The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School
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shy, introverted, and ostracized: See McBride, Joseph.
“He was my nemesis”: Ibid.
“the most bankable director in the business”: See, for example, Barnes, Brook. “A Director’s Cut,” The New York Times, July 27, 2008.
“Big ideas come from big thinkers”: See Taylor, William.
In 1896, French naturalist: See Fabre, Jean-Henri. The Life of the Caterpillar, New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1916.
Fabre observed the caterpillars: Ibid.
Manager of the Century: See, for example, “Fortune Selects Henry Ford Businessman of the Century; GE’s Jack Welch Named Manager of the Century,” Business Wire, November 1, 1999.
“the ability to see around corners”: See Welch, Jack. Winning, New York: HarperCollins, 2005.
view multiple angles: Also note: In the legendary book How to Win Friends and Influence People, one of Dale Carnegie’s principles is “Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.” Carnegie, Dale. How to Win Friends and Influence People, New York: Pocket Books, 1982.
The Google Story coauthor: Interview.
The Writer: See DeLillo, Don. Hungry Mind Review, Fall 1997.
“was inclined to separate himself”: See Isaacson, Walter. Einstein: His Life and Universe, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007.
“Play and playmates were forgotten”: Ibid.
Einstein was slow to speak: See Isaacson, Walter. Wired, March 2007.
“When I ask myself how it happened”: Ibid.
“a lively sense”: See Isaacson, Walter.
Einstein: Contrary to popular belief, Einstein did not fail math. In fact, Einstein said, “before I was fifteen I had mastered differential and integral calculus.” See Isaacson, Walter. Einstein: His Life and Universe.
“He comes in entirely as an outsider”: See Falk, Dan. “Einstein’s science genius wasn’t just about IQ,” Boston Globe, March 15, 2005.
“Other scientists had come close”: See Isaacson, Walter. Wired.
first African-American admitted: See, for example, edelman.sfsu.edu.
her secret to success: See, for example, Kimbro, Dennis. What Makes the Great Great, New York: Doubleday, 1998.
“the hardiness factor”: See Collins, Jim. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . And Others Don’t, New York: HarperCollins, 2001.
resulting feeling of abandonment: See, for example, Johnson, Allan. “Only Lately Has Freddie Prinze Jr. Begun Getting Over His Father’s Death,” Chicago Tribune, January 28, 1999.
as he stepped onto his school bus: See Pearlman, Cindy. “Fresh Prinze: Freddie Jr. making name for himself, family,” Chicago Sun-Times, January 24, 1999.
found comfort in Stan Lee’s characters: See “Today’s People: Prinze Gets Serious About Comic Books,” Charleston Daily Mail, April 11, 2000.
related to the X-Men: See Johnson.
“I would always pretend”: Ibid.
“running and diving”: Ibid.
Students called him freak: See Vincent, Mal. “From Nerd to Prinze Charming,” The Sunday Telegraph, October 15, 2000.
weirdo: See, for example, Garner, Jack. “Despite big-screen image, Prinze was a high-school recluse,” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, January 29, 1999.
Bullies threw rocks at him: See Vincent.
“Kids thought that was really strange”: See Johnson.
“The quirks that made him”: See Berlin, Joey and Revel, Dera. “art2,” Los Angeles Times, January 25, 1999.
being quiet and sensitive: See Valdes-Rodriguez, Alisa. “Don’t Label This Prinze,” Los Angeles Times, January 20, 2000.
creating plays for girls: See Pearlman, Cindy. “Steady Freddie: Prinze more than just pretty face,” Chicago Sun-Times, June 11, 2000.
“vulnerable humanity”: See Valdes-Rodriguez.
“a male Julia Roberts”: See Vincent.
“He’s just an incredibly natural actor”: See Valdes-Rodriguez.
“I was considered weird and a freak”: See Berlin and Revel.
“People think I’m cool now”: See Gordon, Bryony. “ ‘They told my mom I was a schizo’: From class geek to husband of Buffy the Vampire Slayer—how did Freddie Prinze Jr. do it?” The Daily Telegraph, January 16, 2003.
