Status anxiety squared

In his new book, “The Genius in All of Us,” David Shenk argues that talent has been overrated. It’s self-discipline and motivation that count, and even those can be cultivated – so every child is a potential genius capable of breathtaking flights of creativity and imagination. He draws on recent findings in neurobiology to send a message similar to the point made by Malcolm Gladwell who gave as examples famous “outliers” to demonstrate that anyone who clocks in 10,000 hours of practice can achieve supreme excellence in almost any area. The egalitarian spirit infusing such upbeat assessment of the potential for creative genius in “all of us” is something to behold and admire. The implications of embracing this new outlook, though, may be ironic. In his book and documentary, “Status Anxiety,” Alain de Botton argues that a belief in social equality makes those who have failed to achieve the “American dream” miserable and resentful as they cannot blame their failure on anyone else or on larger social forces. If this is taken seriously, a belief in neural equality could take the rat race to a whole new level. Wouldn’t it be a nicer and kinder intellectual gesture to allow the majority of people to lead a dignified life devoid of much creative flair? What is the point of dangling before everyone the promise of universal “outlier” achievements? By implication, those who have not become creative celebrities (like Gladwell) will then be branded as failures because they have betrayed their ostensibly limitless potential. Come to think of it, Shenk’s and Gladwell’s invitation to everyone to follow in their own footsteps strikes me as a bit smug – to say nothing of socially irresponsible.