“The Trouble with Geniuses, Part 2” Chapter 4 “The Trouble with Geniuses, Part 2”

Journal Entry: 5 minute free write on one of these topics: What does the word “Entitlement” mean to you? In your own words, what is social savvy and where do people get it from? Does social class have an effect on how children act when they grow up? Explain. Nobody makes it alone in the world. Pick an important person in your life that has helped you get to where you are now and write about what they did to become such a big part of your life.

Chapter 4 Summary: Being exceptionally smart is beneficial, however, it seems to be more important to have social skills that allow you to get what you want Chris Langan is considered the smartest man alive, but he did not know how to pull the strings necessary to receive a top class education. He was raised in a poor family, and due to this, he was very scared of authority. He was kicked out of his classes because his “car broke down” and ended up dropping out of college, because he was very timid with the professors in asking for accomodations. Being born into a wealthier family provides you with the “entitlement” neccesary to lead a successful life “Entitlement” is the ability to ask for help or assistance without being afraid. It also includes the ability to stand up for yourself and stand up to authority

Study guide questions & answers: https://quizlet.com/_61gkb5

Group Activity: From this article: “Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers, pointed out that one of the biggest factors in success was a person’s sense of entitlement. He compared Chris Langan, the person with the highest IQ in the USA, against Robert Oppenheimer, chief of the Manhattan Project. His conclusion was the difference between their career trajectories (mediocre vs spectacular) was attributable to the fact that Chris blamed the world for his lack of success, whilst Robert felt the world owed him success. Contrary to popular belief, a sense of entitlement is not always bad. But this is predicated on you knowing what you can do (and what you can’t do), and therefore what you’re entitled to” From this article: https://bigalmanack.com/a-sense-of-entitlement-isnt-always-bad/

Group Activity: Is entitlement a bad thing? Why or why not. In what ways to you feel you are entitled? In the next activity we will discuss entitlement further to see who agrees or disagrees with Gladwell’s stance on the topic.

Individual Activity: Four Corners: “Predisposed entitlement will get you farther in life than those who aren’t entitled.” Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree? Discuss with the people in your corner why you chose your answer. Discuss with the rest of the class (one corner at a time) why you chose your answer.

Closing Activity Snowstorm: Write down three important things that you’ve learned from this chapter on a piece of paper, write your name, crumple up the paper, and throw it to the front of the classroom.