“I look at it like this”: See Valdes-Rodriguez.
“The more faithfully you listen”: See, for example, Blank, Warren. The 108 Skills of Natural Born Leaders, New York: AMACOM, 2001.
“enables us to stand apart”: See Covey, Stephen R. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic, New York: Free Press, 1989.
worth more than $5 billion: See, for example, Taylor, William.
down-to-earth “nerd values”: Ibid.
“wearing a plastic pocket protector”: See craigslist.org.
although they didn’t always know: See Cohen, Ben and Greenfield, Jerry. Ben & Jerry’s Double Dip: Lead With Your Values and Make Money, Too, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997.
“social progress for the common good”: Ibid.
met in school as shy boys: See, for example, Long, Joyce Rainey. “Green Middle School serves up Ben & Jerry’s videoconference,” South Side Leader, May 13, 2010.
“Self-awareness is fundamental to leadership growth”: See Blank.
“the kings of emo”: See “Playboy interview: Pete Wentz,” Playboy, October 1, 2008.
“an entire generation”: Ibid.
“a giant pop-culture idea”: Ibid.
dyed his hair blue: See, for example, Thompson, Phillip. “Boy Crazy; Fall Out Boy—Chicago’s pretty in punk success story—always reflects on where it all began,” Redeye, March 30, 2006.
talented soccer player: See Playboy.
“a solitary guy”: Ibid.
“Wentz’s deeply personal”: See Cripps.
“equal parts protector”: See Thompson.
Jay-Z dubbed it, a movement: See Cripps.
“it’s okay to feel down”: Ibid.
“confessional bravado”: See, for example, Ulaby, Neda. “Fall Out Boy Rewrites the Gender Roles of Rock,” All Things Considered, November 30, 2007.
wrote a comic book series: See, for example, “Pete Wentz Named UNICEF Tap Project National Spokesperson,” PR Newswire, February 22, 2010.
first record went platinum: See, for example, Ulaby.
VH1 named Wentz: See, for example, PR Newswire.
“I’m happy to be part of a culture”: See Playboy.
making good on promises and fulfilling expectations: See, for example, Covey.
Integrity: Warren Buffett has said, “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it’s true. If you hire somebody without the first, you really want them to be dumb and lazy.” Also note that Buffett said that in high school, “I was just sort of nothing.” Lowe, Janet. Warren Buffett Speaks: Wit and Wisdom from the World’s Greatest Investor, New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1997.
“Integrity also means”: See Covey.
“Lack of candor basically blocks”: See Welch. Benjamin Franklin also highly valued both candor and integrity. In his 1726 essay “Plan for Future Conduct,” he wrote, “To endeavor to speak truth in every instance; to give nobody expectations that are not likely to be answered, but aim at sincerity in every word and action—the most amiable excellence in a rational being.”
in a twenty-seven-second phone call: See, for example, Sandell, Laurie. “Bombshell in Blue Jeans,” Glamour, August 2009.
“She listens to her heart”: See Goodspeed, John. “Swift puts heart in work,” San Antonio Express-News, February 6, 2009.
“The farther away you get”: See “Best Buy,” Journal of Technology & Science, August 30, 2009.
“became a people-watcher”: See DeLuca, Dan. “Taylor Swift, focused on ‘great songs,’ ” The Philadelphia Inquirer Daily Magazine, November 11, 2008.
When she sat down: See, for example, Hammerstein, B. J. “Names & Faces,” Detroit Free Press, December 25, 2008. Swift also discussed this isolation with Katie Couric on a Grammy special that aired February 4, 2009.
“The kids at school thought”: See Waterman, Lauren. “Swift Ascent,” Teen Vogue, March 2009.
“in middle school there really doesn’t”: See DeLuca.
“It was so healthy for me”: Ibid.
moved to Nashville: See, for example, Goodspeed.
at fourteen, became the youngest: See Taylorswift.com.
“showed up, wearing my T-shirts”: See Waterman.
