Outliers presents the numbers

[katestine]

I'm glad to see Outliers at the top of the best seller list, bc it's so un-PC, I didn't think it could be. I don't understand how you can talk about it, without sounding elitist, racist, or both. It's also the most anti-libertarian book I've ever read, bc the premise of the book is that extraordinary success comes not as a result of hard work,

Comments

[jadia]

So why does he claim that Asians will always be better at math?

[saintswife]

http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/outliers_excerpt3.html

Here you go.

[kathryntact]

Eh. I don't know if I agree with the premise about it being all gravy beyond 130.

But now I want to read this book. Barnes and Noble, here I come.

[katestine]

Eh. I don't know if I agree with the premise about it being all gravy beyond 130.

Oh?

[kathryntact]

Well. My IQ is above 130. Not MENSA, mind you, but not 131 either.

But my lack of motivation tends to cancel out what good it does me. I've always looked at an IQ as more a measurement of potential, not a point by point guide of actuality.

[katestine]

Ding ding ding! This is EXACTLY the point of that chapter: with 130+, you have the potential to be able to understand most grad school work, but since your background didn't orient you towards, just as an example, spending all your days and nights programming computers, you're not Bill Gates. (also, the book claims you were born too late to be Bill Gates, but that's another matter.) A high enough IQ gets you in the door - what you do with it depends on your personality and social abilities.

The example Gladwell uses of a guy with an IQ 30% higher than Einstein's, who read philosophy and math for fun in hs, but bc his single-mom didn't know how to fill out FAFSA, never finished college and can't get his original research published as a result.

[saintswife]

I'm halfway through, but not to the corn/wheat/rice part yet.

I read the chinese and math part off his website - he has a couple of short excerpts there.

Really liked the part about what word offends 20 year old men in the south. Having been raised there it was all so true.

[katestine]

Really liked the part about what word offends 20 year old men in the south. Having been raised there it was all so true.

Nice to get confirmation on that.

[thewronghands]

As a Southerner, can you give me a hint, or do I have to go read the book?

[saintswife]

Here you go

http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/outliers_excerpt2.html