What if we transformed the word weird from an insult to a badge of honor?
When we call someone “weird,” it’s rarely positive. Growing up as a self-described “weirdo,” Olga Khazan, author of the book, Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World, decided to explore the upside of being an outsider.
Olga interviewed dozens of successful people who’d been labeled “weird” at some point in their lives because of characteristics like their profession, race, religion or sexual orientation. She chose to speak with “people who had struggles and some challenges because they are so different from everyone around them…people who it wasn’t such a clear-cut, straight to the top trajectory.”
What Olga noticed was that some “weirdos” readily shrugged off the label, while others found it harder to overcome. That got her curious about the outsiders who thrived, the ones who were more creative, adaptable, and resourceful. What set them apart?
In describing what helped these outsiders succeed, Olga reveals a number of traits. One of them centers on how effective they are at convincing others to listen to their ideas. She says, “If you want to get someone to buy into a crazy idea you have, a really weird idea, you [have] to give them a normal idea first.”
Olga Khazan is a staff writer for The Atlantic, where she covers health, gender, and science. She has written for publications like, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and Forbes, and was a two-time recipient of the International Reporting Project’s Journalism Fellowship. She was also winner of the 2017 National Headliner Awards for Magazine Online Writing.
The Host
You can learn more about Curious Minds’ Host and Creator, Gayle Allen, and Producer and Editor, Rob Mancabelli, here.
Episode Links
Rule Makers, Rule Breakers by Michele Gelfand
Henri Tajfel, influential social psychology researcher in the areas of prejudice and social identity theory
Let Your Workers Rebel by Francesca Gino
Support the Podcast
- Rate and review the podcast on iTunes or wherever you subscribe.
- Tell a friend or family member about the podcast.
- Subscribe, so you never miss an episode.
Where to Find Curious Minds