Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues To How Stereotypes Affect Us (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
A valuable book containing valuable research that goes a long way toward proving that humans are a lot more fallible than we in our so-called enlightened postmodern society would like to believe when it comes to stereotype constructions. His premise is basically that groups that are historically stereotyped as doing something poorly (blacks are less intelligent, whites are less athletic, women are bad at math, etc.) often overcompensate for that stereotype and ultimately end up affirming it, what the author refers to as "stereotype threat". It's a compelling, and plausible, hypothesis for which there is plenty of evidence, much of which is provided by Steele's own research, which he shares copiously throughout. This research, and Steele's deductive process in general, is the "heart" of the book. This is both good and bad. On one hand, it's quality original research, with damning implications. On the other, because this research is basically the entire point of the book, it ends up becoming a bit repetitive and goes on for too long; Steele cites study after study after study to the point that my eyes were glazing over by the end, and I feel as though often the points he's trying to make aren't worth the amount of words he uses to make them. Ironically, I think this is mainly the fault of the author working under a "stereotype threat" of his own: that of the "Ivory Tower intellectual" attempting to appeal to a non-intellectual audience. Accordingly, it really feels as though the entire substance of his argument is only about 30-40 pages long, inefficiently interspersed with semi-related anecdotes (some of which are effective, some not) and forced attempts to "introduce" us to his colleagues, which fall flat both because it's no substitute for actually meeting someone and because there are so many of them I couldn't keep them straight anyway. This entire book could be condensed into a 40 minute keynote, and would probably be more effective in that format than it is as a book. Ultimately, this is a boring book with interesting conclusions. I'd like to see Steele speak, and have no doubt that he's a perfectly fine academic writer - plus, as he has noted, his achievements as a social psychologist in spite of being a black man in a sea of white people are really pretty impressive given the social pressures he faced in the 1960's. However, this really isn't the sort of book you can read from start to finish without being bored unless you're an activist in this area or have pretty much unlimited patience. It's a book that deserves to be cited repeatedly, but as a work for popular consumption it's pretty hit or miss and the "Cliff Notes" version would be just as effective. Seemingly well researched with some poignant messages about the power of negative stereotypes on our performance, especially as it pertains to people who have a high desire to achieve. All in all, it seemed too general of an overview and didn't really spend much time on discussing solutions. It makes an excellent read for individuals and students just beginning to think about the impact of stereotype, race-relations, and the impact of prejudice. It is, in many ways, fairly eye opening. One of the biggest take-aways from this book was the notion that when we begin a conversation with "learning from one another" as a goal, we are much less likely to worry about being stereotyped or judged. A bit dry and hard to read at times.
What do You think about Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues To How Stereotypes Affect Us (2010)?
Very interesting and important research. Wish it had be more concise & clear in places though.
—meli
Some good insights, but it gets repetitive.
—Mirai