In 2008 and 2009: See Taylorswift.com.
top-selling digital artist: See “Nielsen SoundScan Lists Taylor Swift as the Top-Selling Digital Artist in History,” PR Newswire, January 7, 2010.
“What does it matter”: See Goodman, Jilian J. “Taylor-made for group hug,” Omaha World-Herald, August 10, 2009.
When Yahoo! executives evaluate: See, for example, Taylor, William.
number one most influential business thinker: See White, Erin. “New breed of business gurus rises,” The Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2008.
“You must marry a thorough understanding”: See Hamel, Gary. Leading the Revolution, Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2002.
he was a loner and a “misfit”: See Chouinard, Yvon. Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, New York: Penguin, 2005.
“the godfather of ice climbing”: See Boardman, Peter. Outside Magazine, in a review of Chouinard’s book Climbing Ice, Sierra Club Books for Children, 1978.
A craftsman at heart: See, for example, Gordon, Michael. “Riding out the storm on a new wave,” Sydney Morning Herald, April 18, 2009.
One of the first green companies: See, for example, Burke, Monte. “Wal-Mart, Patagonia Team to Green Business,” Forbes, May 24, 2010.
Patagonia annually gives: See, for example, Patagonia.com.
Walmart, Nike, and Gap: See, for example, Archer, Michelle. “Founder of Patagonia became a businessman accidentally,” USA Today, October 31, 2005.
forty employees take paid: See, for example, Greenhouse, Steven. “Working Life (High and Low),” New York Times, April 20, 2008.
Solar panels power: Ibid.
built using 95 percent: See Earnest, Leslie. “Patagonia’s Founder Seeks to Spread Environmental Gospel,” Los Angeles Times, October 9, 2005.
the most fuel-efficient cars: See, for example, Greenhouse.
lunchtime yoga and Pilates: Ibid.
Patagonia covers 100 percent: Ibid.
“Only those businesses operating”: See Chouinard.
“the coolest company on the planet”: See Fortune, April 2007.
Character Strengths and Virtues: See Peterson, Christopher and Seligman, Martin E. P. Character Strengths and Virtues: a Handbook and Classification, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
in more than seventy countries: See, for example, Max, D. T. “Happiness 101,” New York Times Magazine, January 7, 2007.
“those abiding moral traits”: Ibid.
“the good life”: Peterson and Seligman make a disclaimer: “We also believe that positive traits need to be placed in context; it is obvious that they do not operate in isolation from the settings, proximal and distal, in which people are to be found. . . . Situations of course make it more or less difficult to live well, but the good life reflects choice and will.” Separately, I like University of Virginia psychology professor Jonathan Haidt’s paraphrase of Aristotle: “A good life is one where you develop your strengths, realize your potential, and become what it is in your nature to become.”
“has an inner life”: See Peterson, Christopher and Seligman, Martin.
“even when one has much to lose”: I also like how Peterson defines “strengths of courage”: “Strengths of courage entail the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition, external or internal.” See Peterson, Christopher. A Primer in Positive Psychology, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Judd Apatow: See IMDB.com.
Angelina Jolie: See Rader, Dotson. “Angelina Jolie: Taming Her Wild Heart,” Parade, July 11, 2010.
Zac Efron: See Zuckerman, Blaine. “Zac Efron Answers Your Questions,” People, April 27, 2009.
Ne-Yo: See Arroyave, Luis. “About Last Night . . .”, Chicago Tribune, August 22, 2009.
Drake: See, for example, Carter, Kelley. “Drake: Influenced by the south, this Canadian rapper earns his cool and command of hip-hop,” Jet, September 20, 2010.
LeeAnn Rimes: See Cioffi, Adrianna; Cioffi, Lauren; and Salto, Christine. “Kidsday,” Newsday, September 30, 2003.
Megan Fox: See Vincent, Mal. “Bombshell,” The Virginian-Pilot, June 18, 2010. Fox also told People that she was picked on and made fun of at school; a classmate even dressed up as Fox for Halloween. See “I Wasn’t a Mean Girl,” People, October 5, 2009.
