tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525637499307892535.post57589798321034347..comments2024-03-19T02:39:12.846-04:00Comments on Playing to Win: Ranking GladwellHilary Levey Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292393262675604139noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525637499307892535.post-8953442281411630822011-02-25T17:45:32.957-05:002011-02-25T17:45:32.957-05:00Martin-
That's very interesting. It's defi...Martin-<br />That's very interesting. It's definitely an empirical question and it would be really interesting for someone to look at. I was thinking that many economists I know who want to measure everything are pretty liberal. But that's relative to the general public and within academia they are pretty conservative.<br />I'm thinking of charting the practice of measuring kids over the past century, and looking at the interaction with political mores could be quite interesting.<br />Again, thanks for the insight!<br /><br />RRC- Yes, it is interesting re: eugenics. Apgar scores started in the 1950s, I think partly out of concerns about measuring the baby boomers and keeping them healthy.Hilary Levey Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07292393262675604139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525637499307892535.post-29324125919125284182011-02-25T13:29:42.641-05:002011-02-25T13:29:42.641-05:00I have a friend who claims that the mania for meas...I have a friend who claims that the mania for measuring things (with it's nadir in the current craze for standardized testing at a shamefully young age) is a right-wing trait. He claims that progressives are more comfortable with squishy evaluations than free-market religionists. Maybe it's not so simple.Martin Farach-Coltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431686074176584024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525637499307892535.post-43617993088399113232011-02-25T09:23:23.382-05:002011-02-25T09:23:23.382-05:00Interesting that the early days of ranking coincid...Interesting that the early days of ranking coincided with the eugenics movement...RRCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525637499307892535.post-15511899012238408682011-02-24T16:34:41.247-05:002011-02-24T16:34:41.247-05:00RRC- I definitely thought about the womb stuff, bu...RRC- I definitely thought about the womb stuff, but it's a bit tricky to call it "life" to some folks (though it surely is to me!). Also, it's less precise-- though I actually don't think all the measurements are precise at all (actually *we* know that they aren't!).<br /><br />Martin- You are welcome to be a sociologist (most people are "armchair sociologists")-- Lord knows, the discipline needs smart people. Anyway, I think you are right that I could further specify "American" over "modern." Interestingly, all those health-related rankings started in the Progressive era. They soon became a new form of competition between parents, at better baby contests at state fairs (what I argue are precursors to today's child beauty pageants). Of course, the initial impetus was to improve the health of immigrant babies, and then the middle class took over.Hilary Levey Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07292393262675604139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525637499307892535.post-50986256861041622302011-02-24T16:29:38.116-05:002011-02-24T16:29:38.116-05:00I seem to be addicted to commenting on your blog. ...I seem to be addicted to commenting on your blog. <br /><br />My main concern here is the assumption about rankings and "modern" life. My sister grew up in Argentina, lived in the US for 25 years, and then moved back to Argentina 6 years ago. She regularly comments, now that she has some distance and perspective, on the peculiarly american mania for rankings.<br /><br />This isn't so "modern". Perhaps some cross-cultural analysis would be in order?<br /><br />I feel like I'm becoming a back-seat sociologist!Martin Farach-Coltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431686074176584024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525637499307892535.post-46388177399029235632011-02-24T16:11:33.129-05:002011-02-24T16:11:33.129-05:00A baby is ranked according to size even while in t...A baby is ranked according to size even while in the womb -- one of the few times a mother is happy to hear her child is "average" :-)RRCnoreply@blogger.com