Malcolm Gladwell completely speechless at Donald Trump’s election chances

“You're asking me to make sense of the hardest question anyone could ever be asked!”
Author Malcolm Gladwell says it’s “impossible” to explain how Donald Trump could still have a 50 per cent chance at the presidency.
He talks to Hugo Rifkind about his new book, 'Revenge of the Tipping Point'.
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[@thebarntender5530]

The scariest thing to me is that even after Trump is finally gone, we will still be dealing with a large number of his MAGA supporters, their anger, and the way they think.

[@rao4sos]

Don't worry. Too many are now following Trumpwasim for the MAGA God Squad to make a dent.

[@fenderblue9485]

Maga cult supports the FELON due to they are sociopath narrissitis and can relate to him!

[@Plutoman09]

"the way they think" ?? I think you miswrote that... Can they spell the word ?

[@ingridmorgan7893]

This is a wise observation. Half of the US supports Trump. How will you deal with your neighbours? Lock them up? Disenfranchise them? Dismiss them? I hope Trump wins. Trump is flawed. It is obvious. Democrats don’t see their own weaknesses.

Idiocracy, rather than being a satirical movie, was an unintentional futurist documentary.

[@baerster]

I think cult theory that Bandy Lee and other mental health experts describe is the best explanation

[@jeremywilkes322]

The deep cultural identity and tribalism was already there, it just went to its logical endpoint of being focused on one great leader.

[@jabbermocky4520]

The "Trump Contagion". Yes, Dr. Lee has a firm grip on this phenomenon. Times Radio will likely NEVER interview her. It's a Murdoch property and all. But we shall see.

[@dannydetonator]

Also see Anne Applebaum. She explains autoritarian tendencies with ease.

[@Iabunawass]

Yes, I agree.

[@ivantuma7969]

My mother (RIP) was all for Trump (strong, smart, handsome, successful, "patriotic" man) ... when I was fixing her smart-TV's network, I planted some Never-Trump content in her KZbin Watch Later list ... the deprogramming took about a month. She still liked him (we're originally Czech ... he married Ivana ... what can you do) - she just didn't like the idea of him as a President anymore🙃

[@toober1066]

Damn, I wish I could do that with my father but all he watches is Fox and Newsmax. Strictly a TV guy.

[@Jemawin]

BRAVO!

[@JohnGlen502]

Information Silos might be a big part of what's happening.

[@tim57243]

Can you give a playlist? I am in a similar situation with my wife.

[@dannydetonator]

@tim57243 No, because YT moderation system is compromised by fascists and it will be deleted before you see it. However i can point you towards chanells Hysteria and Meidas Touch. Also, Dylan Burns has some good takes. The most damning thing about Drumpf is truth about his history and family, as well as Anne Applebaum's theory of authoritarianism.

[@williams.vincent4235]

Malcolm Gladwell, myself and plenty more fellow Canadians can't understand why Trump is even a candidate.

[@KeithRadzik-o9x]

My 2 cents: People tend to judge someone by their worst experience with them, presuming that is their true character, fully exposed and on display. Trump is the 'ID' of America...all the repressed Rage and Grievances have found a very loud outlet, one that tolerates no self-reflection, that will not be silenced, and that believes itself righteous. Half the population is wholeheartedly supportive of this viewpoint. People I have known for decades have revealed their true thoughts...and it is nightmare fuel. BTW I live in New England, where most people self-identify as independent voters!

[@georgine321]

Or why he is on TV, and not in jail.

[@accordioid]

@@georgine321 Louche charisma, chutzpah, luck, and money.

[@feedingravens]

@@accordioid He is a rich dadd's son, that makes him relevant, important, an expert, respected. His sons are relevant onls because they are the sons of a rich daddy's son. He would have been nothing sould he not have been able to go big in everything iwth satty's money, could not have made use of daddy's staff when opening up a new branch for luxury real estate in daddy Fred's real estate empire. Then he found Roy Cohn, a mob boss lawyer, who knew all the tricks, knew all the shady characters, knew how you can enrich yourself illegally and stay out of jail. Trump Tower is the biggest concrete building in New York (all others of that size are steel skeletons) because Roy Cohn had buddies in the concrete mafia in NY. It was build by polish workers who were illegally imported, kept enclosed on the building site, so ttat they could keep on working while all NY construction workers were on strike, and of course Trump sent them back WITHOUT the promised pay. I think I heard they even got some pay, about 1.4 million. In 1980, Poland was behind the Iron Curtain, comparable liberal, but nevertheless pretty secluded from the western economy and jurisdiction.

