The Tipping Point | Objects, Setting & Important Places

The Tipping Point Objects/Places

Hush Puppies Shoes

The author begins the book with the story of Hush Puppies, a shoe line that almost went under. However, a few key people at just the right time became interested in the shoes, leading to a resurgence in the popularity of the shoes. This occurrence demonstrates the laws of the tipping point.

NYC Subway Cars

The graffiti that covered the old cars in the NYC subway system served to give permission to the vandals and criminals that frequented the system. Thus, vigilantly cleaning up the cars served to curb other, more serious crimes on the subway.

Dirty Needles

When Baltimore instituted its needle exchange program, they envisioned addicts exchanging needles one at a time; they doubted such actions would make an impact in the spread of disease. However, they found that a few needle brokers collected hundreds of dirty needles, exchanged them and sold the clean ones in drug houses for a dollar a piece....
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