Magazine Design System

editorial / design
Publication system
mmPa 2009 summit & exPo
may 21, 2009

editorial / design -P ublication system

How do you keep a reader’s
attention?
n the average person spends
45 minutes with a magazine.

source: mri Fall, 2007, national directory of magazines, 2008, oxbridge communications

mmPa 2009 summit & exPo 05.21


publication system:
structure
n grid
n hierarchy
n exPerience



grid:
a well-deFined grid
is the backbone to
your Publication



02_Tufts_SP09 4/21/09 8:47 PM Page 2 03_Tufts_SP09 4/21/09 8:48 PM Page 3

grid THE ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS

The backbone What’s Gray and Amazing? DALE PETERSON (“The Secret Lives of
Elephants,” page 22), a lecturer in the
English Department, has written fifteen
MAGAZINE
books, which have been translated into
jumbo seems an unlikely mascot for a uni- nine foreign languages. Two works, in-
VO L U M E X V I , N U M B E R 2
versity. Not as unlikely as Sammy the Banana Slug cluding his last one, Jane Goodall: The
(UC Santa Cruz), perhaps, or Artie the Fighting Editor Woman Who Redefined Man, have been
Artichoke (Scottsdale Community College), but David Brittan named New York Times Notable Book of
Peterson Sommers
david.brittan@tufts.edu

Maintain order
the Year.
not a “safe” choice either, like an eagle or a mus-
Editorial Director
tang or a Highlander. Karen Bailey Book Award for his memoir, Fields of SAM SOMMERS (“The Toolbox of Self-
As a source of inspiration for school spirit and karen.bailey@tufts.edu Light, and recently published a novel, Deception,” page 32) is an assistant pro-
athletic prowess, Jumbo is, shall we say, compli- Design Director Before. His forthcoming short story col- fessor of psychology at Tufts. His research
Margot Grisar lection is titled Light Wings. examines how juries make decisions in
cated. On the one hand, the creature was a prodigy in his day, billed (erroneously) as margot.grisar@tufts.edu criminal trials and how interactions be-
Donroe Inman
the largest elephant in captivity, and credited (if P.T. Barnum is to be believed) with a A freelance writer, obsessive blogger, tween people of different races go awry.
Design Consultant
hero’s death, suffered while rescuing the baby elephant Tom Thumb from an oncom- 2communiqué and former editor of Boston magazine, In 2007 he received the Lerman-Neubau-
contact@2communique.com A seven-time category winner in the BBC TAMMY DONROE INMAN, J95 (“Test er Prize for Outstanding Teaching and
ing freight train. On the other hand, few outside of Tufts know the history. Indeed, few
News & Notes Editor Wildlife Photographer of the Year com- Kitchen Confidential,” page 36), is secretly Advising.
people know much about elephants, period. To take Jumbo seriously as a mascot, one petition, KARL AMMANN (“The Secret glad her Tufts professors flunked her out
Mark Sullivan
must cling to the frayed stories of his strength and valor while tuning out the popular mark.sullivan@tufts.edu Lives of Elephants,” page 22) has pub- of her science major. She lives in Waltham, ROY B. STEINBERG, A73 (“One Life to
image of elephants as portly, slightly ridiculous versions of ourselves. Contributing Editors lished his images in National Geographic, Massachusetts, with her husband and two Live,” page 8), a graduate of Yale School
But the world of elephants is not all circuses and peanuts. The more one learns Beth Horning the New York Times Magazine, and else- sons. Her kitchen is a mess. of Drama, has been a director, a pro-
Kara Peters where. He and his wife live on a fifteen- ducer, and an actor in theater, television,
about them, in fact, the more admirable the animals appear. Elephants are remarkably acre game ranch near Mount Kenya. LESLIE MACMILLAN (“An Army of Ex- and film. At the International Drama
Columnists
smart, for instance. Their brains, which weigh nine to thirteen pounds, are the largest Nicholas Dodman perts,” page 10) is a writer/editor in Tufts’ Festival in Ireland he played opposite
of any land animal. Elephants are tool users: they swat flies with branches, disable elec- Sol Gittleman MICHAEL BL ANDING (“Mr. Electric,” Office of Publications. She has written William Hurt, A72, in Lanford Wilson’s
Jeswald W. Salacuse
tric fences by smashing them with boulders, and wield paintbrushes gracefully enough W. George Scarlett page 16) is an award-winning maga- for the Associated Press, the Boston Globe, The Rimers of Eldritch. He was recently
zine writer whose work has appeared and the Boston Herald, and worked on a named artistic director of Cape May
(with their trunks, of course) to paint recognizable pictures of other elephants. They Contributing Writers in The Nation , The New Republic , game reserve in South Africa. Stage in New Jersey.
can be crafty when they need to be. Captive elephants in Burma have been observed Julie Flaherty
Lauren Katims Boston Magazine, and the Boston Globe
Magazine. “Mr. Electric” is his second
columnists
stuffing their bells with mud before sneaking into their master’s orchard to steal fruit. Leslie Macmillan

