Tipping Point, Part II

I wanted to discuss Gladwell's theory on the critical role of groups. He focuses on the Ya-Ya Sisterhood phenomenon and how the book started off as relatively unknown but sales snowballed keeping it on the bestsellers list for several weeks. Women, especially, are conversationalists, we discuss everything. So, if one of us, in my family, that is, reads, buys, or watches something that we find enjoyable we are going to talk about it to nearly every other female that we come in contact with. Call it nature, call it gossip, call it bonding. The bottom line is, older women started the buzz about this novel and thirteen year old girls wound up waiting in line to see it at the theaters. This would not work with men. The reasoning: women NEED things that bond the generations. Men will always have their sports, cars, hunting, etc. All areas of manly bonding. Women, are growing more diverse by generations making it much more difficult for women to find common ground. My grandmother like to bake and crochet, I burn break-and-bake cookies and you probably don't want me wielding large needles. I happened to jon the same sorority that she had been a member of and bingo...instant bond. The same things with books. If we can share something, we will hold on to it and cherish it, because there aren't likely many things that we both like to do.

The point: the critical role of the group pertains mostly to women. We shop in groups, we eat in groups, we make purchases in groups, hell, we even go to the bathroom in groups...need i say more?