tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post2375488525382076235..comments2024-03-19T01:19:55.789-05:00Comments on Cultural Front: Accumulative Advantages & OutliersH. Rambsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862209871277442972noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-61222437561365027682011-09-28T18:20:33.130-05:002011-09-28T18:20:33.130-05:00The idea of accumulative advantage makes sense. A ...The idea of accumulative advantage makes sense. A friend of mine was born so late in the summer, that she started school on her fifth birthday. Throughout the year, the other students were turning six. This trend continued on during the crucial years of brain development. This puts her almost a year behind the rest of her classmates. This was a major disadvantage for her in sports and in the classroom. <br />On the other hand, with hard work, a child can overcome the disadvantages.Justin Smithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-70469007382327596792011-09-25T20:20:06.393-05:002011-09-25T20:20:06.393-05:00I think accumulative advantage, as unfair as it ma...I think accumulative advantage, as unfair as it may be to a select group of people, can be a beneficial discovery overall. Children born earliest in the year, have a greater advantage over children born later in that same year. They are smarter, more mature, and can advance their abilities sooner than other children.Rachael Obehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00855589664684813143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-27657555549299819072011-09-25T17:05:41.166-05:002011-09-25T17:05:41.166-05:00I believe that there is not an accumulative advant...I believe that there is not an accumulative advantage per se because everyone is born with their own particular talent. I do not feel that nessicarly the older someone is makes them better. People grow and mature around their own enviromanet for example kids with parents in the military have different expirences then those born and raised in a small town Thus their outlook is affected greatly. Where accumulative advantage may come into play is with exposure in a particualr environment. For example, kids raised in a neighborhood where baseball is a domiant sprt tend to suceed in playing baseball. Depending on where the university is some may nuture extreme veiws pertaining certaint topics.Shauntay C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-36294530980718314212011-09-25T10:57:57.341-05:002011-09-25T10:57:57.341-05:00I definitely think accumulative advantage is prese...I definitely think accumulative advantage is present in many different formats. From sports to school, older kids usually have the advantage because they are more developed. I think we should take the advantage into consideration at schools like SIUE by making academic help available for everyone. If younger and older kids receive the same help then it will even the playing field.Ashley Rosalesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-176060130707538912011-09-24T21:59:09.417-05:002011-09-24T21:59:09.417-05:00The first idea that comes to my mind when I think ...The first idea that comes to my mind when I think of accumulative advantage is beginning your education. Children who are born within the early months of a given year are always able to start their education in advance to the children born in the laters months of a given year. Even though they are roughly the same age and have the same capacity to learn, the late births will never be able to have that advantage. I dont find accumulative advantage to be a form of inequality. I would suggest it to a variety of opportunity. Just because one may have an advantage in one form does mean that they have the upperhand in life. You may possess a different advantage that is equal or greater than theirs. At SUIe I have not found very many inequalities in educational opportunities. It is what the students do with their abilities that would suggest whether or not it is an advantage.Travontae Williamsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-70495289178813826802011-09-23T17:21:27.223-05:002011-09-23T17:21:27.223-05:00Accumulative advantage is a non factor in my eyes....Accumulative advantage is a non factor in my eyes. Although more hockey players born in the winter are better than those born in any other season; there are still hockey players born in other seasons that are just as good if not better. Therefore, I believe it is not an advantage you have that makes you better at whatever you are good at; it depends on your drive, dedication, and time you put into making yourself the best you can be in the field of your choice.Camille Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-35747914971342262012011-09-23T17:13:59.328-05:002011-09-23T17:13:59.328-05:00First and foremost i want to state that i found it...First and foremost i want to state that i found it interesting that it was implied that everyone has talent. It is shocking when YOu look at the examples of how not everyone gets the chance to show their talent because of problems that are beyond the control of the individual. How this could apply at SIUE is in sports. Simply being born in an earlier month gives one more time to devlop and hone their skills. Along those lines are maturity(both mental and physical) levels will vary among peers simply based on the fact that one has had more time to mature. This could affect school work and many other aspects of life such as academic sucess. If a prof. expects students to be at a certain level then it is putting a somewhat unfair disadvantge to those students born in the latter months.Sean Adamsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-60419749517082347142011-09-23T16:37:26.943-05:002011-09-23T16:37:26.943-05:00I