By this statement,
Gladwell means that outliers are not really what we might consider outliersthat is, outstanding
individuals who have gotten ahead because of their amazing personal qualities. Instead, they are
people who have benefited from what Gladwell calls "parentage and patronage" (page
20). While people who achieve great success may appear to have succeeded because of their
personal qualities, they have benefited from years of advantages and opportunities that others
do not share and that help them learn and grow.
Therefore, it is important to
consider the largest cultural and societal environments in which people develop. Their success
is a function of the way in which their culture or society is able or unable to provide them
with advantages. For example, a student who seems bright and capable is usually rewarded with
more opportunities and attention than a student who is not always able to present his or her
best at school (possibly because this student has a more chaotic home life). The student who
receives more opportunities will generally go on to achieve greater results; therefore, one's
success is also a function of what one receives from the society around him or
her.
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