[@thaliad6759]

Neither can at least half the U.S. public understand how anyone could support this criminal! I think most of the people supporting Trump have bought into the HUGE exploited fear of immigrants and the takeover of the U.S. by 'non-whites'. Trump plays into these fears and the underlying promise is he'll keep the U.S. white and nationalistic. I hear many say they don't like him as a person, but think he will keep them safer from immigrants than the Democrats, so they will vote for him. Canada, not being directly on a huge migration border may not have developed as much of a fear of immigrants that is then exploited by Canadian politicians. It is sad and scary and I , being a U.S. citizen, can only hope Trump will be defeated along with all the other politicians taking our rights away, promoting hatred and wanting to end Democracy. Scary times.

[@MW2006]

Sir Nicholas Winton was the British businessman who saved the lives of several hundred Jewish children before war broke out - the kindertransporten.

[@James-n2t4w]

Didn't Anthony Hopkins portray him in a film recently?

[@TheCinemaDetective]

​@@James-n2t4w yes it was called One Life released in 2023, pretty decent film largely because it's a great story, you can also watch the old That's Life episode where he was 'unmasked' as a hero, it's on KZbin. Very moving.

[@joedellinger9437]

Even worse is trying to understand how your own relatives swoon over Trump and hang on his every word. They all think I’ve gone crazy because I can’t perceive how amazingly attractive and righteous he is.

[@TimGeorge-dp7wb]

they see the abyss on the other side- which they are right + people love being able to have someone to blame and he offers that in spades. yes dt is a bad choice but progressives themselves do this in spades- this idea that progressives have something better to offer is laughable in thought and criminal in practice

[@tommymorrison6478]

@@TimGeorge-dp7wb The abyss on the other side? What "other side" is that Tim? Like they have in western Europe? That abyss? You know, where all the world's happiest countries are? You're one of those guys who has never left his own country and likely never even left his own state. This would explain your ignorance. But politics isn't really the point here. Trump is not a political creature: his "politics" can be summed up as "what's in this for me", and he is single- and simple-minded about it.

[@johnnylindstedt3645]

@@tommymorrison6478 Take a good and long gander at the picture behind this author being interviewed. Do you know who it is? Do you know how many bodies lie in his wake? That ideology?

[@geraldbutler5484]

⁠@@TimGeorge-dp7wbBollocks! Have you ever lived or been to an authoritarian country? That is what Trump and his cronies want. Religious, truthful, honest, chaste, fair, Trump is the opposite of these character traits. Wake up to yourself, this man is a monster.

[@Terra_Lopez]

@@tommymorrison6478 Yes, well said! Thank you. 😊

[@SimonTeague-x9k]

Basically it is this ; his supporters: Trump is my guy. Nothing else matters It's freakin bananas

[@debrasmith4675]

“A handful of malign actors.” Gladwell is always insightful.

[@lisamay4376]

Living in the NY area, I have been watching Trump since the 1980’s. To me he’s always had that conman vibe.

[@bj6515]

Understatement of the day.

[@johnmeyers8814]

The MAGA movement more resembles religion than anything else. The persistence of MAGA support/belief in the face of contradictory evidence is similar to the persistence of religious “belief”.

[@keithpalmer4547]

Hence the evangelicals lov tRump and HATE the rest of us.

[@dannydetonator]

It's a cult of autoritarianism, just as any other before it. Only difference is the psychological omnipresence of post-truth populism (also neo-fascism) it's based on, after Dugin.

[@redmondrecords2196]

cult is the word

[@fenderblue9485]

I live with a cult member and they do NOT believe in religion of any kind. The real problem is that they have the same personality disorders as trump their cult leader who gives them permission to be their worst.

