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Does Malcolm Gladwell Regret Broken Windows?

Malcolm Gladwell fell in love with broken windows in Tipping Point, and he has regretted that choice many times. In year four of the New York City crime turnaround, he backed a horse. He was in his 30s and had plenty of time to wait. In retrospect, he was an idiot. Backing the idea so early was just dumb.

The penalties associated with premature conclusions are just so large. A fast judgment leaves a person defensive, protecting something in the back of the mind. The same rush shows up when someone seems distant and hostile. The normal reaction is to take umbrage. Delay it. What turns up invariably is that something terrible has happened, and it has nothing to do with the person who felt the slight.

Year four was the wrong moment to pick a winner. He still had plenty of time to wait, and the early bet on broken windows is the one he calls dumb.

Grokipedia·Malcolm Gladwell·New York City

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Malcolm Gladwell: The Most Useful Hour You'll Ever Spend on Storytelling | How I Write ·

How I Write

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  2. Who Should Writers Interview for a Story?Malcolm Gladwell says writers should interview the person who can bring the most specificity to a topic. The most important person does not help.
  3. Why Does Day of the Jackal Read Like a How-to?Malcolm Gladwell says Day of the Jackal reads like a how-to, and he calls it the most important book of its genre.
  4. How Does Malcolm Gladwell Find the Story in His Research?Malcolm Gladwell finds the story by talking with no plan until one detail clicks.
  5. Why Does Malcolm Gladwell Give Readers a Framework?Malcolm Gladwell says writers who do his kind of writing have an obligation to give people tools to organize their experience.
  6. How Does Malcolm Gladwell Find the Moment a Story Turns on?Malcolm Gladwell finds the moment a story turns on by listening back to a long interview and building the piece around the line that turns one case into a…
  7. What Would Malcolm Gladwell Teach First in a Writing Class?Malcolm Gladwell would start a writing class by teaching students how to ask questions.

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