think that not only hockey but any sport that it...I think that not only hockey but any sport that it is true having an earlier birthday do have an advantage. However, it could also be labeled as a disadvantage. The reason being, someone who is younger and plays against kids older do have a disadvantage. That is clear. But in their own way they have an advantage because they have room to challenge themselves. They are able to go against the bigger, stronger, and more mature person and truly see if they can over come the challenge. This goes the same for schooling. The ones who are thrown into the smarter, more mature group of kids are able to see what they can accomplish. When its all said and done, compared to the kids their own age and level of maturity they will stand out and be much more successful.Evan Lawlernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-18083073512188728202011-09-23T13:29:29.197-05:002011-09-23T13:29:29.197-05:00I find that it is not only interesting that this p...I find that it is not only interesting that this pattern exists, but that it effects nearly every form of competitive competition, from sports to school. The greatest surprise I thought was that students in the youngest group in their class are under-represented at colleges by 11.6%. This is a perfect example of just how much of a disadvantage one has if born at the end of the year.<br />In sports, it is much more obvious. Think about two 8-year olds, one born in January, the other in December of the same year, and how different they will be. The January born one will be taller, stronger, and more mentally mature then the December born one. If they were both playing soccer, coaches would naturally give the stronger one more attention and training then the weaker, younger one. <br />Given the disadvantage a child has simply because of when they were born, it takes considerably more talent and intelligence for a December born child to over come challenges that they will face in their life.<br /><br />Marta AMarta Ayelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00890869346697576190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-17802840109457018642011-09-22T22:16:37.382-05:002011-09-22T22:16:37.382-05:00I believe that Gladwell brought out so many great ...I believe that Gladwell brought out so many great cases as to why and how many of the the successful obtain success. In the first chapter of Outliers, Gladwell used an example of the hockey league and how the boys who were very successful tended to be older than the rest of the boys by almost a year. Therefore, the older boys were stronger, smarter, and more skillful than their opponents. <br /><br />Although the idea of accumulative avantage seems unfair, I do not believe that it is. It is just a way of life. I always try to remind myself, "What God has for me it is for me." As for accumulative advantages at SIUe, I more than positive that it occurs here. <br />Yasmyn K.Yasmyn K.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-82255645734992610522011-09-22T20:14:07.550-05:002011-09-22T20:14:07.550-05:00I feel that the workings of accumulative advantage...I feel that the workings of accumulative advantage are very unfair and skewed to favor a selective group of people than others. I believe that accumulative advantage doesn't have meaning especially if it denies or delays people from moving ahead. The birth dates of the hockey players is very good example to show that this advantage is wrong. The workings should be changed so that all people, whether gaining an education or playing sports, equally get a chance to be the best they can be while fairly competing with others<br /><br />Being a freshman on campus I do not know much about the school. As far as hidden systems of rewards or disadvantages that exist at universities like SIUE, I feel like those who oversee the school should make an effort to make sure that all have an equal chance and that one is better off than another.Zachary Kadirinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-69798947934647747392011-09-22T17:56:29.127-05:002011-09-22T17:56:29.127-05:00I believe that the more practiced you are in a are...I believe that the more practiced you are in a area the more strength you will gain and the better you will be. So I agree with that if you don't use it you lose it. This book opens up my eyes to see that everyone who is talented in something have been given a lot of opportunities and advantages as well. There are advantages to everything, here at SIUE it could be seen as an advantage to be a freshmen living in Evergreen due to the dorms filling up.Cornisha B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-72329419956494877162011-09-22T14:01:42.558-05:002011-09-22T14:01:42.558-05:00Gladwell made some interesting points about accumu...Gladwell made some interesting points about accumulative advantage but I feel with his hockey reference it seemed as if he tried to dim the light on how hard those kids had to work to be the best and focused on their age alone. In a university setting I feel everyone is on a different level coming in and I feel the university does its' best to make sure everyone succeeds by implimenting placement tests. Regardless of your background, no one can remain successful if they do not work hard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-85499718999091840612011-09-22T00:54:57.938-05:002011-09-22T00:54:57.938-05:00Gladwelll stressed a strong point about Accumlativ...Gladwelll stressed a strong point about Accumlative advantage. It seems to happen all the time in everday life. Cildren that did sports at a young age are more well-off than children who just