Thursday, March 03, 2005

"What a weirdo. What's wrong with him?"

Arnold Kilng has a thought provoking piece over at Econlog titled "Why Be Normal" that explains why so many innovative ideas are dismissed out of hand. He writes.

Suppose you're interviewing a smart guy, without a college degree, and he offers you a money-back guarantee. You might think "What a great deal" and accept. But then again, you might start thinking "What a weirdo. What's wrong with him?"

And this, I propose, is the stumbling block to lots of worthwhile innovations. A person with an unconventional idea may have a point, but is also unlikely to be "normal." He may not fit it with other people. He may have problems with authority. He may be deviant in more ways than one!

For the full article, click here.

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