Blues Fanatic

My Heros have always been Cowboys. . . Until now

As a teenager in town, sports heroes and movie stars were my role models generation. And while the dreams of becoming the next Dr. J made me spend hours on the hard court, Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood Hollywood, the two biggest stars 80 years contributed to my character in a totally different way.

Reynolds, the number one box office attraction from 78 to 82, played a suave, smiling, Trans-Am driving cowboy removes his hat often, but for "one reason." Eastwood, meanwhile, played both the mysterious man No Name and Dirty Harry (cowboys of different species) dispensing justice cum hardcore violence in a way that the film critic Pauline Kael described as "fantasy on the right. "

So there I was, a teenager vacuous, with Hollywood happy to fill the void. Burt and Clint, Sex and Violence: two forces that define a "make-my-day", "feel-good-do-it" generation.

But as The Joker Heath Leger (a villain, not a model, you understand) might ask, "Why so sad?" Well, is this. I feel a little betrayed. Betrayed by a machine of the media that made me think that women were nothing but sexual objects and that Clint Strong, silent type of violence was a facsimile reasonable depth. In short, they were wrong. . . as I.

However, these days, thankfully, is the emergence of a new type of model, type born of hard times and desperate measures. And if you believe author Malcolm Gladwell, is not accidental.

In his fascinating book on the sociological change, The Tipping Point Gladwell describes as "the level at which it becomes unstoppable momentum for change." And while Obama's election is a great example of The crest of the wave of momentum, "I think the movement towards this turning point in particular began years earlier.

In other words, the same type social intuition that caused Clint to start making a new genre of film (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, movies with new depth, a moral get-what-else), set the stage for Obama to become the right man at the right place at the right time. Or as Gladwell would say, embody the last stage of an epidemic that has been spreading for years.

But do not take my word for it. Place an incredible success Gladwell Obama's test or what the author calls the three rules of epidemics.

First, the law of the few states that "the success of any social class epidemic depends largely on the participation of the three types of people. Connectors, experts and vendors, with a rare set of social skills "

Connectors, for example, are people with a knack for uniting the world. Think of Hollywood, as Clint Eastwood and other directors of moral consciousness, fits perfectly? How about the incredibly popular Texas tele-pastor Joel Osteen and his positive message of victory through excellence?

Geniuses, second, is " people who accumulate knowledge, especially about the market, and how to share with others. "Think of the Obama campaign, David Plouffe is enough? All The Plouffe did was combine online technology with grassroots activism, mobilization of 1,500,000 donors and the increase of hundreds of millions of dollars to derail the giant Clinton and set a new standard for political campaigns and communication.

Finally, sellers are "charismatic people with an indefinable trait that goes beyond what they say, what you want others to agree with them. Have we ever wanted to reach a political agreement over Obama? A Republican Party still reeling says "no"!

Gladwell's second rule is the viscosity epidemics Factor, or "the contents of a message that makes an unforgettable impact." Since Kennedy asked "what can you do for your country" has three words: "Yes, We Can!" was so positive and closely linked to a politician.

And the final rule of epidemics: The Power of Context. As Gladwell says, epidemics are sensitive to the conditions of the times and places in which they occur. For example, in the same way that efforts to combat vandalism in the New York meters led to a decrease of more violent crimes, Obama's call for sacrifice and personal responsibility can lead to economic recovery, greater tolerance and less partisan government.

Moreover, while the President's message can be ignored in a strong economy or a period that was another that after Bush, our pigs-in-the-context through today's media people are more likely to hear, just what the doctor order a turning point "Epidemic."

Therefore, just as Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood became role models of my day, riding an epidemic of recreational sex and violence without complex, Barack Obama is both the virus and the cure for what ails us today.

And what of George Bush, you may ask, to Cowboys of the last days of contact time is now turning point?

Well, consider this: it leaves us in the same dead horse traveling in, a new man with no name, the role of Clint abandoned (such as fever Gladwellian) almost 30 years.

Coincidence? Uh-uh. Unforgiven? You Bet'cha

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