In honor of Father’s Day, I thought I’d start publishing some of the emails I am sending to my son. I welcome any responses from my “blog children” if you want to get in on the vilification of media icons.
Letter one:
Hi Son,
I’m sorry to have to down somebody you perhaps may find interesting, but this Gladwell fellow is really not an academic scholar. He is one of the many commercial panderers to the masses that I really despise. Why? Because, quite often, one of my students will reference such schlock (good Yiddish expression I’ve learned!) in their research papers, and I’ll have to go into the lecture #256 that I am now giving you.
However, since you are a college graduate, I’ll let you first tell me why you think he is not a sound research “scientist.” Give me concrete examples from his work and then explain why they are not adequately supported. I was able to buy a .PDF of his work on Outliers, so I can cite you examples verbatim if you can’t provide any. If you can’t give me any reasons and examples, I will show you why he is not accepted by serious scholars.
Perhaps he believes if he wears his hair like Albert Einstein that people will think he’s a scientist? Who knows? I just know he’s getting paid mucho dinero by a huge conglomerate who loves anything written that will sell cigarettes, high fat foods and any other products they have out in the killing fields (um, the supermarkets, of America).
I’m reading a guy named George Saunders. He does not pretend to be an academic scientist (he’s actually a Geophysicist). He’s just a lot of fun!
Love,
Dad
Filed under: Business, Current Events | Tagged: academic, Father's Day, Fathers and sons, learning, Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers, research, teaching
