Economic Analysis of Social Issues 1st Edition by Alan Grant

Exercise 1

[Related to Application 12.2 on page 234] In 2011, Simone Back posted a suicide message on Facebook. The January 5, 2011, issue of The Guardian reports that of her 1,048 Facebook friends, "no one who lived nearby contacted police or sought her out in time to save her." Instead, Facebook friends commented that Back was "a liar" and that "she does it [takes all her pills] all the time." 14 It was only the next day that a Facebook user texted Back's mother about the suicide status; by then it was too late. Use the material in this chapter to explain why Back's cry for help was ignored. Then compare and contrast this situation to the discussion of Bill Nye in Application 12.2.