PRINT-The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time but have just gotten around to it recently. It is a quality read.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is about social epidemics. It is about how little things make a huge difference. Gladwell explains the Broken Windows theory and how cleaning up the subways in NYC lead to a dramatic decline in crime rates. Galdwell goes on to talk about Sesame Street and Blue's Clues and a thing called "stickiness."

Gladwell's theories are fascinating. They are also useless. The Tipping Point is very descriptive but poor in a prescriptive sense. The reality is that a lot of things make sense in hindsight, and Gladwell does a good job of explaining why these things happened. But if you are trying to duplicate the tipping point effect, good luck. I doubt you will pull it off.

The reality is that society and human beings are complex. It is virtually impossible to figure out what they will like or choose in foresight. Reading a book by Taleb helps to take what Gladwell says with a grain of salt.

Finally, Gladwell could have it all wrong. Trying to explain the why of social epidemics is fraught with all sorts of complications. For instance, certain economists say that the reason crime has declined is because of a decline in the birth rate of fucktards since Roe v. Wade. Who is correct?

My personal belief falls along the lines of the thesis proffered by economist F.A. Hayek. You can't figure this shit out. Nobody can figure out the public. I'm still trying to figure out why Titanic became the biggest movie of all time. Then, there is Harry Potter which I like but can't understand why everyone else likes those books so much. It is just one of those things.

Ultimately, there is no accounting for taste. Humanity is so complex as to be utterly random. The downside of this knowledge is that you aren't going to be able to control the public. The upside is that positive social epidemics can, do, and will take place. This is is why The Tipping Point matters. It is why I will cling to my outsider viewpoints. You never know when people will come over to your side. It happens just like that which explains the matchstick on the cover of the book.

The Tipping Point is definitely worth reading. Just don't think it is a magic bullet for starting your own social epidemic.

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