10. This Sociological Theory Explains Why Wall Street Is Rigged for Crisis

In this article Bill Davidow, author of several books pertaining to contemporary social problems, discusses the inevitable accidents that come along from within the complex system of the financial market. He begins the article by giving an example of a shortcoming within the American security system which nearly led to an extreme nuclear response over, what in reality, was a harmless bear trying to get over a fence at a military base. Charles Perrow refers to these kinds of accidents as "normal accidents", which according to Davidow, "are 'normal' not because they happen often, but because they are almost certain to occur in any tightly connected complex system." Davidow then connects this idea between the national security system and the American financial system, where aggressive traders have taken the role of the bear. These traders have signaled the alarm at the base, setting off a variety of potential disasters through the combination of what Davidow calls "human blunders and network failures." He continues by exemplifying these shortcomings and the consequences the breakdown of this system has, yet he does not fail to mention that the market does recover. Not only do these failures in the system affect the world financial state, but the safety mechanisms put in place to protect society from these faults tend to fling them further towards rock bottom. Davidow again looks at sociologist Perrow to assess the human role of error in the scenarios he portrays. He continues by showing how the roels of people and their motivations directly affect the market. He also proposes a solution to this problem, which cannot be by simply eliminated conceptually, but can only occur limiting transaction volumes. He clearly states that there is no way of escaping this financial mess and that the only way to endure through it, is to establish a new financial system.
Bill Davidow uses clear language in his article which helps the reader understand the issue at hand. His language and sentence structure is fluid, complemented by the transitions throughout his essay which help the reader connect the ideas with the thesis. The abundant use of examples is effective in backing up the author's point, yet it becomes overwhelming as the ideas are thrown at the reader in a consecutive fashion. The purpose of his essay was, for the most part, to persuade the reader that America has to change its financial system drastically before it can become hazard free. His serious and to the point tone further emphasizes his thesis. His reference to historical facts and to a well attributed sociologist further add to the credibility of the article. The image used in the article supports Davidow's article by emphasizing the threat the current financial system is and consequentially, the reality of the hazards society faces. Davidow writes proficiently and gives enough background information to allow the reader to understand his essay. His essay leaves the audience hanging, suggesting some possible change but leaving them with a great chasm that society must fill up to solve the problem at hand. Davidow argues his point well and gives a clear argument which does a good job at persuading the audience. He provides an extremely biased case against the current financial system, providing little, if any, information on the positive aspects of the financial system. Rather, he portrays it in a way which is supportive of his argument, deliberately casting a shadow over the positive contributions this system has. He also neglects to show the audience that the system has shown to recover and sustain itself in contemporary times, which generates a negative response in the reader.  
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/09/this-sociological-theory-explains-why-wall-street-is-rigged-for-crisis/280077/