They are good mimics—one elephant in Kenya imitates the sound of trucks she hears cover story for Tufts Magazine.
Class Notes
from her compound. And they are among the few species with enough self-awareness Kaleigh Fitzpatrick
Susan Pasternack BILL FINLEY, A83 (“Stepping Up to the One of the world’s leading animal behaviorists, NICHOL AS DODMAN (“Animal
to recognize themselves in the mirror. Plate,” page 12), started out writing for Instincts,” page 41) directs the Animal Behavior Program at the Cummings School of
In this issue, Dale Peterson, the Tufts lecturer who penned “The Secret Lives of Tufts Magazine (USPS #619-420, ISSN #1535-5063) is
the Daily Racing Form and moved on to Veterinary Medicine and is the author of four bestsellers in the field. His latest book
Elephants” (page 22), illuminates the animals’ social side. The article, with photographs published quarterly by the Trustees of Tufts University. the New York Post and the New York Daily is The Well-Adjusted Dog: Dr. Dodman’s Seven Steps to Lifelong Health and Happiness
Direct magazine calls to 617.627.4287. Send correspondence News. He still frequents the racetrack, for Your Best Friend (Houghton Mifflin).
by Karl Ammann, is based on the duo’s new book, Elephant Reflections (University of to Tufts Magazine, Tufts Publications, 80 George Street,
writing for ESPN.com and the New York
Medford, MA 02155, or email tuftsmagazine@tufts.edu.
California Press). As Peterson makes clear, elephants are a model of cooperative living. Tufts Magazine is distributed without charge to alumni, Times. He also cohosts a horse racing In his forty-five years at Tufts, SOL GITTLEMAN (“Scholar at Large,” page 39) has been
Mothers look after one another’s offspring, giving each mom time off to forage and rest parents of current undergraduates, and other members of program on Sirius XM satellite radio. a professor of German, Judaic studies, and Biblical literature, and has taught in a vari-
the Tufts community. Periodicals postage paid at
(imagine, universal child care in the veldt). An elephant clan will accommodate dis- Boston, MA, and additional mailing addresses.
ety of departments. Formerly Tufts’ provost and chair of the Department of German,
Postmaster: Send address changes to Development Records, JULIE FL AHERT Y (“When Film Stars Slavic, and Asian Languages, he is now the Alice and Nathan Gantcher University
abilities: if one member is lame, the others will slow their pace accordingly. Elephants Tufts University, 80 George Street, Medford, MA 02155. Light Up,” page 11) is a senior health Professor. His most recent book is on the 1949–1953 New York Yankees.
© 2009 Trustees of Tufts University
have even been known to protect sick or injured humans. Their remarkable ability to sciences w riter in Tuf ts’ Of f ice of
communicate is another story, one I leave to Peterson to explain. What we see in the end http://go.tufts.edu/magazine Publications and the editor of Tufts JESWALD W. SALACUSE (“Negotiating Life,” page 42) is the Henry J. Braker Professor
is a magnificent animal, at once sensitive, capable, and strong. The next time you utter Nutrition. She has been a frequent con- of Law and former dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts. His most recent book is Seven
Printed on 10% recycled paper by Lane Press, Inc.,
South Burlington, VT
tributor to the New York Times. Secrets for Negotiating with Government (AMACOM).
the words “Go Jumbos,” you may be grateful that Tufts chose such a sensible mascot.
J O S E P H H U R K A (“Rober t Rober t W. GEORGE SCARLETT (“Kids These Days,” page 40) is deputy chair of the Eliot-
d av i d b r i t t a n Robert,” page 30) teaches creative writing Pearson Department of Child Development. His new book, Approaches to Behavior
editor Cert no. SW-COC-002556

at Tufts. He won the Pushcart Editors’ and Classroom Management (Sage Publications), was published in January.

