Malcolm Gladwell and squandering talent

I love Malcolm Gladwell. Whether i agree with him or not, he's always got a way of forcing me to look at old problems from a new perspective.

In this video he touches on a topic that is near and dear to me. Talent. Not just brains, but talent. Talent at anything. Computer programming. Football. Stock trading. Whatever. In America we have a very simply method of discovering and exploiting human talent. I like the term YOYO. You're On Your Own. The only way to get good at something is to try, but you'd better not suck at it when you start. We want instant results. Meaning NOW. There is no patience for allowing someone to grow a skill. If you can't beat the other kids your first time out then you "Suck." We do this all over the place, with all kinds of things. Academic pursuits. Sports pursuits. Certainly occupations.

I think the rest of the world sees us as lazy because of this. It's the stereotype, right? Fat, lazy Americans always wanting something for nothing and too impatient to wait for the really good stuff. I don't think that's really the right answer. We aren't lazy. We work damned hard. I don't have the statistics on hand, but Americans work harder than our European counterparts and nearly as hard as our Japanese counterparts. We bust our asses! And I don't think we're necessarily impatient. We're willing to wait for the 401k payoff to retire. We're not all slavering for the winning lottery ticket all the time.

I think the problem, when it comes to nurturing a skill in ourselves or our children, is two-fold. Firstly, we don't know. We don't know that it takes a LONG time to develop a skill at anything. It takes us months to learn how to tie shoes, and we expect people to learn a job in 90 days and ROCK at it! That sort of attitude is contagious and toxic. I don't think it's rooted in impatience (except on the part of shareholders). I think it's rooted in ignorance. The second problem is related to the first. We don't give a fuck. America is really sliding into this Social-Darwinist, Law of the Jungle, Dog Eat Dog, Survival of the Fittest sort of cultural grudge match. If you're "meant" to be a oncologist, then you'll do what it takes to be one no matter what your circumstances. If you fall flat, then it's your fault. You should have worked harder, and it ain't nobody's problem but your own. Horatio Alger, Ra Ra Sis Boom Ba.

This whole Don't Know Don't Care attitude is rooted in so much sickening cynicism that it's difficult to even contemplate. Even when it tries to be positive, like every time someone's told you, "I'm sure you'll figure it out" it still smacks of negativity. "I'm sure you'll figure it out" has "on your own" left implied but still there. It screams, "I've got better things to do than give a shit about other people's problems." But there's a flip side. How many people's lives have to be wasted reinventing the mousetraps of life "on their own," and how many doctors, scientists, and engineers do we have to see waste away as waiters, cashiers, and dishwashers before we realize that there's a better way? And it's not that complicated really.

It's called giving a shit.

Not made in America.