[@SuperStrik9]

Oh MAGA is a total cult. Fits all the criteria.

[@Patriot1789]

Oh Malcolm, it is really quite simple. MAGA Trump supporters get validated by Trump’s hate and his appeal to volence. These people look at life as if it is a television show like The Apprentice. They get a charge out of the idea that Bad Boy Trump is anti-social and that his language encourages anger and dissension. They see this as a form of entertainment - until it is their turn to be hung out to dry.

[@RobertKramchynski-ir9oh]

I agree. The show "The Apprentice" was based on exploitation and not on actual capitalism which is a form of commerce operated on honesty and truth. Trump exploits, that's all he knows because his whole world is steeped in lies and crass distortions. A lot of people see it as a mark of being smart when you can "sell" lies and deceit, but that's exploitation. A show like "Shark Tank" is another example, those billionaire investors never buy anything unless they can make a 50% or higher margin on what they want to sell. Margins are a never ending measure of exploitation. The only way to reach 100% margin is to put the cost price at zero or negative.

[@ronmorrell9809]

Mr Gladwell certainly makes the list of people I'd like to have a beer with.

[@clairejeannette8454]

Oppressed groups who ‘get out of it’ often do not tell. My Japanese-American friend in high school did not learn that she was BORN in a camp in Utah until she was a senior in high school. I knew nothing as well. Her grandchildren were the ones to raise the issue. I don’t think this is unusual.

[@charlesgallagher1376]

I read “Outliers” and found that I’m an outlier. Gladwell puts complicated subjects into an easy read.

[@indranidasgupta8982]

Great book!! ❤

[@leannevandekew1996]

The sad thing is Trump couldn't remember the items from his dementia evaluation; he just described the things he saw at the time in that TV interview: the person sitting in front of him, the woman and man off camera, the camera and the TV monitor.

[@letsRegulateSociopaths]

also he mentioned a whale...? The creator of the test said...NO WHALE on the test...

[@tomarmstrong1281]

Our notion of how and why democracy is the best system is based on the worthy idea that we act with good intent, except for a few malign actors. Unfortunately, our thoughts and actions are not always steered by rationality and logic but more by habit, emotion, tribal loyalty, family pressures, shortsightedness, etc. This helps to explain how an individual like Donald Trump or a small group can exploit the fundamental shortcomings of human nature for their ends.

[@Bezayne]

I'm more of the opinion that a growing number of malign actors has over the years figured out precisely what the weak points of democracy are, and how best to exploit them. A big part in what goes on in the usa is the existence of so called "news" networks like fox etc which are uninhibitedly spreading lies to their viewers in the interest of manipulating their voting. Even the more neutral networks have mostly given up on fact checking the massive flood of lies being put out daily by the republican party and their nominee. Every network which claims to serve news should be obliged to have some independent fact checking being run on their news segment, which either would be shown while those news are served or on screen during the next news serving.

[@TimGeorge-dp7wb]

i agree with everything you just said but find it laughable that the progressives/alternative run entirely on emotion/hyperbole and just as many lies. we are in a world with 2 sides behaving exactly the same and trying to hold some moral high ground

[@Bezayne]

@@TimGeorge-dp7wb That is the typical rightwing talking point of saying "Yeah we lie as lot, but hey so do they" which is just another lie. Do centre or left wing oriented people never lie? Nope, but they certainly do not lie with the same frequency as the right wing in the usa currently does.

[@physicssquirrel]

@@TimGeorge-dp7wb Ah yes. Both sides are actively conspiring to rig elections. Both sides are involved in criminal conspiracies to defraud voters. Both sides are campaigning on taking away basic human rights. Both sides want to defund public schools and deny climate change. Oh wait. That's just Trump and Republicans.

[@JavierBonillaC]

I was thinking a while ago That if somebody had told me that The President of the United States could buy a hotel and ask every official visitor to stay in that hotel, Explicitly or implicitly, I would have told you that it could never happen. I would've thought the pigs could fly before that could happen.

[@OptimisticHominid]

I can explain why Trump still has so much support - his followers are locked in a bubble of absolute BS.

