I just opened my internet browser, and on my Google News homepage, one of the articles caught my eye because of its direct correlation to our discussion today about how Americans idolize those who "pull themselves up by their bootstraps". The article, entitled The Self-Made Man a Myth?, describes the best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell's new book, where he explores the idea of the self-made man through methods of out-of the-box thinking. He come to a conclusion that such a man does not exist. After we described all the characteristics of self-made men in class today and even came up with a large list of specific people, I found Gladwell's argument difficult to believe. Although he give legitimate examples and supports them, I do not think his warrents as described in the article are strong enough to disprove the common-belief in the self-made man. To me, it almost sounds like he is supporting the characteristics we listed on the board today.
His claim for why certain people were able to achieve great things is because there are things "you simply can't control" such as "luck"that are major factors in determining if one is successful. He gives the example of Bill Gates, somebody who as a class we listed on the board as being a self-made man, among other CEOs of major companiesto be sucessful men he was born in 1955. According to Gladwell, this was the optimum year to be born. The reason these men are sucessful "is not a coincidence. It has to do with the fact that the personal computer revolution happens in 1975 when they were 20 years old and that is the perfect age to be confronted with a revolution. Right? You don't have a family or kids or a mortgage. Your mind is wide open. You've got nothing at stake in the existing order of things and you can embrace some new paradigm."
I agree with Gladwell that these men did have good circumstances for sucess, but I disagree that these are not self-made men. They still were hard working, determined, came from humble beginings, and were risk-takers, all characterics that they instilled in themselves that allowed them to achieve great things.
What is the true definition of the self-made man? Does the self-made exist? Do Gladwell's warrants validate his arguement?
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I would also have to disagree with Malcolm Gladwell. It is true that sometimes luck aids the path of the self-made man, but I don't believe it determines it. Bill Gates for example, may have been born at the right time, but he determined his destiny. There were plenty of twenty year old men living at the same time, but they didn't all find success. Gates was the man who founded Microsoft,prospered through hardwork and shear genius. He is rare, but he made himself.
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