Outliers Essay

CJ Reid
1/17/18
Roseto is both a city in the outskirts of Pennsylvania and a representative
of the influence of culture, isolation, and sociality on a society. Throughout the
late 1800’s thousands of people immigrated from the city of Roseto in Italy to
America in hopes of a better life; a large portion of which ended up in the recently
erected town of Roseto, Pennsylvania.
As a result of the political tensions between the English, Welsh, and
German peoples in neighboring towns, Roseto became extraordinarily isolated;
this, paired with the unavailability of communication technology at the time, led to
a large disconnect from the ‘outside world’. While the citizens focused on the
farming, building, and innovating necessary for their town to thrive, the they
attracted an eager physician named Stewart Wolf. With the intent of finding the
medical and physiological backing behind a lack of heart disease in Roseto, he
began his work.
After an in-depth analysis of the medical records belonging to the
residents, Wolf found that there was no presence of suicide, alcoholism, drug
addiction, or welfare. In addition, there was very little crime, a 50% decrease of
heart-related deaths in people over 55, and a 30-35% decrease in the overall
death rate compared to other citizens in the US. After inspecting the impact of
dieting, exercise, genetics, and location on the citizens he found that there were
no correlations between the medical science and physiological statistics that
were present; only after exhausting all other explanations, he began to think as a
sociologist. Wolf finally took a step back to look at the social interactions between
the inhabitants and he saw neighbors stopping in the street for a conversation,
he saw friends brought together at the church, he saw generations of history and
culture. It wasn’t the exercise or food choices that set them apart, it was the
untouched culture and socialization present that set them apart.
The isolation of Roseto prevented the influence of opposing viewpoints
and lifestyles on the society. Rosetans never knew anything outside of Roseto—
they couldn’t pick up other ways of living or ‘bad’ social habits because of the
lack of interaction with other cultures; it served as a protective barrier for their
society.
Due to the close proximity to English, Welsh, and German societies, the
political unrest further increased the isolation of Roseto. The time period also
played a part in the abnormal diversification because of the lack of widespread
communication.
As a society, I don’t think we’re aware of the minor choices we make
every day; it becomes a reflex. When I know the answer to a question in class, it
doesn’t really occur to me that there’s any other option other than to raise my
hand and answer; I didn’t know I was choosing to answer the question over
sitting silently, I was just doing what I’ve always done. The same can be applied
to the citizens of Roseto. They didn’t choose to talk to their neighbors, or to
continue the generational household meals, or to remain humble through
victories and persistent through failures; it was all the’ve ever known.
Lehi, just like Roseto, is very isolated culturally. With an overwhelming
religious, racial, and political consistency, I’m lucky to have the opportunity to
travel and experience other societies and cultural influences. Without an external
influence, I believe the sheltered surroundings present could inadequately
prepare high schoolers for the ‘outside’ world.
Stewart Wolf wanted to find the sociological backing behind the stereotype
“there [are] no heart attacks in Roseto”. He wanted to find the truth behind a
generalized statement of a group of people which is the main job of a sociologist.
Wolf concluded that the interactions of the individuals within a society, when
viewed as a whole, had a large impact on the overall health of the town; this is an
example of a macro-level symbolic interaction theory.