Review of 'How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
Wow. It’s the ur-advice book and it explains so much about the mostly very derivative genre. I’ve been reading a lot of leadership books lately, as I’m wanting to transition from freelancing to working in a larger organization with other people. I’ve been pretty shocked by just how sexist they are in their assumptions, but this one blew me away with its limited cultural perspective. I live in Germany now, but even when I lived in the States I was aware that there are cultural differences in how to approach people. My grandmother was a French speaker and often used the term „grinning idiot“ for people who smile all the time for no good reason. My German language learning partner specifically asked me to explain why Americans are so into smiling. It’s a freaking stereotype. In this book he advocates smiling all the time as if it’s universally positive. I …
Wow. It’s the ur-advice book and it explains so much about the mostly very derivative genre. I’ve been reading a lot of leadership books lately, as I’m wanting to transition from freelancing to working in a larger organization with other people. I’ve been pretty shocked by just how sexist they are in their assumptions, but this one blew me away with its limited cultural perspective. I live in Germany now, but even when I lived in the States I was aware that there are cultural differences in how to approach people. My grandmother was a French speaker and often used the term „grinning idiot“ for people who smile all the time for no good reason. My German language learning partner specifically asked me to explain why Americans are so into smiling. It’s a freaking stereotype. In this book he advocates smiling all the time as if it’s universally positive. I found it hard to take this book seriously. The basic thesis, ok: people treat you differently depending on how you approach them, think about things from your audience’s side. But the details seem specific to Midwestern white people. Not a particular useful guide for dealing with a diverse range of people.
