Fiddler in the subway - a social experiment
This is an unusually sad story from which I had goosebumps. This is a social experiment about people's perception, taste and priorities.
On a cold January morning, a man settled down at a Washington metro station and began to play the violin. For 45 minutes he played 6 pieces. During this time, since there was a rush hour, more than a thousand people passed by, most of whom were on their way to work.
After three minutes, a middle-aged man turned his attention to a musician. He slowed down, stopped for a few moments and ... hurried further on his business.
')
A minute later, the violinist received his first salary: a woman threw money into a case and, without stopping, continued her step.
A few minutes later, the man leaned against the wall and began to listen, but soon he looked at his watch and continued on his way.
The musician got the most attention from a three-year-old boy. His mother in a hurry led him behind her, but the boy stopped to look at the violinist. Mom pulled a little stronger and the boy continued to move, constantly looking back. This situation was repeated with several other children. Without exception, their parents did not let them stay for a minute.
For 45 minutes of the game, only 6 people briefly stopped and listened, another 20, without stopping, threw money. Musician's earnings amounted to $ 32.
None of the passersby knew that the violinist was Joshua Bell - one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most difficult pieces ever written, and the instrument was the Stradivari violin, worth $ 3.5 million.
Two days before the performance in the subway, at his concert in Boston, where the average ticket price was $ 100, was a sell-out.
Joshua Bell's playing on the subway is part of the Washington Post's social experiment on people's perception, taste, and priorities. The principles of which were: in the everyday environment at the wrong moment: Do we feel the beauty? Will we stop to evaluate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected setting?
One of the conclusions from this experiment may be as follows:
If we cannot find time to stop for a while and listen to the best music ever written by one of the best musicians in the world; if the pace of modern life is so all-consuming that we become blind and deaf to such things - then what else are we missing?
PS This is a translation of an article based on the essay by the Washington Post , which won the Pulitzer Prize. The essay is undoubtedly more accurate and detailed, but since this is my first translation, I will not master it.
PPS For the above reason, please do not judge strictly :)
On a cold January morning, a man settled down at a Washington metro station and began to play the violin. For 45 minutes he played 6 pieces. During this time, since there was a rush hour, more than a thousand people passed by, most of whom were on their way to work.
After three minutes, a middle-aged man turned his attention to a musician. He slowed down, stopped for a few moments and ... hurried further on his business.
')
A minute later, the violinist received his first salary: a woman threw money into a case and, without stopping, continued her step.
A few minutes later, the man leaned against the wall and began to listen, but soon he looked at his watch and continued on his way.
The musician got the most attention from a three-year-old boy. His mother in a hurry led him behind her, but the boy stopped to look at the violinist. Mom pulled a little stronger and the boy continued to move, constantly looking back. This situation was repeated with several other children. Without exception, their parents did not let them stay for a minute.
For 45 minutes of the game, only 6 people briefly stopped and listened, another 20, without stopping, threw money. Musician's earnings amounted to $ 32.
None of the passersby knew that the violinist was Joshua Bell - one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most difficult pieces ever written, and the instrument was the Stradivari violin, worth $ 3.5 million.
Two days before the performance in the subway, at his concert in Boston, where the average ticket price was $ 100, was a sell-out.
Joshua Bell's playing on the subway is part of the Washington Post's social experiment on people's perception, taste, and priorities. The principles of which were: in the everyday environment at the wrong moment: Do we feel the beauty? Will we stop to evaluate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected setting?
One of the conclusions from this experiment may be as follows:
If we cannot find time to stop for a while and listen to the best music ever written by one of the best musicians in the world; if the pace of modern life is so all-consuming that we become blind and deaf to such things - then what else are we missing?
PS This is a translation of an article based on the essay by the Washington Post , which won the Pulitzer Prize. The essay is undoubtedly more accurate and detailed, but since this is my first translation, I will not master it.
PPS For the above reason, please do not judge strictly :)
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/55717/
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