2 t u f t s m ag a z i n e s p r i n g 2 0 0 9 PHOTO: MELODY KO
PHOTOS: STEVE MARSEL (INMAN), WYN PETERSON (DALE PETERSON) s p r i n g 2 0 0 9 t u f t s m ag a z i n e 3



57_Tufts_SP09 4/10/09 10:56 PM Page 57

grid THE ALUMNI COMMUNITY DIGEST

The backbone has been chosen as a recipient
of the 14th annual Heinz Award
in Public Policy. He has been a
Burlington. Jose Juvas. See HILL
95. John O’Callahan. See HILL 94.
MUSEUM Chris Nardone is a
94 HILL Natalie Cohen
and Gene Alperovich,
M01, welcomed baby Benjamin
whose project name is ‘oh dorian.’
Check her out at myspace.com/
ohdorian.” Marsha Durbano,
respected advocate of the inter- partner and designer at form3, a Edgar on September 9, 2008. G95, and John O’Callaghan, A93,
ests of low- and middle-income custom furniture and architectural The family recently moved back welcomed baby Sean on July 18,
Americans in matters related design studio in Petaluma, CA. The to the Boston area from the 2008. He joins Caroline, four, and
to the federal budget. He is the firm has a new line of eco-con- Bay area. Cohen works as a Craig, two. O’Callaghan recently
founding executive director of the scious PLYFORM lounge furniture. speech-language pathologist, began working for Baystate
nonpartisan Center on Budget and GRADUATE Marcia Stein has and Alperovich is a hospitalist at Financial Services in Boston. Jeff

Distinguish edit from ad Policy Priorities. He is one of five
distinguished Americans to receive
one of the awards, given by the
Heinz Family Foundation.
been named CEO of the Young
Survival Coalition, the largest
national organization dedicated to
serving young women affected by
breast cancer. A twelve-year breast
Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Gerald
Devokaitis writes of his career
in the music industry, including
working for artists such as the
Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule,
Ehrenkranz, senior vice president
of the North American Marketing
Group at Octagon, has been
named to lead a revamped
marketing solutions division.

93 HILL Christine Anderson
and Christopher
LaPorte, E92, welcomed baby
cancer survivor, Stein will draw on
her extensive corporate experience
in the health-care arena to expand
Alanis Morissette, and Susan
Tedeschi. “I recently decided to
stop working for ‘established’
He oversees groups focused on
providing specific expertise in such
areas as events and hospitality,
Noah Christopher on December the organization’s capabilities. artists, with hopes of finding and music and entertainment,
14, 2008. He joins Madelyn, six, Most recently she was cofounder developing undiscovered talent,” consumer promotions, and
and Parker, four. Anderson is a and chief development officer for he writes. “I started my own music multicultural marketing. Christine
nurse practitioner in Lowell, MA, Senior Whole Health, a multistate management company, and my Sossaman McShane and Matthew
and LaPorte works as a project organization providing patient main client is an amazing singer- McShane welcomed baby Evan
engineer for EBI Consulting in services to the underserved. songwriter named Heather Kemp, Alexander on June 1, 2008. The

s p r i n g 2 0 0 9 t u f t s m ag a z i n e 5 7



plane tufts
et
08_Tufts_SP09 4/14/09 11:08 PM Page 8 09_Tufts_SP09 4/14/09 11:09 PM Page 9

grid

The backbone PLANET TUFTS P E O P L E , P R O J E C T S , PA S S I O N S

women have upset the old model of would give “presents” to his favorite ac- lettuce and skinless chicken breasts and
The author, safely

