Running head: “NO MERCY” BY MALCOLM GLADWELL 1
“No Mercy” by Malcolm Gladwell
Your Name
Course Number
Due Date
Instructor’s Name
This study source was downloaded by 100000859526549 from [Link] on 01-03-2023 [Link] GMT -06:00
[Link]
“NO MERCY” BY MALCOLM GLADWELL 2
“No Mercy” by Malcolm Gladwell
The zero-tolerance policies have become an international buzzword for school
administrators to deal with a rise in school violence and inappropriate student's behavior. The
policies were written with the purpose of deterring students from bringing weapons into schools.
They emphasize the use of punishments for any infraction of the rule of law regardless of the
underlying issues such as ignorance, mistakes. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the essay
by Malcolm Gladwell regarding zero tolerance policies. In this essay, I agree with Gladwell that
zero tolerance policies are too severe for schools in some cases and they do not justify poor
behavior. There are alternatives such as probation and psychiatric counseling which are
successfully offered to Robert Oppenheimer.
“No mercy” is an article in the New Yorker written by Malcolm Gladwell. The author
discusses the controversy surrounding the zero tolerance rules by arguing whether learning
institutions should use zero-tolerance policy or discretion when responding to students who
break school rules. Gladwell in the essay contends that sampling of specific students in the use of
zero tolerance policies in institutions is unacceptable. These laws treat all offenders in the same
way without accounting for the differences in people and offenders are punished without a
second thought. However, these policies have come under criticism after being implemented by
most schools in recent years due to their lack of efficacy. The policy does not seem to be working
as there has been an increase in bad behavior instead of decreasing them. Gladwell argues that
the zero-tolerance policy has caused increased infractions as is evident in the Tennessee study.
According to the article, he believes that while such methods might have proven successful in a
few cases, there are far much better methods with higher success rates. He proposed the use of
discretion which allows redemption of students after they break the law. According to Gladwell,
This study source was downloaded by 100000859526549 from [Link] on 01-03-2023 [Link] GMT -06:00
[Link]
“NO MERCY” BY MALCOLM GLADWELL 3
applying discretion will enable administrators to consider the circumstances surrounding the
crime before deciding on an appropriate punishment. However, Gladwell noted the drawbacks of
using caution in punishing deviant behavior by claiming it can allow for biased responses to bad
behavior.
The strength of this argument is the logical interpretation of using personalized
punishment as opposed to no mercy form of punishment. Gladwell stated that with little leniency
in punishment, students are better positioned to transform afterward as opposed to using no
tolerance rule in the punishment. Young people are bound to make mistakes naturally as they
grow even in institutions of learning and applying the zero-tolerance policy could ruin the lives
of such students who need guidance to grow into responsible citizens. As such, personalized
punishment is a better option that allows for discretion. I believe a customized penalty works
better in instilling discipline within an institution especially when dealing with young people.
However, there are some points that I do not agree with Gladwell in this essay. For
example, his suggestion that schools should personalize punishment based on whoever is
administering the punishment thinks about the situation. This point could create some bias
whenever an individual conducting the punishment has a vendetta against the student, causing
further unfairness within the institution. Another weakness of this essay is using his example to
justify against using zero tolerance policy. He used an incident of a famous physicist, Robert
Oppenheimer, who poisoned his tutor with an apple. The learning institution which Oppenheimer
attended had allegedly punished him by putting him on probation and ordering him to visit a
psychiatrist regularly. Such an incident would have elicited severe punishment if it happened
today due to the zero tolerance policy. However, arguments can only be sustained when
This study source was downloaded by 100000859526549 from [Link] on 01-03-2023 [Link] GMT -06:00
[Link]
“NO MERCY” BY MALCOLM GLADWELL 4
supported by theory and analysis rather than using anecdotes which Gladwell applied in the
essay.
Zero tolerance policies have led to students facing disciplinary procedures that deliver
harsh predetermined punishment. Rhett Bomar is an excellent example of a student who suffered
such a fate. Bomar's football career was ruined after he was cut from the football team of
Oklahoma which used the zero-tolerance policy. They go against maintaining an ethical,
educational setting where all students can learn without fear of being subjected to severe
punishment for cynical crimes. I believe that punishment for students is not always the solution
to bad behaviors since its influence is still minimal. The punishment that schools administer to
students does not fit the crime they committed under the zero-tolerance policy and therefore fails
to uphold the ethical stance of discipline. This policy fails to keep in mind that accidents can
occur and students can commit a single mistake causing devastating impacts. Every person
deserves a chance to grow and learn from their mistake and using a zero tolerance policy even
for first-time offenders can rob such individuals of an opportunity to change their lives.
He uses the aspect of teenagers being an experimental lot that might be scared from
making mistakes and misbehaving because of harsh punishment threats. Using zero tolerance
policy, therefore, has more drawbacks than benefits when implemented in the school. Studies
have shown that zero-tolerance have an overall adverse effect on students as well as a
disproportionately adverse effect on minorities. In the article, Gladwell argues that age could be
a cause of misbehavior. As such, these policies are not fulfilling their intended purposes since
their efficacy is yet to be achieved. They also create long-term problems through exclusions,
leading to school dropouts and driving students into becoming criminals. The zero-tolerance
policies are only justifiable when applied in extreme cases such as students involved in drug
This study source was downloaded by 100000859526549 from [Link] on 01-03-2023 [Link] GMT -06:00
[Link]
“NO MERCY” BY MALCOLM GLADWELL 5
smuggling or school shooting. For example, students found in possession of drugs or a loaded
gun within the school premises should be subjected to the zero-tolerance policy and be charged
with the crime they committed. However, rarely to such incidences occur, and most students are
subject to the harsh provisions of the zero-tolerance policy even with small crimes.
Therefore, I agree with the author’s point of view regarding the use of zero tolerance
policy and the point that Gladwell makes in advocating for different individuals to be punished
differently based on the nature of the crime and the person. Punishment should depend on the
current situation of the person at the point of committing the crime, and the discipline should
consider such factors. For example, if a student is caught cheating, the panel should first consider
the circumstances of how and why he cheated before subjecting them to zero tolerance policies.
As such, schools should consider changing the system to accommodate the different events
involved in breaking the law. For example, students who fail to do their homework should not be
subject to the same punishment as those found with the shooting. Each situation needs its
evaluation with a set of guidelines for the appropriate punishment. The policies should be
flexible to allow for proper measures to be taken depending on the nature of the crime
committed.
This study source was downloaded by 100000859526549 from [Link] on 01-03-2023 [Link] GMT -06:00
[Link]
“NO MERCY” BY MALCOLM GLADWELL 6
References
Gladwell, M. (2006). No mercy. New Yorker, 37-38.
This study source was downloaded by 100000859526549 from [Link] on 01-03-2023 [Link] GMT -06:00
[Link]
Powered by TCPDF ([Link])
