[jazusamo]

*PING*
Thomas Sowell

Recent columns
Random Thoughts
Another Great Depression?
Postponing Reality

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[SMCC1]

I had to read Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point” for a class. He also came and gave a lecture. Interesting guy.

[bubman]

bump

[Praxeologue]

I’ve just finished the book. I was astounded that a New Yorker staffer could write 295 pages while only revealing socialist viewpoints obliquely a couple of times. It is an excellent book. I plan to read his earlier works.

[bluerose]

Thanks for the ping. Looks like an interesting book.

[tarheelswamprat]

"Outliers" are not politicians who lie even more than other politicians.

No, those would be "out and out liars"... /g

[GOPJ]

A lot could be done to support and expand such schools. But a crucial factor in the success of the KIPP schools is a commitment by the students and their parents to a demanding educational program. No politician or bureaucrat can create that.

Sowell's right (as usual) - but a stage can be set...

[oldbrowser]

If enough people read and ponder the implications of "Outliers," perhaps that can help begin the much needed process of turning around current counterproductive attitudes toward education and toward life.

They key is attitudes. Over Christmas I attended a large get together and had a conversation with a 13 year old boy. He was telling me how his older brother (16), had just dropped out of school to get a job.

I told him his brother, with no education, risked being stuck in a low wage job for the rest of his life.

His response, "Edumuckashun is only important if you are going on to college. Regular working class people learn their job skills at work or can go to night school if they start to move up in the company."

[avenir]

“...outliers—are not simply a matter of personal merit but come out of a background of special circumstances that enable outstanding individual ability to lead to performances far beyond the norm.”

Everyone has many people to thank for paving their road of success. Outliers wouldn’t be outliers, though, if they were lazy and thumbed their nose at their heritage.