas where one would least expect it. The authors, Steven Levitt and Steven Dunbar discuss American financial events that have taken place recently, however they do focus mostly on Sumo wrestling in Japan. Being ritualistic and focused on pleasing the Gods, Sumo wrestling would be an unlikely place to find corruption but if one looks closely at the numbers, there are patterns that point to corruption among the wrestlers. A wrestler needs eight wins in a season to continue to advance in the sport. When the authors study the numbers, it is found that if two wrestlers are matched where one already has eight wins and the other has seven, the second wrestler wins 75% of the time. If the wrestlers are matched later on, the first wrestler will win almost all the time. Corruption can be hard to prove, but looking at numbers and finding patterns can be strong indicators that cheating is taking place.
ReplyDeleteNice concise writing. I really like the way you explain exactly how the wins/loses ration works in the sport and how the data tells the truth. That is a difficult thing to do because the details are so confusing to explain. I wonder if adding more about the purity and ancient Shinto traditions behind Sumo would help the reader understand the entire picture?
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DeleteEconomists try to view the market as a pure, unbiased field, but in "pure Corruption", Stevin Levit and Steven Dunbar aim to prove that corruption is everywhere. Even sumo wrestling. The numbers that Levit and Dunbar refer to are the undeniable statistics of Yaocho, or matching rigging. One of their interviewees even says that if there is a chance to cheat, there inevitably will be someone who does.
ReplyDeleteA sumo wrestler fights 15 matches a month, with 8 wins moving him up in rank, and money. Yet they get nothing for winning above those 8 matches. Te numbers show that the wrestler who needs his 8th win, will win 75% of the time.
It was very hard to find men on the inside to tell the truth, and 2 of those who did died the same rare death, on the same night, at the same hospital. Yet everyone acted normal. This is just one case in the excerpt that shows how the Japanese culture cares more about the Tatamae, or surface of things, than the Home, or truth. Even the police, who boast a 96% arrest rate, stake the odds in their favor.
Reading this I was impressed with how you were able to show the data and pass along cultural information in a clear and concise manner. However, in the first sentence of the third paragraph I stumbled a bit. While reading the whole paragraph I find context, but my mind could not help but think that, "find men on the inside," could have meant many things.
DeleteIn "Pure Corruption," Steven Levitt and Steven Dunbar examine the world of Sumo as a comparison to American economics to expose cooperative corruption. The authors illustrate this with the topic of "Yaocho," a Japanese word for match rigging in the Sumo wrestling world.
ReplyDelete"Yaocho" works within the structure of the professional Sumo world by exploiting a split difference in the 15 match setup tournaments use. When a "rikishi," the Japanese word for sumo wrestler, has a better than even record at the end of a competition, say 8/6, and faces a competitor with an even record of 7/7, 75% of the matches will go to the man that needs the victory to split the 7/7 record. This is explained as the insular Sumo world taking care of its members. Outwardly though, rikishi still produce a "tatamae," or visage of truth, where it seems as though they are competing honestly, though most in Japanese society are vaguely aware of the "honne" or real truth that the matches are rigged.
As authors Levitt and Dunbar point out, those that choose to blow the whistle on the practice are met with the mysterious misfortune of dying before their press conference to defend their accusations. The expectation of Japanese Sumo, the police, and the society as a whole shows a passive disregard for those that attempt to expose "tatamae" to reveal the "honne" underneath.
You summarized the clip very nicely and did good at using your vocab and working in context clues. You have all important details and facts cooperated in nicely and it is very organized.
Delete"Pure Corruption" the film by Steven Levitt and Steven Dunbar mainly shows that 'purity is a good mask for corruption." Levitt and Dunbar use economics and the ancient sport of sumo as examples to show this. So if these ideas seem so pure the only way to see them becoming corrupt to to use the numbers. They use sumo data they have collected to prove that "numbers don't lie". For example if a rikishi, or sumo wrestler, needs eight wins to advance, it is found that if two rikishis are matched where one already has eight wins and the other has seven, the second rikishi wins seventy five percent of the time. If the rikishis fight again later on the first wrestler will win almost one hundred percent of the time. As Levitt and Dunbar said "numbers don't lie" and with the data it shows a pattern that there may be match rigging happening in the world of sumo.
ReplyDelete"Pure Corruption" the film by economist's Steven Levit and Steven Dunbar explains how pure something can be with also being corrupt. Thery show proof of what many people would considering cheating, but numbers don't lie. If a sumo wrestler or rikishi win eight or more matches you move up in rank. The higher the rank you are the more superior you are. Since they are all like family, they tend to help each other out. For example, if a sumo wrestler knew he did not need that win he would let the other one win that needed the win. That is where the cheating comes into play a role.
ReplyDeleteJordan, you have a good interpretation of the segment. I like some of your key points such as the rankings. Also about how you correlate the proof of cheating with numbers don't lie. I think you should go into more detail with that video and tell about the tradition and about the religion behind it.
DeleteI appreciate how much more concise your version is, I need to work on that.