Structure but not
returned to the stage housewives watching their “story” while tors and producers and directors. When how many hours they spent at the gym as
ironing. And reality TV has brought non- an auditor showed up, articles of clothing they grumbled about their lack of story.
actors into the equation, making soap op- that had been “forgotten at home” began Oh, I will miss all that.
era actors—crying models, as some call to reappear. You can imagine the auditor’s My parting gift to the soap world was
them—seem dated. puzzlement when a short, obese producer a serial I directed called Life In General.
Maybe it’s just as well. Now that enter- arrived on a sweltering July day, dressed Created for the website Strike.TV by

limitation
tainment is shifting to computers and cell in a cashmere overcoat that he “just hap- Writers Guild members during their
phones, someone is bound to dream up pened to be wearing” and thought he strike last year, it told the story of back-
interactive serials that feed people’s hun- might return—even though it would have stage life on a fictional soap, Greenville
ger for stories about families, while finally fit no actor on earth. General. Ironically, this sendup of the
breaking the mold of linear storytelling One of my favorite moments occurred genre received five nominations for day-
that grew out of radio. Still, as an insider, I at a celebration before the Emmys in 2007. time drama’s Spirit Awards—more than
will mourn the passing of the outrageous, When I complained to my superior that some broadcast soaps.
hilarious, and larcenous antics that go on our show had no story, I was told that the Working in daytime drama has given
backstage at the soaps. Believe me, the show’s owner was depressed and could me the financial security to return to my
cameras are pointed the wrong way. make no decisions about plot develop- roots in live theater, with its equally in-
Crooked deals by Armani-clad corpo- ments. The stories would “tread water” sane cast of characters. The daily grind of
rate moguls are a staple of daytime televi- until the meds kicked in and he could sign banging out a soap opera can’t compare to
sion, but nothing on your screen can rival off on new directions for the show. As I re- the thrill of exploring dramatic literature
the way deals are made in the soap world. ceived this information, I was greeted by with real actors (you can’t fake it when it’s
One executive sold a producer position air-kissing actresses in glamorous gowns live) and recreating a performance every
to settle a gambling debt in Atlantic City. and their leading men who passed up night before a different audience. At long
When the sponsor learned of this arrange- the fancy food so that they could main- last, I am beginning to get the taste of
ment, it fired the executive, who then tain their figure. We discussed living on soap out of my mouth.
barricaded himself in his office for three

One Life to Live
days. Security officers eventually took the
badly?” He explained that this cartoonish hinges off the door and escorted him from PEACE & LIGHT
style of acting was the fantasy of a charac- the premises. Now, that’s drama.
Has Roy left the soaps for good? Can they go on without him? ter dreaming of being wealthy. I replied: But wait, there’s more. This same fel- MAPPING POST-KATRINA HEALTH CARE
“My fantasies are mostly sexual and seem low resurfaced on another show, where
B Y R OY B . S T E I N B E R G , A7 3 real.” The executive producer signed me he became so loathed that the crew se- A crew of student volunteers from Tufts

T
right there to direct a cycle of episodes. cretly poured a puddle of motor oil under and Brandeis are working to connect New
That was in the 1980s, when Luke his new Ferrari, for the sheer pleasure of Orleans residents with the best possible
he wor ld of day time 1965 and is the oldest continually broad- and Laura’s wedding on General Hospital watching it get towed away. medical care as the city rebuilds. In the
drama is peopled with char- cast show on NBC. I produced and direct- made the cover of Time. In recent years, a Then there was the young assistant wake of Katrina, damaged health facilities
acters engaging in adultery, ed many episodes of both. shift in viewing habits has eroded the au- whose boss had a series of secret rendez- were forced to close, and many small clinics
avarice, blackmail, and psy- I got into the business after years of dience, and threatens the very existence vous, which she helped him cover up from and specialized centers have been popping
chological breakdowns— acting and directing in New York, both on of this peculiar genre. Remember Search his wife. The fee for that service: a pro- up in their stead. Even health-care profes-
and that’s just backstage. and off Broadway. The executive producer For Tomorrow? The Edge of Night? Ryan’s ducer position. Another office assistant, a sionals find it difficult to navigate the system
Serialized soap operas have been part of of Guiding Light saw several plays I had di- Hope? Another World? All canceled. Even temp, got the executive producer a special these days. No wonder one in four residents uses emergency rooms for primary care.
American entertainment for generations. rected, and wondered if I would do some Guiding Light will go dark in September. deal at her father’s Mercedes-Benz dealer- National Collegiate Volunteers, cofounded by Jonah Peppiatt, A08, and Noah Kaplan,
Guiding Light, which began on radio in directing for him. I remember sitting in College students—who used to schedule ship in exchange for—you guessed it—a of Brandeis, is developing a complete health-care database to steer uninsured residents
1937 and first aired on television in 1952, his office watching the “air show”—which their classes around their favorite soaps— producer position. to free or low-cost services in different medical specialties. Accessible online and by
is the longest continually broadcast show was as foreign to me as Noh drama—and rarely tune in today. Both the Internet and Or maybe outright theft is more to phone, it will have student volunteers standing by to assist callers. Launch is scheduled
in history. Days of Our Lives first aired in blurting out, “Why are they all acting so cable have taken away viewers. Working your taste. One costume designer I know for August 2009.

