TOW #19 (IRB)- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

In the eyes of author Malcolm Gladwell, those exponentially more successful in life than the average human being are defined as “outliers.” Although in today’s society, what does it mean to be successful and how does one achieve success? Common societal beliefs say that those who work harder than their peers to achieve their goals are the ones ultimately become successful. In contrast to such beliefs, in his book, Outliers, Gladwell argues that some people within society may be given “unfair” advantages in life and are more likely to become successful. In addition to the talent and intelligence commonly thought to be necessary for success, those who have achieved success are often unknowingly subject to cultural and societal opportunities that give them an advantage over others, which Gladwell effectively argues with the use of very specific examples.

           

            In his first example, Gladwell analyzes the lifestyle of the small, close-knit town of Roseto, Pennsylvania. Roseto is not known for much, but many people argue that, in a way, they are successful because of the very low rate of heart disease among the citizens of Roseto. The vast majority of its citizens emigrated from the same town in Italy, and the town of Roseto was founded based on the same traditions that they had in Italy. Over the years, their traditions have remained the same, and the people of Roseto have grown very close and supportive of each other. This may not seem like a definitive advantage, but history have proven that this community has remained far healthier than a majority of towns across the US.

           

            In addition to Roseto, Gladwell does in depth to analyze a youth team in the Canadian Hockey League. The members of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who recently won their league championship, all have something in common that sets them apart from the other teams in the league. A large number of the players on the team were born in the months of January, February, March, and April. In a league where the age cut off is January 1^st, it is a clear advantage to have older players. Although the difference in age is only a few months, this gives the players on the Medicine Hate Tigers a noticeable size and strength advantage over their opponents. Because they grow earlier and are physically dominant, many of the Tigers’ players were able to make other elite hockey teams and play in better tournaments. These experiences further lead to their development as hockey players and set them apart from others in the Canadian youth hockey league.