By now, you should be up to or coming up on the end of Chapter nine.
Some questions to talk over in the comments:
Much of this section is about “The Weird Advantage.” What’s a time where you benefited from being different from your co-workers, friends or family?
Can you think of a time that someone’s different perspective in your life helped you or a group make a better decision? Or come up with a more interesting idea?
Chapters 7, 8 and 9 are about some of the ways that people handle being “weird.” What stood out here to you?
Comment below, or just come back later and read them, we’ll be back on the 20th to talk about the end of the book. Remember, you can now add a book club calendar to your iCal or Google Calendar if it makes it easier to keep track of dates.
I don't know how Khazan would feel about being in the same sentence as Jordan Peterson, but they both mention this idea of "first you fit in, then you deviate". Khazan writes about it using the "idiosyncratic tokens" idea in regards to Beverly's Wichita Falls class. (Peterson dropped it into some long interview, can't remember the exact context). But what is interesting to me is that Beverly seemed to come in from a place of being very different originally, and she used this technique to endear her audience to her before taking them on a journey. I think Peterson approaches it a little differently - more like you join the club and follow all the rules, but then slowly you start to break away in small ways.
in both cases the individuals would add diversity to their community. I would like to see this more in the world, where members of groups feel that they can spend their "idiosyncratic tokens" rather than hoarding them.
Nothing is weird forever! My favorite story in the book so far has been the Match.com couple Terri & Tom and how they each put in willing to travel 500 miles and from each other's door it was exactly 499 miles. Also, Leslie and her didn't drink the Kool Aid Jim Jones story is amazing. Plus, extra kudos to the author for getting into the Milgram Experiment. By the way, I'm really starting to warm up to the author's own stories about growing up and all in her shoes.
I don't know how Khazan would feel about being in the same sentence as Jordan Peterson, but they both mention this idea of "first you fit in, then you deviate". Khazan writes about it using the "idiosyncratic tokens" idea in regards to Beverly's Wichita Falls class. (Peterson dropped it into some long interview, can't remember the exact context). But what is interesting to me is that Beverly seemed to come in from a place of being very different originally, and she used this technique to endear her audience to her before taking them on a journey. I think Peterson approaches it a little differently - more like you join the club and follow all the rules, but then slowly you start to break away in small ways.
in both cases the individuals would add diversity to their community. I would like to see this more in the world, where members of groups feel that they can spend their "idiosyncratic tokens" rather than hoarding them.
Nothing is weird forever! My favorite story in the book so far has been the Match.com couple Terri & Tom and how they each put in willing to travel 500 miles and from each other's door it was exactly 499 miles. Also, Leslie and her didn't drink the Kool Aid Jim Jones story is amazing. Plus, extra kudos to the author for getting into the Milgram Experiment. By the way, I'm really starting to warm up to the author's own stories about growing up and all in her shoes.