To further clarify Chaos theory, the authors would like to illustrate 3
fairly clear cut examples how the theory can be applied to real life
society today. We shall look at UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, TIPPING POINTS, and PERFECT STORMS.

All are now common names for chaos theory applications.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

Lets assume that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and assassinated
President John F. Kennedy. We have also learned since those days years ago, that President Johnson thought that Castro had Kennedy killed and therefore had numerous agencies of the government and private sector “cover up” any possibility that anyone else was involved.

Shortly after Kennedy’s death, numerous actions were taken to suggest
that Oswald did the job alone. LBJ attempted to conduct such activities for a noble reason. He feared that there would be a third world war if Castro was attached to the murder. Numerous anecdotes can be summoned to suggest that the Commission on the Assassination and other related activities was less than candid and open.

Without wanting to, the assassination investigation did just the
opposite of what was intended. Although a war was avoid (an extremely important facet) few believed the report. Many flaws were noted and a vacuum was left for conspiracy theorists.

Thus, the report and the activities of the government shortly after the
Assassination ENCOURAGED the majority of the population to believe that more than one person was involved in the killing.

Chaos theory is rich with various plans that are put asunder by other
remote events. Thus, it is a possible that the flapping of the wings of a butterfly may cause a storm thousands of miles away.

TIPPING POINTS

For years, Conservatives argued that welfare essentially caused more
welfare. Further, this wing of American political spectrum generally
overlooked the success stories within the welfare system and the
environment that flavored individuals to choose to go on welfare.

Liberals on the other hand, appeared to be oblivious to a growing
number of welfare recipients and the moral calculus made by a number of women that the welfare system was a better choice than going to work, school, or related activities.

Along came President Bill Clinton, for whom people of color and
Liberals trusted. At times, Clinton was referred to as the Black president. In the mean time, numerous other events began to evolve that suggested the welfare system was not working. This included a number of women who pooled their children in one apartment in Chicago and left their kids in squalor and neglect. Further, PBS ran a series in which welfare fathers were interviewed and described fatherhood as a very infrequent and casual activity. Other news sources quickly followed with similar stories. Clinton had run on changing the system and when election of 96’ came he signed a welfare reform bill.

Instantly numerous states changed their systems so that recipients
could only have 2 to 5 years to get off the welfare rolls.

Further, once prosperous and somewhat generous middle class started
losing annual income in adjusted income from about 1980 to date. Many blue collar families lived in neighborhoods where welfare neighbors lived a much less stressful life than the working poor, blue collar, and middle income.

There was a Conservative ascendancy with globalization and the success of Proposition 13 in California in the late 70’s.

Crime was also rising in neighborhoods that no longer had active
involved fathers.

The family was changing all across the western world, and Americans
believed that welfare contributed to divorce. Although Blacks are
proportionally greater in number and over represented relative to welfare and crime, whites commit most of the crime and are more populated among welfare recipients. However, closet defacto racism had once again become popular, so the change in welfare was a popular one.

Further sex roles had changed and many women worked. Additionally,
birth control and family planning was no longer considered sinful. This also contributed to change.

Chaos theory calls this “crossing the bar.” Events build until there is
gradual change over time. It is evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
Attitudes and behaviors change. Once a new equilibrium occurs, there is
reduction in the conflict between feuding parties.

THE PERFECT STORM

There are strategic times in history that few of the generation in that
time period forget.

9/11 is one of those cases. By the fact, that a number like 9/11 can be
given without explanation is a powerful indicator of its importance.

It caused rapid and instant change. Let’s review some of the elements
that gave 9/11 its impact to cause a perfect storm.

1. America is a country that has not been truly attacked in over a 100 years. Where numerous other countries endure military coups or attacks from world wars, America has seen much of war from a distance.
2. The United States is the most powerful country in the world since the end of the cold war.
3. The States is highly technological so that an event can quickly be telecast to the rest of the world.
4. Technology if located strategically can record powerful events in real time. Further, once the event has been recorded, it can be replayed over and over.
5. Cable news can now provided news coverage, 24/7 365 days a year. Further, there is now a cottage industry of opinion makers who can instantly fill time with discussion and description of third historic event. Further, assistants can retrieve numerous additional information from search engines and network files to help fill time.
6. Additionally, other experts can quickly come on shows from direct or remote sites to comment or encourage citizen opinion of the event.
7. Both local and international rites of passage and other monuments of grief can be displayed and discussed.
8. National polls and local ones with demographic and psychographic breakdowns can be administered and reported to international audiences.
9. Legislation is quickly passed that shifts the public attention from other issues to war and security.
10. Social change unthinkable just a few hours before the attack on the pentagon and the twin towers are now not only possible, but probable.

Thus in terms of chaos theory, all the events taken together at the
right time and place can make social change possible. Using chaos
terminology, this is crossing the catastrophic fold. A major malfunction or disruption festers shortly and explodes into major social change.

Thus, we end with three examples of how chaos theory has practical
explanations for both ordinary and extraordinary events, and can caused
both rapid and casual change.

We believe that chaos theory will have numerous explanations and
compliment the meaning model, conflict model, and equilibrium model so very popular and necessary in social science today.