Brittany Fendel; Kristen Lively Ashley Ware Freakononmics Ch. 2

It starts with history.. The Ku Klux Klan started out as just a circle of friend with like-minded views. Through the WWI and WWII the group was low but after the KKK grew and started causing more volience. However, it was the acts of Stetson Kennedy that caused the major drop in Klan members. Kennedy hated the Klan and what they stood for. In studying the KKK he realized that no one really knew what the Klan was doing behind closed doors. So, to find out, he joined. After meetings, he would go home and write the passwords, events, and rankings of KKK members and give them out to union members, anti-KKK politicians, etc. However, the Klan remained strong. The ultimate downfall of the KKK was when Kennedy gave all the infomation he had to the Superman radio show which mocked the KKK and all that it stood for. Within two Klan meetings no one was showing up.

Information The KKK worked off of secret information, that kept the ways of the club secret. The wrong person, Kennedy, received the information, and it destroyed the ways of the club.

The Power of Words If an ad for a home uses general terms such as "fantastic" "spacious" or "great neighborhood" it is really covering up the fact that the house is not interesting and not worth buying. More descriptive words like "maple" "hardwood floors" and "state of the art" give you an idea of what is in the home and which makes it more appealing. Real-estate agents know this, giving them the power of words.

Internet Dating and “The Weakest Link” Internet Dating: The author also includes data from internet dating websites- Woman think that men prefer thinner and more attractive woman, and Men think that woman look for money. This leads to people lying about themselves, because they know specific information. “The Weakest Link”: People wish to appear undescrimatory when they truly express their true feelings.

The Connection: A person trying to sell their house has two main fears: will I try and sell my house for least or far more then it is worth. So the logical solution is to hire a real estate agent an expert at selling homes. However, the real estate agent also uses that to her advantage by setting and selling the price that gives her the most profit. The internet however gets rid of this problem. Anyone can go online and do their own research on any home they want without realtors help. -The information that only real-estate agents had at one point in time is getting to other people. -The KKK worked off of secret information, that kept the ways of the club secret. The wrong person received the information, and it destroyed the ways of the club.

Connection Cont.: The connection the author reveals to the reader is that information is key and the secrets of the information can create fear. “Information is beacon, a cudgel, an olive branch, a deterrent- all depends on who wields it and how” : - The analysis of words in real-estate ads show some words or connected to the final selling price.