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Social Epidemics In Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point

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Throughout history there appears to be a distinct pattern in the way social ideas are introduced and how it progresses to an epidemic. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book “The Tipping Point”, he explains how social epidemics tip with the actions of just a select few people. “When it comes to epidemics, though, this disproportionality becomes even more extreme; a tiny percentage of people do the majority of the work.” The people who are responsible for social epidemics are known as Connectors, Mavens, or Salesmen. William Wilberforce, an English politician, and the leader for the movement of abolishing slave trade, served as a Connector. Working as a politician and being a member of parliament, he knew a lot of people and had connections with lots of different types of people, which makes him a “Connector”. While Wilberforce has lots of connections with people, he also had a deep understanding and was very passionate on the issue he was fighting for. He continually introduced anti-slavery acts to the Parliament for 18 years. …show more content…
He decided to run for Parliament and joined at the age of 21 and was very involved and interested in politics. In 1786 Wilberforce began his fight to end slave trade in the British Empire. Britain was the most involved in the Slave Trade out of the European countries. Black slaves from Africa were taken onto ships in very harsh and cruel conditions and taken to the West Indies to be bought and sold. Britain was heavily involved compared to other European countries. “By the 1760s, Britain was the foremost European country engaged in the Slave Trade. Of the 80,000 Africans chained and shackled and transported across to the Americas each year, 42,000 were carried by British slave ships”. At this time, this was socially normal and acceptable, but Wilberforce thought otherwise and was passionately against

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