I think I’ve finally figured Malcolm Gladwell out. He’s always been as divisive as he’s been celebrated. He’s often criticised for being too simplistic, for leaving out vital bits of information and for making wild conjectures. I realise now that this is a feature and not a bug of his work. His podcast Revisionist History illuminates his world view better than his books. There, his voice betrays a droll and sometimes nihilistic approach to life. His propositions are meant to be divisive. They are supposed to make you argue over the effectiveness of police reform or the Elvis oeuvre. He cares less about being right than about making us think. This inevitably frustrates those who read his books as they would read actual social science research, which Talking to Strangers is not.
Talking to Strangers is Gladwell’s darkest work: rape, police violence and racism all make an appearance. It is very much of this time. Although it’s never explicitly mentioned, Trump’s presidency looms over many of the social phenomena describe here. Gladwell’s central thesis, that we make predictable but dire mistakes when judging others’ behaviour, applies well to the millions of people who fall for a demagogue’s charm. First of all, we expect others to act truthfully (default to truth), and hold on to that belief as long as possible, often to our own detriment. Second, we assume that we can predict someone’s intentions from verbal and facial cues. Gladwell expertly shows that this emphatically isn’t the case. Third, context, and location especially, change our behaviour in ways that are difficult to admit. Add these three theories together and you get an enlightening, but not especially thorough look at our psychology in groups.
Going into more detail here is not necessarily worth it. Gladwell is almost a genre unto himself, a somewhat self-contained, nerdy universe, where readers take a tour of psychology research and recent history. The experience is not unlike going to the zoo. You walk around for a few hours, read a few placards, pick up some tidbits about the different animals on display. You feel a little more knowledgeable after. Hopefully, you enjoyed your time. Reading Talking to Strangers is mostly a walk in the (zoo) park.
Instead, I would recommend Revisions History, Gladwell's podcast. Not all episodes are worth your time, but many are excellent and provide a more realistic context to the audience: newsreels, interviews and other contemporary evidence improve the immersion and often strengthen Gladwell's argument. For example, in "Hamlet was Wrong", a recent episode, Gladwell explores his personal views on recruiting. He interviews his past employees about their experiences working for him. The resulting discussions are hilarious and heartwarming. The episode doesn't try to be an authoritative study of the ins and outs of hiring. It's a love letter to nihilism and random encounters. That is Gladwell at his best. Personal, anecdotal, charming and not entirely off the mark.