One concept I found intriguing in Chapter 9 was the “Black Swan”phenomenon which the text states as a “rare, hard-to-predict, large-impact consequence that is beyond the realm of our normal expectations”(pg. 149). This caught my attention because I recently saw the film “Black Swan”with Natalie Portman but I didn't quite understand the reasoning behind the movie. After reading the concept of this phenomenon, it made much more sense. The book mentions that the term Black Swan comes from the assumption that all swans are white. This idea is also portrayed in the film (*spoiler alert*) when Natalie Portman's character is auditioning for the role of the lead swan in the ballet Swan Lake. Although her character can play the white swan perfectly, she cannot seem to play the role of the black swan because she is not considering both sides of the role. In short, the text states that we must take into consideration both the positive and negative possibilities when making decisions this way we are more likely to make better decisions when considering all possible outcomes.
I watched part of Black Swan, and I remember wondering why the movie was called that. I can see why when making a decision it is important to consider the negative and positive, because a little bit of happiness can lead to a lot of problems. Take for example when unprepared couples decide to have unprotected sex, and they find out they are pregnant. Was the couple of minutes of pleasure really worth the responsibility they might be ready for? Or is sleeping that extra five minutes really worth spending through traffic and risk getting a ticket? Think about the positive and negative consequences!
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