Real Talk

Peace and Blessings,

As someone who has been in school for about 18 years now, and will be in school for at least four more, I have come to the realization that I love learning and being exposed to different ways of viewing the world. As long as I can remember, I have always felt comfortable in a school setting and/or a class environment. While reflecting on my own learning experiences, I have noticed that many of my most enriching educational experiences inside and outside of the classroom have come during times when I am exposed to and/or engaging ways of viewing the world that are different than my own. Underlying my preference for learning about different viewpoints is the fact that I am the type of person who always tries to make connections between different ideas, behaviors, and experiences. That is why I really enjoyed reading Malcolm Gladwell's (2000, 2002) "The Tipping Point."

To my understanding, "The Tipping Point" operates on the premise that there is a connection between biological or medical epidemics, and what he calls "social epidemics." In particular, he argues that just as diseases can spread primarily though irrational events and occurrences, or through a few key players (e.g. people with AIDS who sleep with and infect large multiples of people), social epidemics such as fashion, smoking, and suicide trends (just to name a few) can spread in the same way. Now even with all of my psuedo (or not so psuedo)-conspiracy theories about how everything's connected, even I thought his argument that social epidemics spread similarly to biological/medical epidemics was a stretch. And although there are some aspects of his argument that I disagree with, I think that he raises some very thought-provoking points about a variety of social phenomena that we should pay attention to.

Although he starts of the book drawing connections between biological/medical epidemics and social epidemics, the book focuses on analyses and explanations of the latter. Because he situates all human phenomena within a social context, he argues that social epidemics are primarily the result of the actions of three types of people: Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. Connectors are people who are well - connected such that they know tons of people. Connectors tend to have a gift for attracting (not in a romantic way) and maintaining connections with people. Mavens are the people who like to learn about and teach people things. As a result, they are very knowledgeable about many things. They are the type of people who always want to share information with other people. Lastly, Salesmen are the people with the mouthpiece. In other words, they are the people who have a gift for persuading others to believe or do something. According to Gladwell, these three types of people are the most important in spreading a social epidemic. The Connectors get everyone together, Mavens provide them with the information, and the Salesmen persuades them to "get on board" with the movement.

In the first part of my take on Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point," I wanted to highlight some of the major parts of his argument. In the second part, I will try to identify some connections between some of his ideas, and the distribution and uses of spiritual gifts that God bestows upon us. If you've read the book, what is your take on it? If you haven't read the book, what are your thoughts on my brief summary? Stay blessed and encoraged, and speekonit...

Labels: AIDS, biological, connections, epidemics, Gladwell, medical, movement, social, Tipping Point

Peace and blessings,


"THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound,"

- Isaiah 61:1 (NKJ AMP)

Out of all of of the justice fighters that are recognized within the U.S. as well as internationally, MLK, through his sermons, speeches, and activism is one of the most widely known and referenced. He was someone who embodied the type of love for and activism on behalf of others mentioned in this scripture. Despite the many issues he addressed and methods he used to address them, it is interesting how mainstream media has "selective memory" in terms of determining which aspects of MLK's activism to emphasize, and which aspects to downplay or even negelct. We are constantly told of the movement he helped lead in the name of achieving racial harmony. However, we are less often reminded of his concerns for the poor. We are often told of his dream of black and white children playing together in a racist-free climate. However, we are told less often about his discontent with the economic and political decisions made by those in power that are to the detrimental of the powerless. Despite the various ways in which MLK's life and service is celebrated, there still appears to be

a signifacnt aspect of MLK's life that does not get much attention.

Towards the last few years of his life, he seeemed to experiene a shift from focusing primarily with race relations to focusing on class divisions as well. In addition, he was more critical of the U.S.' capitalism as well as

the Vietnam war.

What do you think? How do you remember the life and service of MLK? Are there any aspects of MLK's life that are not adequately addressed in textbooks or in the media? Weigh in and speekonit...

Labels: activism, attention, capitalism, economic, Isaiah, love, mainstream, media, MLK, movement, political, race relations, sermons, U.S., Vietnam war