Adam Young: See Dawson, Kim and Cabooter, James. “I’m on Fire!”, Daily Star, February 9, 2010.
Emily Robison and Martie Maguire: See Dennis, Alicia. “Dixie Duo,” People, May 24, 2010.
Vanessa Hudgens: See Nylon, April 2010.
Chad Michael Murray: See Crook, John. “One Tree Hill’s Cast Starts Branching Out,” Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2003.
Sarah Michelle Gellar: See, for example, Post staff. “ ‘Other Kids Picked On Me’: Buffy,” New York Post, August 3, 2001.
Busy Philipps: See Freed, David A. “New kids in the box,” Chicago Tribune, September 12, 2005.
Andy Warhol: See, for example, Curtis, Dawn Marie. “Pop Artist Was Born in Pittsburgh,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 16, 2002.
James Franco: Interview with Lindzi Scharf. Lindzi.com.
Barbra Streisand: See, for example, Churchill, Bonnie. “Streisand Relishes ‘Complete Control,’ ” Christian Science Monitor, December 13, 1996.
Mena Suvari: See Lee, Luaine. “An All-American Actress: From ‘American Beauty’ to ‘American Pie,’ Mena Suvari Grows as a Woman and a Star,” Scripps Howard News Service, September 16, 2001.
“I just didn’t relate”: Ibid.
John Stossel: See Stossel, John. “The ‘In’ Crowd and Social Cruelty: Exploration of what causes popularity and unpopularity in children and adults,” ABC News, June 3, 2002.
Barbara Walters: See People, 1978.
Al Roker: See Getlen, Larry. “Today Is Always a Busy Day When Your Name Is Al Roker,” CityScoops, 2008. See also, King, Larry. “Al Roker Discusses His ‘Adventures in Fatherhood,” Larry King Live, June 16, 2000.
Amy Van Dyken: See, for example, Ford, Bob. “Van Dyken Wins Butterfly for U.S.,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 24, 1996.
was tormented by her high school: I interviewed Van Dyken on this topic several years ago.
first American woman: See, for example, Allen, Karen. “U.S. swimmers haul in records,” USA Today, July 27, 1996.
“this is a victory for all the nerds”: See, for example, Brant, Martha. “Pool Sharks,” Newsweek, August 5, 1996.
U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame: See, for example, Meyer, John. “Golden girl Van Dyken joins U.S. Olympic Hall,” The Denver Post, April 16, 2008.
Nicole Kidman: See, for example, King, Larry. Larry King Live, September 26, 1997.
Heather Locklear: See Kovanis, Georgea. “The Official Encyclopedia of Heather Locklear,” Detroit Free Press, September 25, 1995.
Anthony Hopkins: See, for example, Williams, Tryst. “New Role for Hopkins’s Old School,” Western Mail, September 18, 2004. Students called him “Mad Hopkins.” See, for example, McCarthy, Phillip. “Full marks for Anthony,” The Age (Melbourne), February 12, 1994.
Ryan Seacrest: See, for example, “Would They Have Dated in School?”, US Weekly, August 16, 2010.
Zooey Deschanel: See, for example, O’Hearn, Amanda. “The Nature of Zooey Deschanel,” Mean, 2000.
Taylor Lautner: See, for example, Strauss, Neil. “Teen Wolf,” Rolling Stone, Novembe
r 2009.
Christina Aguilera: Aguilera told the Observer Magazine that she was bullied and ostracized because classmates didn’t understand her: “I would get a lot of cold shoulders because there was just no way they could relate to what I loved to do. You know, it’s not really normal for a child to just want to be in front of the camera and on stage. It’s not something that all kids want to do—they want to play in the playground. . . . That was my form of release without my even knowing it at that young age. You know, it was hard for me to relate to other kids because I didn’t have the same interests. I was even more the oddball, I felt, because of that.” See Day, Elizabeth. “I’m not there to parent anybody’s children,” Observer Magazine, November 23, 2008.