started. People just are born into situations where they succeed others because their already established dominance. Overtime this just accumlates as the word accumlative advantage hints it. <br /><br /><br />Justin JonesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-5221335771694035702011-09-21T23:29:57.046-05:002011-09-21T23:29:57.046-05:00I found it interesting that the hockey players tha...I found it interesting that the hockey players that were born in the first three months of the year had a better advantage to be in the higher hockey leagues. It is not necessarily that the players born in January, February, or March were better at hockey. They were just put up against competition that was better than or just as good as them. If the players that were born in the later months of the year were put up against players with similar talent levels, then they would be more likely to end up on teams. Not only do the accumulative advantages exist in sports, they also exist in school too. Students that are older often had more success in school. When they started school they were more developed than the younger kids. So since they have been in school they have always been one step ahead of their peers. This could still exist in students at SIUE. The students with the birthdates closest to the cutoff are going to be ahead of other students because of when they started school years ago.<br /><br />Beau BBeau Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-1475738216541584342011-09-21T23:01:51.982-05:002011-09-21T23:01:51.982-05:00Accumulative advantages seems to be a problem when...Accumulative advantages seems to be a problem whenever there is an arbitrary cutoff for a certain event. It certainly is present in hockey, where older kids are bound to be better players due to their height and their strength, who then in turn get better training. It's unfair, and I think there are good ways around this.<br /><br />Accumulative advantages quite literally add up. The way to get past such an unbalanced event would be to, like the book suggested, divide the kids up into their respective age groups and birthday months. A separate league for every three months or so would strengthen the kids while making it fair. It would nearly even out everyone's chances at being a good hockey player. <br /><br />Such an advantage is most definitely present in college, but it is in the form of financial aid. Those who cannot get aid from the state and do not have enough money to pay for college themselves could be forced to work, which gives them less time for extracurricular events, and even less time for studying. This could also mean that they get worse grades or it could lead to them taking less than fifteen credit hours each semester, which would lead to a whole other semester (at least) of paying for college, bringing them down even further in the world.Nathan S.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-28012513215478119092011-09-21T22:17:36.458-05:002011-09-21T22:17:36.458-05:00Accumalitive advantage is neither fair nor equal. ...Accumalitive advantage is neither fair nor equal. It involves giving a child an enormous amount of physical and mental support. In this first chapter, many of the hockey players recieved extra practice time and a great team filled with other similar players. These kids were given this oppurtunity because of their birthdate, which eliminates a lot of competition and talent. Also, some kids are held back a year to begin their educational process. Why is this? Accumulative advantage is a one dimensional form of creating sports team or developing students in educational settings. I believe that children should have an "Fair" and "Equal" oppurtunity in these types of situations.<br /><br />I believe that Universities have many hidden rewards. One major reward is the mood of a success. This may seem lika a cliche expression, but it is true. People who are exposed to a higher learning style tend to perform better in a school setting. Others fall behind and fail or drop out. Although many students are given the resources to exceed standards, they are not frequently used because their previous learning experience does not encourage it. Universities are great for those who are well prepared, but they can become cesspools for potential harmful learning experiences. <br /> <br />Sean PettifordSean Pettifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07458377615775939606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-33384070784521321902011-09-21T13:44:32.196-05:002011-09-21T13:44:32.196-05:00Gladwell made interesting points in this chapter a...Gladwell made interesting points in this chapter about accumulative advantage. I think accumulative advantage provides some advantages and also some disadvantaes for many people. Our society fails to realize how it affect today's society. If a person given more opportunities they are more likely to become successful. With that being said, that that person has more of an advantage than a person who is not given those same opportunities and is stuck at a full disadvantage all beacaue thhey were born a few months later. Many people can argue that this is fair and many can argue that it is not fair. People experience accumulative advantage not only in sports but in the schools system. A student is given a better opportunity on the competition because they are put in higher quality classroom settings. Meanwhile the next student is put at a disadvantage and not given the same opportunity and guidance.