Pearls Before Breakfast
April 7, 2007 9:59 PM   Subscribe

"Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he's really bad? What if he's really good? Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?"

Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post arranges for renowned violinist Joshua Bell to perform incognito during rush hour outside Washington's L'Enfant Plaza subway station to see if anyone would stop and listen. The results are... well, exactly what you'd expect, I guess.
posted by sdrawkcab (2 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: previously -- jessamyn



 
Sorry -- double post.
posted by ericb at 10:02 PM on April 7, 2007


He'd make more money telling people he was a former child prodigy and letting them punch him.
posted by Artw at 10:08 PM on April 7, 2007 [1 favorite]


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