8 t u f t s m ag a z i n e s p r i n g 2 0 0 9 PHOTO: JAMES GLADER PHOTO: CORBIS s p r i n g 2 0 0 9 t u f t s m ag a z i n e 9



HierarcHy:
take your reader through
the Page with hierarchy oF
word and image



22r1_Tufts_SP09 4/14/09 9:11 PM Page 22 23r1_Tufts_SP09 4/14/09 9:12 PM Page 23

HierarcHy

Lead your reader An important conversation is taking place
below the range of human hearing

BY DALE PETERSON LECTURER IN ENGLISH

Keep experience
PHOTOGRAPHS BY K ARL AMMANN

my first close encounter of the one of them plodded toward us. Karl got The incident would emblemize so They are not obsequiously communica-
pachydermic kind happened at the edge a tangerine out of his pack. “A gift,” he much of my later experience with ele- tive in the manner of dogs. Their faces,

interesting
of a twisty road in the mountains of said with some eagerness. He held it out phants. Indeed, throughout my time in contrast with those of primates, tend
northwestern Burma, where I was travel- ﬁrst in front of the creature’s eye and then in Burma, and even later, as Karl and I to be blandly immobile.
ing with the wildlife photographer Karl within reach of her trunk. traveled into East and Central Africa, After my travels with Karl, I came
Ammann. Our underpowered, over- He waited, and then tossed it onto the observing and photographing the sub- home to begin a journey of a different
loaded car had been laboring uphill for patch of road in front of her. Her trunk jects you see in these pages, my sense of kind, into the realm of scientists who
hours when we heard someone shout, curled, rose and arched, and lowered its tip what I came to call “elephant otherness” have studied elephants. These men and
“The elephants!” until it hovered right above the tangerine. only grew stronger. All species are alien women, too, have found the animals
We pulled over at a roadside hamlet She sniffed, vacuuming up a trunkload to one another, you may say. We can only almost impenetrably mysterious. But in
where onlookers milled around a small of scent molecules. She sniffed a second imagine the mental lives of dogs or apes, the past several decades, they have begun
forest of gray-skinned legs and tails and time. Then, silently, she curled her trunk for example. But dogs will pay attention to shed light on elephants’ social behav-
trunks and torsos quietly gathered and up again. She shifted slightly, raised a foot, and let you know what they’re feeling or ior. It turns out that, however indiffer-
swaying. These were elephants who had and brought it down slowly but decisively what they want with a growl or whim- ently they might treat a gift offered by a
been put to work transporting heavy onto the fruit, which splattered on the per, a twist of the head, a wag of the tail. human, elephants are anything but aloof
loads of wood for the Burmese logging pavement. She sniffed once again, then Apes will look you in the eye, and, as with among themselves.
industry, and they were well acquainted showed no further interest, as if some fake people, their faces provide a window into
with people and their ways. After a while, person had just offered her fake food. their minds. Elephants are not like that.



