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"Chutzpah". Very Gladwellian. The simplest explanation is that Israel has lots of Jews, who tend to be smart and hard-working, as demonstrated consistently fo
by mynameishere 17y ago
"Chutzpah". Very Gladwellian. The simplest explanation is that Israel has lots of Jews, who tend to be smart and hard-working, as demonstrated consistently for 1000s of years. The need-a-poker-face-to-utter-it explanation is that they have "Chutzpah".and that's the key to success.
- crux 17y agoWait a minute, you think it's reasonable and patent to assert that there's an inherent racial quality (we know it's not cultural, since Israeli culture can barely be said to be a hundred years old) that makes Jews smart and hard-working, whereas the assertion that Israeli culture is less risk-averse than American is utterly absurd? I don't particularly agree with him but I think I agree less with you.
- mynameishere 17y agoStandardized testing, historical influence, Nobel prize results, Fields metal prize results, Senate and House election results, Ivy League enrollment results, Forbes 400 membership, chess grandmaster positions, etc, etc, all point to unusual abilities on the part of Jews. There are only a few categories where they aren't represented to a wild disproportion. To say that "Chutzpah" (aka Assholism) is the reason, is absolute nonsense. Human endeavour deals in intelligence and little else.