words matter wrote:
High hopes wrote:
The thing is, Gladwell's whole grift is being deliberately obtuse. The decision is only unsatisfying if you want something more than "athlete cheated to try and gain an advantage." It's an old story, but one repeated often. Personally, I found the decision and reasoning to be very satisfying, but then I enjoy seeing obvious lies pulled apart by skilled professionals, experts in their field. Gladwell enjoys counterintuitive stories, even if they fall to pieces under light scrutiny.
I don't think obtuse means quite what you think it does. (Hint - try abstruse, instead)
No. I was suggesting that Gladwell was deliberately being slow to understand for the purposes of producing an article. If there's one thing that Gladwell certainly is not, it's abstruse - it's kind of his MO to be as simplistic as possible