Although it is very difficult to identify a specific group
that is against the authors' stance of looking at the hidden side of anything (looking
past conventional wisdom), it is easy to find groups of people that may want
people to continue to believe conventional wisdom in specific areas. Pro-life
supporters and parents who support the idea that they can dictate their child’s
future through action are two groups who criticize Levitt and Dubner’s ideas in
the specific areas of abortion and parenting.
One example of a group who criticizes Levitt and Dubner’s work are pro-life supporters who abhor abortion, and are therefore a critic of Levitt and Dubner's stance that abortion has had positive effects, “It wasn’t gun control or a strong economy or new police strategies that finally blunted out the crime wave. It was…the reality that the pool of potential criminals had dramatically shrunk (because of abortion)” (Levitt and Dubner 6). The Pro-Life Action League states on its website, “We raise awareness of the injustice of abortion through marches, pickets, prayer vigils and especially Face the Truth Tours, during which we hold large abortion pictures on busy streets to show what abortion does to the unborn child. Since 2007, we have kept a constant monthly protest presence at Planned Parenthood Aurora, one of the nation's largest abortion facilities as well as protesting numerous pro-abortion politicians and other public figures who oppose the rights of the unborn babies.” Obviously, The Pro-Life Action League is a caustic critic of all abortion no matter what it’s for, so it is therefore a critic of Levitt and Dubner’s stance that abortion has had benefits on crime.
Another group that is a critic of the authors of Freakonomics is parents who believe the way someone parents has a crucial standing in a child’s success. Levitt and Dubner state, “The reality is that technique looks to be highly overrated…it isn’t so much a matter of what you do as a parent; it’s who you are” (Levitt and Dubner 175). This is heavily criticized by countless parents who have read a myriad of books with titles such as Smart Parenting for Smart Kids: Nurturing Your Child’s True Potential by Eileen Kennedy Moore or Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne and Lisa M. Ross, to name just two. Parenting websites describe numerous ways a parent can change their child, and many parents read these websites religiously. For example, Parenting.org states, “If your teen is exhibiting behaviors you want to change, you must first understand a few things…” There is a clear thread in all these groups that parents can dictate their kid’s behavior and future. Levitt and Dubner’s stance on parents is opposite, stating that parents have a limited role when it comes to what they do for their children and the effect it will have. Some groups that criticize Levitt and Dubner’s stance might point to their stance’s basis in data and not real-life interactions.
One example of a group who criticizes Levitt and Dubner’s work are pro-life supporters who abhor abortion, and are therefore a critic of Levitt and Dubner's stance that abortion has had positive effects, “It wasn’t gun control or a strong economy or new police strategies that finally blunted out the crime wave. It was…the reality that the pool of potential criminals had dramatically shrunk (because of abortion)” (Levitt and Dubner 6). The Pro-Life Action League states on its website, “We raise awareness of the injustice of abortion through marches, pickets, prayer vigils and especially Face the Truth Tours, during which we hold large abortion pictures on busy streets to show what abortion does to the unborn child. Since 2007, we have kept a constant monthly protest presence at Planned Parenthood Aurora, one of the nation's largest abortion facilities as well as protesting numerous pro-abortion politicians and other public figures who oppose the rights of the unborn babies.” Obviously, The Pro-Life Action League is a caustic critic of all abortion no matter what it’s for, so it is therefore a critic of Levitt and Dubner’s stance that abortion has had benefits on crime.
Another group that is a critic of the authors of Freakonomics is parents who believe the way someone parents has a crucial standing in a child’s success. Levitt and Dubner state, “The reality is that technique looks to be highly overrated…it isn’t so much a matter of what you do as a parent; it’s who you are” (Levitt and Dubner 175). This is heavily criticized by countless parents who have read a myriad of books with titles such as Smart Parenting for Smart Kids: Nurturing Your Child’s True Potential by Eileen Kennedy Moore or Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne and Lisa M. Ross, to name just two. Parenting websites describe numerous ways a parent can change their child, and many parents read these websites religiously. For example, Parenting.org states, “If your teen is exhibiting behaviors you want to change, you must first understand a few things…” There is a clear thread in all these groups that parents can dictate their kid’s behavior and future. Levitt and Dubner’s stance on parents is opposite, stating that parents have a limited role when it comes to what they do for their children and the effect it will have. Some groups that criticize Levitt and Dubner’s stance might point to their stance’s basis in data and not real-life interactions.