For the first unit of Art Two, I was assigned an observation project. So, I decided to set out a bowl of candy with a sign reading,"Take one! Have a sweet day!' on a fountain near our local Moe's to see people's reactions. Almost immediately the bowl grabbed people's attention; several kids picked up the bowl only to set it back down on their parents' insistence.
After some time, a group of kids approached the bowl and they took the bait.
Successful, I decided to leave the bowl for people to enjoy. Although, this begs the question, why didn't people take the candy earlier and why were parents so cautious towards individually wrapped sugary confections? I believe I have the answer. In 1982, a series of murders in Chicago rocked the country; these random killings are known as the Chicago Tylenol Murders or TYMURS by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The murders were a series of random and intentional poisoning deaths of victims who had taken Tylenol. At the time, Tylenol was made into capsules, which are easy to tamper with. The killer opened the capsules and laced them with Cyanide and put them back on the shelf, killing whomever took the pill. These random killings are unsolved to this day, although, the FDA changed their standards and the government implemented anti-tampering laws. The hysteria during these killings had a lasting effect- parents would check any package for holes and rips and now everything has to be individually wrapped and unharmed to ensure safety. The parents were cautious of the candy due to the lasting effects of TYMURS, but the kids succumb to peer pressure. So, would you take the candy or just leave it in the bowl?