DeleteIn the Economists “Pure Corruption’ the highly ritualized Japanese sport of Sumo wrestling is explored. The sport is regarded as a near religion or “Shinto”, meaning way of the gods, and is presumed to be pure. The economists point out that the more pure or untouchable a sport or entity is the more corrupt is can be. The Sumo association refuses to acknowledge the existence of Yaocho or “rigged matches” as it is called in Japan. There is great “Tatemae” or spectacle in the sport and there is great stakes on the matches’ themselves. The stakes do not apply to the just to the wrestler’s themselves but to gamblers and investors alike. The economist’s statement that they could find evidence of rampid cheating without knowing anything about sumo is proven. By exploring the requirements of a sumo wrestler to advance in a match the evidence is apparent. A wrestler with a score of 8:6 is already guaranteed a position in the next tournament. If the wrestler he is up against has a record in that tournament has a record of 7:7, that wrestler wins 75% of the time. The wrestler with the 7:7 score has more to gain then the wrestler with the 8:6 score has to lose. For a wrestler to fall to a lower level means allot of pay and position. Then they looked at when they meet again and the wrestler that had the 8:6 score won virtually all the time. This evidence confirms the Yaocho is hiding behind the Honne or real truth of the sport, It was said earlier, the more pure the sport, and greater the stakes and the likelihood of corruption exists.
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ReplyDeleteSteven Levitt and Stephen Dunbar do a very thorough job detailing how cheating can be found in the ancient sport of Sumo wrestling in their documentary 'Pure Corruption'. Even though Sumo is viewed by most of the world as a pure, over 2000 year old, integral part of the Shinto Religion. They make several valid points and explain how the 'honne - real truth' and the 'tatemae - pleasing facade' are so very different in this tight knit community.
ReplyDeleteSeveral of their points are based on what others have said and it has been proven and 'whistle-blowers' are not taken seriously in a country that practically worships the winners in the sport of Sumo. However, when the video begins discussing how the numbers begin to form patterns over time it becomes more and more difficult to not see the truth. The results over the past several years can be represented as cold hard tables and graphs that don't lie. You can't change what has happened in matches throughout history but you can take that data and put it together into spreadsheets and look for patterns and similarities. The experts found many patterns in the numbers from the results of Sumo wrestling and it all supports what the 'whistle-blowers' have been saying.
Levitt and Dunbar point out how purity and tradition have succeeded in doing a great job covering up corruption in the sport of Sumo wrestling throughout history. Now that we have cold hard data facts I wonder if people will begin to see the truth?
Theresa, I like your summary! You did a good job in describing the film, and I like that you included details about whistle-blowers. My only critiques would be to add some commas (where there would be pauses in the sentence) for smoother reading, and to mention the concept of numbers as proof corruption.
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ReplyDeleteIn the video “Pure Corruption” Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner look at how numbers can reveal facts that are otherwise oblivious to the regular observer. They use allegations of match rigging called yaocho in sumo wrestling to show how economics cannot be a “pure science” when there is a human element.
ReplyDeleteIn the world of sumo wrestling there is a real economic advantage in going up the ranks. Sumo wrestler called rikishi, meaning strong men, compete in six tournaments a year. Each tournament is comprised of fifteen matches. Winning eight matches guarantees progress up the ranks. Data shows that a rikishi who has already obtained their eighth win are likely to fall to someone who only has won seven matches. Even if both wrestlers are of equal skill, the numbers show that the rikishi with seven matches will win 75% of the time.
People who speak out against this cheating are faced with extreme resistance. The few that do try to reveal the Honne, or real truth, often experience misfortune by the people that find value in the Tatamae, or facade. This corruption that shows where economists try to look at things rationally it is not always possible for everyone.
Sumo Wrestling is known for its purity and honor. its 2000 years of history is deeply rooted into the Japanese Shinto religion; celebrates the purity and harmony of man and nature. Shintos direct meanings is, way of the gods. In the video called, "Pure Corruption," Steven Litt and Steve Dunbar explain that sumo is no exempt from its own corruption.
ReplyDeleteSumo's are known as, rikishi, or strong men. they fight for a total of 15 days and have one match per-day. The rikishi must win 8 of out the 15 matches. This then raises the rikishi's up by half a rank gaining them a slightly higher reward and certain respect among the sumo association. When two rikishi face each other in a match, one having a record (score) of 8/7, and the other having the record of 7/7. it will be 75% of the time the winning match will go the the rikishi with the record of 7/7, knowingly needing that win to advance up the ranks. This is known as Yaocho or match rigging.
By looking through the records of each of the rikishi their are discrepancies or patterns that can be seen. These patterns show us exactly who is the one cheating. its is in this data that the real truth comes out. Especially in sumo wrestling where it is based on purity and honor.
Great explanation of the video segment. One could easily look at the data and see that cheating is evident. You could have tied it in more with the whole video on how a sport that appears to be pure can be rife with cheating.
Delete"Pure Corruption" the film by economist's Steven Levitt and Steven Dunbar go into detail about how even in the purest form of life a religion and 2000 year old sport even has corruption such as Sumo Wrestling. This video segment gives you a general idea that anything can be corrupted. Purity helps to hie corruption but has a huge potential for scandal.
ReplyDeleteIn the video Rikishi are shown as a brotherhood. It talks about how they look out for each other with Yaocho. If one sumo wrestler has gone 8-6 he automatically goes to the next round so if a brother sumo wrestler is 7-7 he will take a dive to help his sumo brother out. It shows how that brother who took that dive almost always wins the next round if he faces that same brother he took a dive to. The numbers don't lie and show the proof.
Although the illusion of purity can hide corruption its hard to prove. the video shows and talks about a conspiracy without saying conspiracy of a whistle blower. The Police doesn't even really investigate the death of the whistle blower kind of making the sumo world untouchable. Stakes are very high in sumo wrestling and anytime stakes are high there is gambling, investors, and those contributing to the pot.
Its a great clip and can be interpreted several ways. One way is how it translates to inside stock trading and the corruption behind government. There is a big connection between corruption and sumo wrestling.
You did great proving the data of the idea numbers don't lie. I would change the first sentence in the last paragraph it sounds like an opinion.
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