Malcolm Gladwell talk packs Irvine

Over 1,000 attendees filled Irvine Auditorium Thursday afternoon in anticipation of the 2010 Goldstone Forum speaker, New York Times best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell.

The Philosophy, Politics and Economics Program hosted the annual lecture given by leaders in the academic, political, and business fields. In the past, the Goldstone Forum has brought in prominent thinkers such as Paul Krugman and Steven Levitt.

Time Magazine named Gladwell one of its 100 most influential people in 2005, and he is known for his best-sellers The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers.

Gladwell changed his topic last minute. Instead of talking about the risk fallacy, he examined controversial issues related to the relationship between culture and legislation, focusing on making legislation more effective.

Gladwell illustrated his idea by describing the lifestyles of Bolivia’s Camba tribe and the Italian immigrants of New Haven, all of whom are heavy drinkers. However, their excessive drinking rarely translates into crime and social disorder.

Gladwell attributed that phenomenon to the communities’ success in making alcohol an integrated and structured part of their cultures.

“If people are going to consume alcohol, they have to have a clear set of rules and expectations about how it is consumed,” Gladwell said. “The cultural component [of alcohol] is much stronger than the legal or medical components.”

Tying the alcohol issue to attempts to reform the healthcare system in America, Gladwell emphasized the importance of hosting open forums in order to decide on the best legislation.

After his speech, Gladwell entertained a question-and-answer session, where he was asked whether or not the drinking age should be lowered. Gladwell said it should be, but only if it is “accompanied by clear attempts at building a positive drinking culture.”

“I liked how he talked about a very politicized issue like health care without taking a partisan stand and instead talked about how flawed the culture of legislature is,” Namita Desai, College and Wharton freshman, said.

The PPE Program invited Gladwell as this year’s speaker to expose students to a mixture of fields and demonstrate how principles can be applied to relevant topics.

“We seek smart, creative, curious speakers who can command the interest of not just the small academic world, but also that of the larger public,” Cristina Bicchieri, the director of the PPE program, said.

“He bridges the gap between academia and pop culture,” Nikhil Dhingra, College senior and chairman of the PPE Undergraduate Advisory Board, said.

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