Are You an Outlier?

The book "Outliers: The Story of Success" affirms assumptions I’ve long held based on over a half-century of living on the fringes of mainstream culture. At its core it shatters America’s deeply-rooted cultural message that anyone can make it on his or her own as long as they try hard enough.

Thank God for myth busters. How does Outliers shatter these myths? By documenting the ways in which those who succeed are supported by much more than mere intelligence, ingenuity, or intrepidity. Outliers’ author, Malcolm Gladwell, shows us, through a variety of studies and a wealth of philosophical approaches that those who succeed often do so because they are supported by hidden advantages and, in some cases, indescribable timing, no matter how much the status quo would like us to believe otherwise.

It’s a radical concept. For, if those of us without money, access, time, and networks of connection could actually identify the inadvertent and subtle agreements we’ve made to accommodate those in powerful and privileged positions, we might decide to stop supporting the system … a system that is designed to continually provide opportunities for those who already live lives of privilege and affluence.

Yes, America is the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. But the citizens who are free and brave are not those who live in poverty, or those who reside in rural areas, or even those who attend public schools or publicly-funded colleges and universities. No. The Free and Brave are people who inherited money from ancestors, who live close to resources that improve their chances to learn and thrive, or who were born at the right time and under the right circumstances. Or even more fantastical, they were born in the right month or year!

Our Land of Opportunity provides supportive options to those who already live privileged lives. But far less is offered to the rest of the population who require the basics for survival: affordable housing, food, clothing, a living-wage or even, a job. Our American value system continually reminds us that we don’t want to live in a welfare state therefore we should expect every person to support and care for themselves! Of course, we don’t call it socialism or welfare when our monies (i.e., taxes) financially support and encourage big business, banking, the pharmaceutical industry, the Big Three Auto Makers, etc. ad nauseam.

As long as we believe—privileged and underprivileged alike—that what we accomplish in life is totally up to us and has little or nothing to do with our families, communities, financial backing, schooling and free time, then we will continue to perpetuate America’s myth of opportunity for all. And, while the millionaires seek to become the next billionaires—for it seems that human beings are never satisfied, never have enough—the middle class continues to fall further into the bottomless pit of life as it is. My friend, Florence, puts it simply: “The rich get richer and the poor grow in numbers.”

Still, writes Gladwell, we can apply ourselves. If we use what Gladwell calls the 10,000 hour rule, in which we dedicate a minimum of 10,000 hours in our teen years and early 20s to a well-loved vocation or avocation then, perhaps, we can create successful careers and reap financial rewards. (Again, the expectation is that as children and young adults we have the time, money, and resources to pursue personal goals.)

I have yet to finish reading Outliers but I appreciate the opportunity Gladwell offers us to think in larger terms than what is currently accepted. If we look beyond what we read in the newspapers, see on TV, or find on the internet, we may find that our world offers far more support for the success of a few than for the achievements of the many. What does this mean for the future of us all?