35r1_Tufts_SP09 4/14/09 8:59 PM Page 35

HierarcHy

Lead your reader We frequently call to mind our illustrious associations, basking at random, were told they had succeeded, while others, also cho- pronounced among men and among students of either sex who
sen at random, were told they had failed. The participants’ next reported feeling self-conscious in public.
in their reflected glory. You’ll find a variety of websites on which task was to select a test for their unseen partner in a separate Do you recognize any of these self-deceiving strategies in
posters can tout their great-great-grandmother’s affair with room—a test that they would score for the partner. Those who your family? Your friends? Your colleagues? I know better than

General Custer or a chance golf outing with Alice Cooper. thought they themselves had done poorly assigned their partner
the most challenging test to muddle through.
to ask if you engage in any of them. I mean, of course you don’t.

Though this tendency doesn’t paint the prettiest picture of
human nature, sometimes there’s nothing like other people’s but even if we are momentarily candid with ourselves,
lies with another of our feel-good strategies: illusions of control. are following a loss. In a second study, Cialdini and colleagues struggles to make us feel better about our own plight. Research the question remains: What should we do about this blindness
We convince ourselves that the randomness of life doesn’t apply reported that while 32 percent of students use the pronoun we on breast cancer reveals that one coping strategy for women who to reality, this resistance to the awful truth? Quite possibly,
to us. Others may be unable to manage their own destinies, but in talking about a victory by their school’s team, only 18 percent need a lumpectomy is to compare themselves with those under- nothing.

Break up the page
somehow we think we can. use we in talking about a loss. going mastectomy. Our own fi nancial woes don’t seem so bad In an influential article published in 1988, Shelley Taylor, of
The Harvard psychologist The we effect is most pro- when we think about families in foreclosure. And your 75 on the UCLA, and Jonathon Brown, of the University of Washington,
Ellen Langer ran a study in which nounced when people need an biology exam isn’t as problematic when you consider the even suggested that distortions of reality are essential to our mental
she either gave people a raff le ego boost. In yet another Cialdini lower score of that guy who sleeps through class. well-being. This idea was illustrated in a study by Lauren Alloy,
ticket or let them choose one. study, respondents were asked Not to mention that the test was unfair, you were nursing a of Temple University, and Lyn Abramson, of the University of
When she then tried to buy the to complete a survey about the head cold, and you stayed out too late the night before. Speaking Wisconsin. Study participants—some of them depressed and
tickets back, those who had been student body on their campus. of which . . . some of them not—sat in front of a light bulb with a button that
allowed to select their own held Half of the participants, selected they could either push or not, as they chose. Sometimes when

6. we actually undermine our own performance to
out for four times as much money at random, were given positive the button was pushed, the light went on; other times it didn’t.
as those who were simply handed feedback (“you did really well SELF-HANDICAPPING In reality, the button wasn’t connected to the light at all—the
a ticket. Just putting thought into, compared to the average stu- Sometimes bulb simply flashed on and off at random. Later, when asked how
for example, which lotto numbers dent”). The other half received ward off threats to the ego. Psychologists refer to this as self- much control they thought they had over the light, participants
to play is enough to make us more negative feedback (“you did really handicapping. To illustrate, let’s say you do stay out late the who were depressed accurately reported that they had none. But
optimistic—as if our intellect poorly”). In subsequent discus- night before a big test. If you don’t perform well, you can tell those who weren’t saw things differently. These “normal” people
were so profound that it somehow sions about their school’s victori- yourself that it wasn’t because of any intellectual shortcoming. If had an exaggerated sense of control, the same type of illusion
gave us better odds than all those ous football team, the tendency you pull off a good grade anyway, then wow—you did it without harbored by the overconfident lotto player or the superstitious
idiots with lousy numbers. to use we was higher among the even studying. sports fan.
Illusions of control also explain students who presumably needed For me, the king of self-handicapping will always be my best Our real task, psychologically, may not be to banish self-
why, even after being reminded pumping up: 40 percent for those friend from college. He had an uncanny knack for placing himself deception but to make it work for us—to enlist it when we feel
that divorce rates hover at 50 per- who believed they had failed the in no-lose situations. In Wiffle ball, he’d inevitably start swing- threatened and let go of it when we’re ready to face facts. Should
cent, respondents in one study survey, compared with 24 percent ing left-handed halfway through. we always evaluate ourselves in
by the late Ziva Kunda, a psychologist at Canada’s University for those who believed they had aced it. If he lost, well, hey, he was swing- relation to those of inferior apti-
of Waterloo, estimated that their own marriage had only a 20 There’s a reason why those big foam fingers sold at football ing left-handed; if he won, we’d tude? No—we’ll grow compla-
percent probability of dissolving. Or why, in a recent survey stadiums never say “They’re #1.” never hear the end of it. The hon- cent and develop an exaggerated
on the real estate website Zillow.com, half of homeowners said ors thesis that I sweated over for sense of competence. But some-
their house had held its value or even appreciated during a year
when nationwide sale prices dropped 9 percent. Or why we’re 5. DOWNWARD SOCIAL COMPARISON
months during my senior year?
He wrote his the night before.
times a dash of downward social
comparison is just what we need
able to assure ourselves that we will escape the documented So associating ourselves with successful and accomplished oth- Literally all of it. That we earned to bounce back from failure. Or
side effects of a given medical treatment—you know, the ones ers is always the way to go, right? Not so fast. What if those oth- the same grade chafed a bit, I’ll maybe the better-than-average
that are muttered in hurried tones at the end of pharmaceutical ers are thriving in the very areas where we’re faltering? The nov- admit. But it made his day. effect will do the trick. Or a
commercials. elist may revel in the feats of her neighbor the musician, but the Some people are more prone little rationalization.
best-selling book of her cousin may bring on crippling envy. And to self-handicapping than others, My health screening was a

