The narrative that Walker helps create surrounding the civil rights movement is in keeping with reality: the treatment of black people in Birmingham, Alabama is inhumane. In order to properly spread this message, though, he has to think creatively. That the picture at the center of this conversation doesn’t depict exactly what it seems to ultimately indicates that it’s often necessary to use whatever resources are available, even if this means changing the rules of convention. This, at least, is Gladwell’s argument. However, it’s worth noting that while it is perhaps true that the teenager is in the process of kicking the dog, this doesn’t mean the circumstances surrounding the picture itself are any different than how they appear. After all, the teenager is surely only kicking the dog because it’s jumping at him, meaning that the police truly are using unnecessary force. All the same, Gladwell’s primary point about using giants’ own force against them remains intact.