Do Show Tunes Cause Violent Behavior?

Okay, today feels like a day for a brief detour off topic -- I was at the 122d grand opening of the Boston Pops season on May 9, 2007, and witnessed the great balcony brawl. I was seated on the floor of Boston Symphony Hall and had an outstanding view of the mayhem.

The Boston Globe reported on the brawl this morning (a day behind the rest of the media on this one, as usual).

Anyway, I was amused to see that the BSO had been asked if it would "change its programming" as a result of the incident. I can report that the fight broke out during the theme song from Gigi, a rousing, blood-pumping number that I am sure had the same effect on the crowd's adrenaline levels as say, the Dropkick Murphys' song Time to Go blaring over the P.A. at a Bruins game. So, asking whether the Pops would drop the theme song from Gigi from its repertoire as a result of this incident was a perfectly reasonable question and, indeed, raises the larger question for our society in general -- do show tunes promote violence? I guess we have to conclude, at least anecdotally, that they do. If there are any organizations out there who would like to fund a study to confirm this conclusion, I am happy to take the point on this one.

I was also a bit mystified to see that the Boston Police will not file criminal charges against the aggressor. I mean, this is an incident that was not only witnessed by hundreds of people, but was caught on film and broadcast all over the country. Apparently, both guys claimed to be the "victim" so the Police have washed their hands of it. Now, I should say that I am not a big fan of criminal charges and civil lawsuits every time an argument leads to a punch in the nose. But this was a mighty high profile punch in the nose.

Book Review -- Made to Stick Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

This book isn't aimed specifically at lawyers, but its utility cuts across a wide spectrum. I would say it applies pretty universally to any activity that involves communication with other humans (all human endeavor?).

It's a great read for lawyers, particularly lawyers who try cases, because it distills down principles to make your message one that gets people's attention and stays with them. The authors use an acronym, SUCCESs, to help make their own message stick. The acronym stands for:

Simple
Unexpected
Concrete
Credible
Emotional
Stories

These are the buzzwords to help you remember the principles of making your message a memorable attention-getter. Read the book for their explanation. It's worth your trouble.

They also discuss the "Curse of Knowledge," a concept that really should hit home for lawyers. The general idea is that once you know something, it's hard for you to remember what it's like not to know it, so you are pre-programmed to do a less than stellar job conveying the message to people who don't share your knowledge. Hmmm, applicable to a lawyer talking to a jury, maybe?

This book and its ideas can be a big help to lawyers and I strongly recommend it.