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How often is "usually"? Is it 20% of the time? 60%? 80%? 90%? Did you see this New Yorker article on how the underdog can win? http://www.newyorker.com/repor
by torial 17y ago
How often is "usually"? Is it 20% of the time? 60%? 80%? 90%?
Did you see this New Yorker article on how the underdog can win? http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/11/090511fa_fact_gladwell http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/11/090511fa_fact_...
An interesting quote from that article:
What happened, Arreguín-Toft wondered, when the underdogs likewise acknowledged their weakness and chose an unconventional strategy? He went back and re-analyzed his data. In those cases, David’s winning percentage went from 28.5 to 63.6. When underdogs choose not to play by Goliath’s rules, they win, Arreguín-Toft concluded, even when everything we think we know about power says they shouldn’t.
- rue 17y agoI only had time to read pages 1-4, please correct if I missed something crucial: Being presumed weaker does not mean that you actually are. Expectations are orthogonal to actual power/skill/knowledge/etc. There is a point to be made about choosing the correct strategy or tactic: for example, a less-skilled karateka could opt to just shoot the opponent and win the fight. It does not make them better at karate than the dead guy, though. We often have options such as that: programming is hard? Make your living doing something else. So on, but that is only a strategy for avoiding the things that we find difficult.
- wisty 17y agoThe underdog can "usually" win if they try an unusual (but effective) strategy. Karate kid didn't use a dirty trick (actually, the other guy did), he fought in a very standard style. The last second of the fight (when he surprised his opponent with his ability to kick with just one leg) may count a bit, but he wouldn't get that far.