Outliers by Gladwell: Identity, Race, and Success Lens

Introduction: The Gladwellian Lens and Personal Identity

Success requires hard work, focus, innovation, persistence, and passion — yet those characteristics alone are not always deemed sufficient for a person to prevail. Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success argues that the brightest people become successful not only because of their skills and capabilities, but also because of the opportunities, cultural legacies, social conditions, and circumstantial patterns that prove conducive to their success. This paper aims to reflect on my own heritage, identity, strengths, and weaknesses through the "Gladwellian" lens, highlighting the extent to which Gladwell's theory fits into a broader definition of success.

Opportunity, Religion, and Race in Education

I belong to the Christian religion, and my cultural background is that of Black origin. When Gladwell narrated the story of Joe Flom — a Jewish man whose background became an opportunity for him to become a successful lawyer in New York City — the author described Flom's presence on Wall Street and his unapologetic attitude: being Jewish, overweight, a smoker, and unbothered by social niceties, much like the lawyers who feel no remorse when they hurt someone's sentiments in order to win a case (Gladwell, 2008).

I believe that my being Christian is an opportunity in itself, since most schools in the United States cater to Christian students, of which I am one, and employ a majority of White teachers (Riser-Kositsky, 2019). If I choose to enter the education sector, obtaining employment would likely be less difficult for me compared to members of some other ethnicities, which could contribute to my success in that career. However, being Black raises a separate and more complex set of considerations, which are addressed in the sections below.

As Gladwell illustrates, the role of opportunity is central to the success of outliers. For instance, the Canadian Hockey League, as described in his book, is comprised of the youngest players in Canada who have access to more playing time and higher-quality coaching at an early age. By the time they mature and reach the top league, they are already well trained (Gladwell, 2008). By contrast, as a Black person, I may be deprived of certain opportunities in the education sector due to racial discrimination. People of color frequently face systemic barriers, and I might find it more difficult to establish myself in this career as a result (Austin et al., 2019).

Research confirms that early African-American educators, for example, are 50% more likely to live in poverty conditions than their White colleagues, as racial wage disparity within this workforce is well documented (Austin et al., 2019). This suggests that White professionals benefit from entrenched circumstantial advantages that afford them greater opportunities to flourish in the education sector, leaving Black educators like me with comparatively fewer pathways to success.

Social Conditions and the Achievement Gap

Social conditions also play an integral role in a person's success. Gladwell's book illustrates this through KIPP's math test scores in public schools, comparing results among low-, middle-, and high-income students. It was clear that disadvantaged, low-income students did not possess the same opportunities to develop skills as those from more privileged backgrounds (Gladwell, 2008). They cannot be expected to perform at the level of other groups when the school system itself fails to invest equitably in poor students. Those belonging to higher social classes have the power and financial means to access better schooling.

In the same way, a student who attends a top-tier college or university and receives a high-quality degree is far more likely to obtain high-standard employment in the education sector. The achievement gap is pronounced for those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, whose circumstances do not allow them to access the caliber of education available to children from wealthier families who can afford expensive schools.

This attainment gap is evident from the earliest years of a child's education. A cohort study of Kindergarten children from low and high socioeconomic classes, based on their parents' income and occupational status, found that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds scored lower on reading, mathematics, and behavioral measures of self-control and approaches to learning — including focus, task completion, curiosity, innovation, and persistence (Garcia & Weiss, 2017).

References

Austin, L.J.E., Edwards, B., Chavez, R., & Whitebook, M. (2019). Racial wage gaps in early education employment. CSCCE. https://cscce.berkeley.edu/racial-wage-gaps-in-early-education-employment/

Garcia, E., & Weiss, E. (2017, September 27). Reducing and averting achievement gaps. Economic Policy Institute.

Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success. Back Bay Books.

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Kaufman, S.B. (2018, March 1). The role of luck in life success is far greater than we realized. Scientific American. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/the-role-of-luck-in-life-success-is-far-greater-than-we-realized/

Riser-Kositsky, M. (2019, January 3). Education statistics: Facts about American schools. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/education-statistics-facts-about-american-schools/2019/01

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