4. are social animals. We spend much of our lives seeking
People
BASKING IN REFLECTED GLORY
what if we can’t even use the better-than-average effect? What
if we run up against irrefutable evidence that we’re actually not
of course. Several studies indicate
that men are more susceptible
case in point. Denial, with a
dollop of rationalization, helped
better than average? In such cases, we often resort to downward than women. And according get me through the day. I taught,
out and managing bonds with others. It should come as no sur- social comparison, viewing our attainments alongside those of to Robert Arkin, of Ohio State got some writing done, and went
prise, then, that when we’re trying to feel good about ourselves, the least successful individuals we know. University, self-handicapping is about business as usual. Then a
we frequently call to mind our more illustrious associations, Think about the last time you were handed back an exam, especially common among the few days later, when I had come
basking in their reflected glory. If you don’t believe me, Google whether days or decades ago. If you’re like most of the test tak- chronically self-conscious. In one to grips with reality, I made
“claim to fame.” You’ll find a variety of websites on which posters I know, one of your fi rst reactions was to wonder what the of Arkin’s studies, students were given a choice of music to listen an appointment to see my doctor. Now, the offending number
ers can tout their great-great-grandmother’s affair with General average score was. Or to ask your friend how she did. Or maybe to while completing a test of spatial skill. Some musical options, is back to normal, and I have a new morning routine before I
Custer or celebrate a chance golf outing with Alice Cooper. even to sneak a peek at the score of the guy sitting down the row they were told, might enhance their concentration, while others teach: running at the gym. Consider it a public service—my
Sports fans are awash in reflected glory. A study by Robert from you. could prove distracting. When the test was framed as a powerful ten-minute miles are perfect fodder for your next downward
Cialdini, a psychologist at Arizona State University, has found A study by Joanne Wood and colleagues at the University predictor of future college and career success, more participants social comparison.
that college students are more likely to wear their school insig- of Waterloo shows downward social comparison in action. went for the supposedly distracting music, giving themselves a And when I fi nally cash in my gift card, I’ll order a salad,
nia to class on a Monday following a football victory than they Participants were given a series of tests, and then some, chosen ready-made excuse for poor performance. This tendency was dressing on the side. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. T

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HierarcHy
SCHOLAR AT LARGE
Lead your reader BY SOL GITTLEMAN ALICE AND NATHAN GANTCHER UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR

