6th podcast review

          Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and other prestigious universities most likely are not concerned about the financial issue. Annually, huge amount of donations are given to these prestigious universities by famous philanthropist. In contrast, there are many small colleges in state of deficit being impossible to give out financial aid to poor regional students to enroll the colleges. It's normal for abundant philanthropists to invest their money in prestigious universities to grow competent human resources for the future. Nobody can blame these philanthropists since they are actually donating their own money without vivid benefits. However, we should rather rasie a question. What about the other half of colleges who actually need donations?
          
         In 1990s, Hank Rowan donated $100 millon to a college in New Jersey, a very shocking event back in the time. Until then, nobody thought of giving large amount of money to so-called infamous colleges, viewed as a waste of money. The trend sitll exists today, looking at the amount of money famous universities are obtaining compared to small colleges. Obviously, donating money to MIT, Standford, and CALTEC will bring quick result in scientific research, using already set cutting edge lab systems. If we only regard the quick research result, a college in New Jersey might be one of the most stupid choices the donators could make. However, the point that I want to convey is sometimes the world needs dumb, inefficient policies to help everyone, not someone.

          The basic principle of education is that everyone should at least have the equal opportunity to get educated. Local colleges are the places that could provide those opportunities. However, the problem is that they are always short in money, unable to provide financial aid to these students. If the donations given to famous universities that will have enough money in anyway, the inequality of education will be mitigated. It's a dumb decision regarding the result. However, sometimes we need dumb decisions to achieve something clever.

5th podcast review

     Money is a huge problem for colleges. Since there is not enough financial source for colleges to keep all the facilities at the top level, colleges constantly make a choice. For instance, Bowdoin colleges decided to spend more money in order to provide high quality of food in the dining hall for students. On the other hand, Vassar college, almost same size compared to Bowdoin college, determined to use thier money primarily on allowing and supporting low-income students to study in thier college, another contribution for capitalization. Some might view these decisions aa colleges' discrepancy. However, at least Malcom Gladwell viewed it as a moral issue, criticizing Bowdoin as a immoral education institution Through the podcast, Malcom Gladwell tried to point out the importance of capitalization emanated out from the "food fight"
    
     Capitalization is a concept that is constantly highlighted in the podcast. Malcom Gladwell views capitalization as a moral duty for  regional liberal arts colleges to aim for. Thus, he viewed Bowdoin college, where they use substantial amount of money on food rather than students, as an irresponsible institution that does not help the capitalization at all. The question whehter these decisions should be viewed as a college's discrepancy remains, but in my perspective, food could never be prioritized over supporting low-income students since colleges are the last educational institution.

     Food can be important for students to enjoy the elated school life. However, still food does not manipulate students' lives after the graduation. However, financial aid that colleges provide can be the last resort for poor income students. College education is almost their last chances to stop the vicious cycle occuring inside their lives. College should feel responsibility to help these regional students. That is the role of education that should be fulfilled. We should remember that Bowdoin is a college, not a restaruant. 

     We need to respect each college's discrepancy of implementing the school policy by using financial budget. However, we should ceaselessly influence colleges to work for capitalization, just like Vasaar does. To accomplish this goal, students should actively choose colleges that try their best to contribute themselves to capitalization. Just like Malcom Gladwell mentioned inside the podcast, "Don't go to Bowdoin, go to Vassar!"

4th podcast review

Education is a prevailing issue in Korean society. Topics of conversation between parents are always related to universities and special high school. Many educational industries are actually dominant, earning huge amounts of money annually. However, the problem is that these infrastructures are only centered in urban areas, especially in Seoul, leaving many rural areas under developed. Thus, there are many students in South Korea that resemble Carlos, waiting for a “capitalization,” a term used by Malcom Gladwell. Unfortunately, however, the situation of these students is quite hopeless since capitalization is not implemented in an effective way.

           Obviously, government tries to support these impoverished students by giving out financial aid or affirmative action. However, as Malcom Gladwell has mentioned, these policies are not applicable for entire region of the country. This might be a limit of Korean Bureaucracy. However, regardless of the causes, the government’s effort of capitalization becomes meaningless since there are many students, who are gifted just like Carlos in the podcast, who are not found by the government’s policies. These students remain insufficiently educated, contributing to loss of competent sources for the nation as a whole Gladwell strongly argued that we might find many talented students through the effort of capitalization. The reality of South Korea, however, is that the effort of searching these students is not making enough results to resolve these poor, talented students’ problems. In short, many South Korean students, who live in extremely poor or rural areas, are not even able to grab opportunities to become a “Carlos” at the first hand, a total tragedy.

           Malcom Gladwell also criticized the fact that other social problems that students are facing would also act as obstacles to block these talented students’ futures. In order for a capitalization to succeed, diverse social problems should also be resolve along with financial aid. However, Korean government mainly focuses on reducing rich-poor gap and giving out financial aid, believing themselves that they are attributing in actualizing capitalizations. However, those students will eventually go to good universities and get a higher education, without concerning financial issues, without the resolution of other social problems they face. Fundamental gap between rural and urban areas can’t be solved by mere financial aid. Social atmosphere that these poor students will face can’t be disappeared by simple financial aid system. However, the Korean government is extremely ignorant about other factors than financial issues, making so many “Carlos” with incomplete capitalization.

