Outliers Powerpoint #4

1. OutliersPowerpoint #4 Daniel Toro AP English Language

2. Part 1 Gladwell begins the second part of the novel by recounting a series of events that led to airplane crashes in Korean airlines. After analyzing the factors, Gladwell concludes that there was unclear communication between differently ranked officers. He even argues that “planes are safer when the least experienced pilot is flying, because it means that the second pilot isn´t going to be afraid to speak up.” Thus, he concludes that certain societies discourage assertive communication as a result of respect and hierarchy. In my experience as a Colombian studying at an American school, I can vouch for this. Students at other schools are afraid to speak up and propose alternatives, intimidated by older people. This results in a lack of innovation and entrepreneurship, which greatly hinders progress. Thus, cultural factors play a big role in the outcome of high-risk scenarios.

3. Gladwell continues to talk about cultural influences in the behaviors of individuals, and discusses the “power distance scale,” which measures the attitude towards other that hold a higher position that us: our bosses, leaders, and plane captains. Surprisingly, he mentions Colombians as the extreme of the power distance scale. Of the Colombian second officers, he explains that they “may have been waiting for the captain to make decisions, but still may have been unwilling to propose alternatives.” A Colombian myself, I agree with Gladwell. Starting in school, Colombians are taught to wait for others to lead, to hide their disagreement, and to think very systematically and not very creatively, qualities necessary to propose thoughtful alternatives.

4. Part 2 Gladwell begins this chapter by discussing the seemingly superior math skills of Asians. Intrigued by their outstanding results, Gladwell attempts to arrive at the cause of such dexterity. He finds that Asian languages have shorter words for the numbers and, taking phone numbers as an example, “their language allows them to fit all those seven numbers into two seconds.” As a result, they are comfortable working with numbers and manipulating large quantities in their heads. Although this has some influence, I think it is far from explaining Asian superiority in math. After all, the truly complicated mathematics processes are not about memory at all, but about interpretation and solving equations through creative and efficient methods. Thus, I doubt this results from a more concise language.

5. Finally, Gladwell arrives at determination as the factor from which Asian superiority stems. The Chinese, for example, have to nurture dedication and discipline in their kids if they are to take good care of the rice paddies. As Gladwell sees it, “ no one who can rise before dawn three hundred sixty days a year fails to make his family rich.” As a result of their discipline, Asians learn math with determination and, with time, become better math students. I agree with this proposal, for hard work often trumps skill. As we saw earlier in the novel, a factor that leads to success is the determination with which one pursues objectives, independent of the skill one has to achieve them. This also explains why Asian societies overcome problems rapidly, as is the case for the Japanese after the tsunami earlier this year.