2 Comments

Here is the reference -- "There is something under theorized about the differences between West Indians and American Black culture...The psychological difference between what it means to come from those two places...Only when you look very closely at that difference do you understand the heavy weight a particular American heritage places on African Americans...You know what's funny about West Indians is they can always spot another West Indian and at a certain point you wonder how do they know and because after a while you get very good at spotting the absence of that weight. And it explains as well the well-known phenomenon of how disproportionately successful West Indians are when they come to the United States because they seem to be better equipped to deal with the particular pathologies attached to race in this country." Malcolm Gladwell on spotting the West Indian, You Tube video titled Malcolm Gladwell on Harvard Endowments, Satire, and More, Published on March 15, 2017, 9:06 to 10:20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehlhrqSWPbo

Expand full comment

Hi Winkfield. Thanks so much for taking the time to give me the quote from Malcolm Gladwell. It is interesting that our observations were not quite symmetrical: his, African Americans/West Indians; mine, African Caribbeans (aka West Indians?)/West Africans.. But I think his phrase 'better equipped to deal with the particular pathologies attached to race in this country' hits the issue perfectly. As he says, such differences are 'under theorised'. Warmest regards, John.

Expand full comment