The Fuse That Lit the Fire
Use scale and color
L
Jackie Robinson’s struggle isn’t over yet

ast january was an auspicious month for the in- from the Negro leagues. They hit home
runs, stole bases, and played the outfield
auguration of an African-American president. Martin
with an abandon that sent white journal-
Luther King Day fell one day earlier. And there was an- ists scurrying to their thesauruses.
Then came Roberto Clemente of the
other birthday on January 31: Jackie Robinson would Pittsburgh Pirates, and Latino fans had
have turned ninety. With the arrival of baseball season, I fi nd myself re- their first great icon, to be followed by
countless others. Having pushed open
flecting on the gains that Robinson single-handedly made for the game, for the door for blacks and dark-skinned
sports, and for racial equality. Latinos, Robinson lived to see every ma-
jor league team integrated. As George
Pre-Robinson, Major League Baseball happily married, and coal-black. Will wrote, “Robinson’s first major league
was a white preserve. The attitude ex- Rickey brought Robinson to Brooklyn game was the most important event in
pressed by Kenesaw Mountain Landis, and rehearsed the kinds of abuse that the emancipation of black Americans
commissioner since 1920, was typical the fi rst black baseball player could ex- since the Civil War.” Robinson was, in
of the day. “Let them play in their own pect. Then Rickey asked him to prom- Will’s words, “the fuse that lit the fire.”
Negro leagues,” he said—and they did. ise not to fight back. For this chance, Robinson died in 1972, at fifty-three,
But after Landis died, in 1944, the Robinson said he would take what was ravaged by heart disease and nearly
owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch coming. He signed a contact in 1946 to blind, but he still possessed the intensity
Rickey, felt it was time to make base- play with the top Dodgers farm team, in that changed baseball and America for-
ball truly an all-American game. After Montreal. Playing second base, Jackie ever. Shortly before his death, he threw
succeeding Landis, Albert “Happy” had an MVP season, leading his team to out the fi rst ball at a World Series game
Chandler, an easy-going Kentucky sena- the International League championship. and spoke his mind: “I’d like to live to see
tor, was asked for his position on blacks Robinson went to spring training with a black manager. I’d like to live to see the
in pro ball. He replied: “If they can fight the Dodgers in 1947 and put on a daz- day when there’s a black man coaching
and die on the beaches of Okinawa, they zling exhibition of hitting and running. at third base.” In 1975, Frank Robinson
can play in the major leagues.” Rickey’s He was the fi rst Rookie of the Year and broke down that door; others once out-
scouts hit the road. by 1949 the Most Valuable Player in the side are still coming in.
Everything in Robinson’s life had National League. When some of his own But would Robinson be satisfied? What
made him “the right man.” At UCLA, he teammates refused to play with him, would he say about the shrinking pres-
played six sports in addition to baseball. Rickey got rid of them. ence of African Americans in professional
He went into the Army, and fought seg- Robinson not only transformed base- baseball? Would he point out the irony of
regated busing in Fort Hood, Texas, for ball racially, he changed the fundamen- a Red Sox spring training roster without a
which he faced court martial and won. He tals of the game. He brought that unique single African American? Racial freedom
was proud of his race, proud of his coun- combination of speed, daring, and power for him would not have ended with the
try, and dead set against second-class that produced a more exciting brand of march at Selma, or an Obama election
citizenship. Rickey found him playing for baseball in the Negro leagues than was victory. For Jackie Robinson, there was
the Kansas City Monarchs, where he was seen in the majors. Willie Mays, Frank always one more battle to fight.
an in-your-face shortstop hell-bent on Robinson, and Henry Aaron all shocked
winning. He was articulate, handsome, baseball veterans when they came over DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF PROFESSOR GERALD GILL.

ILLUSTRATIONS: DAN PAGE s p r i n g 2 0 0 9 t u f t s m ag a z i n e 3 9



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experience “I FLUNKED OUT OF AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN ”
SPRING 2009

Create multiple experiences 80 george street
MAGAZINE

medford, ma 02155
http://go.tufts.edu/magazine

Not all people read the MAGAZINE See what’s
shaking in
Denial is
not a river
First in the
arts of his

same way San Fran
7
in Egypt
32
countrymen
45

An elephant’s faithful,
one hundred percent
22

SPARK
OF LIFE IF A NEWT CAN
REGROW A LIMB,
WHY CAN’T YOU?


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