The Malcolm Gladwell article we read for today's class was a pretty significant departure from a lot of what we've been reading. While there are quotes that were gathered from reporting, the article reads a lot more like a simplification of an anthropology journal than a true magazine story. Indeed, the sources are all academics, and their work has been (presumably) dumbed down considerably so that average Joe readers of Malcolm Gladwell's website can understand their conclusions. It's a riveting story, but I wouldn't particularly say that that's Gladwell's doing.
The lead is a scene of Professor Dwight Heath, then a Yale graduate student, finding out that he'd be doing his anthropology research in Bolivia. This sets up the first conveniently numbered section of the article, which takes place entirely in Bolivia and back in New Haven while going over research specifically acquired in Bolivia.
The numbered sections make it every easy to pick apart the structure of the article. The second section deals with a reconsideration of the definition of "alcoholism" and the changing research on the effects of booze. The third section deals with different reactions people have to alcohol and how the standard assumptions are likely false. The fourth section draws out the contrast between different societies of drinkers – namely the Bolivian boozers who drink lab-grade alcohol every weekend and the Italian Americans who drink every day in moderation. The fifth section tries to make sense of all the anecdotes and research that have been presented and closes on a somewhat awkward kicker recapping a Coors Light commercial that saddens Gladwell in its simplicity.
While the article is easy to understand and dissect, and gracefully written, I wasn't terribly impressed by the reporting itself. It's one thing to interview experts, and it's another to paraphrase their findings. Gladwell is undoubtedly a genius, but I don't think that necessarily makes him a great journalist.
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