The Tipping Point Revisited

Let me ask you this– Where were you and what were you doing 25 years ago this time of year? That would have been the year 2000. It was the year that Malcolm Gladwell published his well-known book The Tipping Point. This book made quite a splash and catapulted Gladwell to fame as a writer. The phrase ‘the tipping point’ became part of our everyday vernacular. Other theories of Gladwell’s have also endured, such as the 10,000 hours of practice and the art of thin-slicing.

Malcolm Gladwell has become something of a cultural phenomenon. He was born in England and grew up in Canada. Starting his career as a journalist, he now has a long list of best sellers and a new podcast. In the new book, Gladwell talks about not only one tipping point, but a series of circumstances that together lead to the event or the situation. Something that came to my mind is the recent storm that devastated parts of Western North Carolina and parts of South Carolina and Tennessee. Meteorologist, once they recovered from the shock, explained how several factors collided to cause the enormous flooding and loss of life that occurred there.

Malcolm Gladwell is not exactly an expert in anything nor does he conduct totally scientific research. It is his examples and stories that lend authenticity to his ideas and make the reader think. Now that he is older and has children of his own, he admits that he has missed the mark on several things he claimed to be truths. Nevertheless, he is quoted often and freely. My favorite quote of his is, “Consistency is the most overrated of all human virutes…I’m someone who changes his mind all the time.”

Maybe you will give the Revenge of the Tipping Point to someone as a Christmas gift!! Reviews mention that the book is better listened to than read.