<br />Shanon Stofershanon stoferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06687816788167245414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-36635089120734140862011-09-21T11:34:05.324-05:002011-09-21T11:34:05.324-05:00After reading the chapter, I can't ignore the ...After reading the chapter, I can't ignore the evidence supporting the author's claim. Accumulative advantage exists. I'm surprised more isn't being done to protect children from an obviously flawed system.<br /><br />If everyone, including universities like SIUE, were to shake off their apathy, I believe a lot could could get accomplished. Our schools, sports organization, etc. could be organized in a manner that truly recognizes and utilizes potential. Instead of mistaking maturity for intelligence or natural ability.GFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045424039326102966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-26790138807540449052011-09-21T11:26:56.627-05:002011-09-21T11:26:56.627-05:00Or better yet, how should we be thinking and talki...Or better yet, how should we be thinking and talking about apparently hidden systems of rewards or disadvantages that exist at universities like SIUE?<br /><br />After reading the chapter, I can't ignore the evidence supporting the author's claim. Accumulative advantage exists. I'm just surprised that know one has done anything to address this distinct disadvantage for many children. <br /><br />I strongly believe that everyone, including universities like SIUE, should be shaking off their apathy and rising up. If school systems, sports programs, etc. were just organized in less rigid systems, more potential could be recognized and utilized. Instead, we are ignoring the big picture and sticking with the "status quo."GFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045424039326102966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-42413374041803724922011-09-21T07:41:07.239-05:002011-09-21T07:41:07.239-05:00Accumulative advantages is simply another example ...Accumulative advantages is simply another example of our society creating division in an otherwise unimportant area. Any sport should be based on talent, ability, and agility, and not your zodiac sign. Early in childhood we are separated into groups that will carry with us into adulthood. These hidden systems prove to be detrimental to those on the "not" list, denying them of the essential guidance they would get if only they were a couple of months older. An accumlative advantage, if used at all, should include a group of people who all meet the same qualifications but are separated by certain abilities.Michelle Enoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-56856634972136139752011-09-21T00:57:43.958-05:002011-09-21T00:57:43.958-05:00I don't feel that accumulative advantages are ...I don't feel that accumulative advantages are very valid, especially when the difference between is only a few months. Hard work and dedication to catch up for missed time. There are plenty of younger players and people who make up for their age with talent.<br /><br />In different environments such as the workplace and schooling, these advantages can seem overwhelming, but I don't see the definite disadvantage someone could have because of age, the real issue is since people feel they are behind they should do work to get even and ahead. In this land, there is always a way to overcome any odds, no matter how insurmountable they seem.Corinthian Holtshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16455238170157661337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-43079079405007819642011-09-20T21:37:57.726-05:002011-09-20T21:37:57.726-05:00I think that though it seems that the "accumu...I think that though it seems that the "accumulative advantage" does exist I still don't believe that it is all you need to become successful. Sure the Hockey and Soccer players had an advantage over other younger players but there are ways around this obstacle in which younger players can still become excellent players. I played soccer from the age of 6 to 18 and I was consistently the youngest on the team. However, I worked hard and found ways around the obstacles of girls who were bigger and taller than me. I just worked harder than anyone on the team and I got results.Christina Rojasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-37660135891255181282011-09-20T21:25:12.642-05:002011-09-20T21:25:12.642-05:00I believe that accumalative advantage is a ridicul...I believe that accumalative advantage is a ridiculous idea. It is unfair to those that so happen to be born at the end of the year to have a disadvantage to those who aren't. I couldn't imagine if Siue or any other college was like that. Some students receiving scholarships, financial aid, etc. just because of their birthdate. As far as younger children that have to be in a different grade or a lower grade because of their birthday is also unfair.Just because their birthday is at the end or beginning of the year shouldn't make them at a higher advantage than others.<br /><br />Ariana H.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595859379914711075.post-35329820463033151882011-09-20T20:59:38.452-05:002011-09-20T20:59:38.452-05:00Gladwell brought up a good point, with accumulativ...Gladwell brought up a good point, with accumulative advantage. I had never heard of it before but after reading the passage I believe in it, and agree with Gladwell. Since one child can be dramatically encouraged threw life and another can be dramatically discouraged through out life based simply on what month they were born in we should set up various sports leagues and classrooms based on birth. I think by doing this we would have a lot more professional athletes, but more importantly a lot more people hat continue their education after high school at universities like SIUE.mburchetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02371965340760638974noreply@blogger.com