           Most of society members agree with the necessity of the capitalization. There are many talented students undiscovered in poor or rural areas. These students should benefit from the capitalization, contributing themselves hugely to the nation. However, in the status quo, the capitalization is incomplete. Capitalization is not accomplished by mere financial aid. It is necessary for poor students; thus, it needs to be made. Now, base on Malcom Gladwell, it is time for Korean society to deliberately come out with the resolution. We should all remember that a capitalization is a hope for these students.

3rd podcast review

Smart people sometimes make a really dumb decision. It’s not because they do not know how to deal with the issue. Rather, they try to keep the conventional method, expected by the crowds. People are afraid of doing something differently, especially if the method itself is not welcomed by the crowds cheering for them. As a result, smart people inevitably make ridiculous decision, preventing them from reaching another stage. The vicious cycle needs to be broken in order for an advanced result.

            In revisionist history podcast, episode number 3, Malcom Gladwell introduced the example of one of the greatest NBA players, Wilt Chamberlin, trying to explain why smart people also make dumb mistakes. Wilt Chamberlin was a perfect player, indefensible. Nobody can ever stop him if he dribbles to the opposite side of the court. He was an irreproachable player except one tiny little weakness, free-throw. In other words, if he could manage the only weakness, he could be the ideal basketball player of the history. Obviously, Wilt Chamberlin tried so many different methods to improve his free-throw and finally found out that if he throws under-hand, a very awkward and unprofessional-looking format, he could dramatically increase success rate of his shot. Thus, he eventually changed his shoot form and experienced the apparent effect of it. However, he did not keep up with his under-throw, returning back to his original form. Why did Wilt Chamberlin return to his original method? Crowds, avid fans, did not let him to throw in an awkward format.

            Wilt Chamberlin was already a super star back at the time. He was an idol for his avid fans and a role model for every single player of the league. Imagine that player throwing free-throw in a very awkward way just because to increase the success rate. Obviously, avid fans can’t bear their idol being so unprofessional. Thus, even though Wilt Chamberlin knew a way to resolve the situation, can be described as a smart person, he decided not to keep up with the method, a dumb decision.

            The situation is not so different in current South Korea. Productivity and creativity of South Korean industries are in a stalemate. Employees only pursue conventional methods that are no longer effective in increasing the productivity. Certainly, there will be many smart, intelligent employees who know how to resolute the situation. However, with the same reason of Wilt Chamberlin, they rather choose not to be a smart, isolated person but to be an obedient orthodox. Then, the society lacking productivity and creativity is only left.

            This problem should be change. The vicious cycle should be ended. This process needs courage, not the intelligence. It is true that smart people make dumb decision. However, it is also true that smart people know the fact that it is a dumb decision. What they need is the courage to fight with the orthodox, convention, and social atmosphere. When they overcome these challenges, the society will become a better place to live.

1st Podcast review

People often have a strong preference to certain ideologies or groups. Having a preference is very normal, but it often gets distorted as a cruel way of discrimination. In fact, even though people tend to discriminate groups of people who they abominate, they feel some sense of guilt, trying to hide their unjust behaviors. This phenomenon exactly applies to shy trump supporters. In order to find a lee way for their actions, people try to use psychological self-justification using a concept called "moral licensing." In the first podcast, Malcom Gladwell introduced the concept "moral licensing", explaining the moral background of people's malicious conducts.
           Malcom Gladwell criticized that we often open the door to one outsider and give ourselves a permission to close the door for other sides. In other words, he depicted the concept referring to the gate of chance. For instance, he mentioned Elizabeth Thompson, a talented artist, and started the discussion of gate opening. Thompson was excellent and competent, but royal family was not just ready for the acceptance of minorities. As proven in the former example, people tended to be reluctant of accepting minorities. This led many social activitists to arouse civil rights movments. Thus, nowadays society views discrimination as an enemy to eradicate. However, hypocritically, inside the deep mind, people normally have prejudices and anathema for certain people. Since society views it as a sin, people can't publically explicit their viewpoint, exactly same as shy trump supporters. Instead, they decided to find a seemingly rational self-justification to justify their actions, moral licensing. They try to open to the gate of chance to one group and use the exceptions to discriminate other groups who they actually abhorred. Moral licensing eventually makes the problem social prejudices as a deadlock, extremely complicated to be resolved.
             I believe that gatekeepers have the power to make a call. If people are aware of the fact that they are using moral licensing, they will more likely changed their attitudes. Gatekeepers should be the one who need to be aware of the psychological self-justification, turning them into a devil. If the changes do not meet, gates will remain closed and people outside the gate will fall into despair.