Good instincts help snap judgments CITY Edition

I'll draw from [Malcolm Gladwell]'s own examples. He opens with the captivating story of a purported ancient Greek statue known as a kouros that was offered to the Getty Museum for $10 million. That's what was missing, Gladwell points out, in discussing what he calls "the Warren...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNewsday
Main Author JANE EISNER. Jane R. Eisner is a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where this first appeared
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Long Island, N.Y Newsday LLC 26.01.2005
EditionCombined editions
Subjects
Gladwell, Malcolm
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Summary:I'll draw from [Malcolm Gladwell]'s own examples. He opens with the captivating story of a purported ancient Greek statue known as a kouros that was offered to the Getty Museum for $10 million. That's what was missing, Gladwell points out, in discussing what he calls "the Warren Harding error" - or why mediocre men sometimes rise to the very top, as Harding did, only to become, in his case, one of our worst presidents ever. (Answer: They are tall, dark and handsome, and look presidential.) Snap judgments often provide the foundation for the worst of mankind's prejudices and stereotypes, as Gladwell himself proved in recounting the results of a well-known test that measures racial attitudes on an unconscious level. It turns out that 80 percent of all those who have ever taken the test have pro-white (and antiblack) associations - including Gladwell, who happens to be half- black.