Outliers: The Trouble With Geniuses Part 1

I found it interesting to hear that our educational system was indeed unfair. Students are conditioned to have skills in fields superior to others and this conditioning sprouts from their birth. The birth of an athlete or student, according to Gladwell, determines just how far a student will go. Getting into a specialized program is determined by age and maturity instead of work ethic and personal worth. It is also determined by innate talent that the individual has. Of course, by the time the student is a professional soccer player or college genius their innate talent has already been molded and played with to unleash an individual's full potential. So what happens to those who didn't have this opportunity? Well, they are all but left behind.
     It's sad to see, honestly, that our educational system is based on age rather than individual worth and effort. I think about birthdays now and what month someone was born, after reading this book it really is appalling to see that education really is this flawed. Because of cutoff dates and the like, not everyone is getting the equal opportunity they rightfully deserve. Only a select few people are privileged and that is based on their age and maturity. Maybe it is also based on intelligence, that's not untrue, but after reading all that Gladwell has to say then individual intelligence is not all that determines if someone will get into a specialized program.
     Furthermore, Gladwell makes us think about a very important question early on: what does IQ really mean? What does it measure? CNN says that IQ tests measure critical thinking and reasoning skills and that is our "smartness" and "brains." But then again, Gladwell proves just how IQ really is not either of those things. If IQ is not smartness or brains, then what is it? How can we measure intelligence if the very tests that do are not right either?