[@steve-real]

I saw the tv mini series the Holocaust. I was 10 or 11. A total horror show. That and Roots were psychologically disturbing on way too many levels.

[@James-n2t4w]

Escape from Sobivor, Tenko and Roots were the historic dramas which left a lasting impression from my childhood, late 70's early 80's. John Amos - older Kunta Kinte, died a few days ago. I wasn't impressed by the 2016 remake.

[@steve-real]

@@James-n2t4w When he got his foot chopped off! I was like “what kind of people are we?”. Really awful imagery.

[@SideYardCat]

There’s a lot more but the quote (Arendt? Sartre?) “given the choice between a wolf and a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the people will choose the wolf every time,” comes to mind. One major issue never commented upon is the turn toward conservative economic theories by the Democratic Party since Clinton giddily signed NAFTA, loosened the laws on media ownership that led to today’s consolidation, and freed up corporate power for ever more hegemony. I’ll vote for Harris because Trump is an existential threat to democracy, but I understand why people look at things like the destruction wrought by NAFTA, corporate consolidation, and even the Iraq war, etc.., etc.., all championed by prominent Dems along with 100% GOPs, and wonder why to bother supporting Dems.

[@dprcontracting6299]

I agree with you. Clinton sowed the seeds of this 25 or so years ago. And Obama and his dereliction of duty in not punishing Wall St for the GFC, rather the little guys who lost their homes. So the Democrats do not get off scot free on this. They enabled Trump and his ilk.

[@RayTaylor]

Harper Lee wrote a sequel / prequel after 25 years

[@HawkwindAus]

And Margaret Atwood wrote the sequel to Handmaid's Tale 34 years later.

[@indranidasgupta8982]

I thought it was unfinished and someone else finished it and published it, no?

[@HawkwindAus]

@@indranidasgupta8982 Nope, Margaret Atwood wrote it. There's no mention in the Wikipedia entry of a co-author, and Atwood is still alive. I don't believe she had ever intended to write a sequel, until certain factions in American (and Australian) politics started treating it as a blueprint rather than dystopian fiction.

[@kayskreed]

The film Idiocracy sums it up well

[@CionnFE]

Can’t wait to read his new book

[@Marian87]

Why does he have a poster of Mao Zedung proudly displayed on his wall?

[@Snaproll47518]

I’ll guess he has a picture of Karl Marx on the other side of the window.

[@luciancristian2364]

I came here to ask this.

[@michaelvanstiphout5507]

Who cares? Look at what is written on his shirt. 😉

[@bipolarbear9917]

Yeah, Mao Zedong is no one to be admired. We didn’t call him ‘Mad Dog Mao’ for nothing. Mao was an autocratic, totalitarian dictator. His policies were responsible for a vast number of deaths, with estimates ranging from 40 to 80 million victims due to starvation, persecution, prison labour, and mass executions. Karl Marx on the other hand is unfairly vilified when he himself would have been appalled at how Lenin and Stalin appropriated and barstardized the terms socialism and communism. The term ‘socialism’ comes from the root word ‘social’ meaning: needing companionship and therefore best suited to living in communities. "we are social beings as well as individuals". The term ‘communism’ comes from the root word ‘commune’ meaning: a group of people living together and sharing possessions and responsibilities. The terms ‘communism’ and ‘socialism’ are misnomers. Marx should not be maligned. Marx was a humanist that focused his attention on the exploitation of the poor working class under the tyrannical repression imposed by the capitalist ruling class. There’s NO such thing as Marxist-Leninism, it was Leninism and then Stalinism, and in China Maoism. They were all authoritarian dictatorships.

[@jbinmd]

I would assume Mr G finds him a curious character.

[@clareomarfran]

Old Soviet joke: What's a historian? It's someone who can predict the past.

[@ZeroCarbonBristol]

Super interesting interview of a really great, really intelligent, really thoughtful and insightful guy. Thank you so much...

[@georgemcaulay6009]

The US voters realise by 2020 that Trump had fooled them and kicked him to the kerb. Not they can enjoy watching his armageddon at their leisure starting November 6th 😅

[@DIY-MacBeth]

It’s extraordinarily close. How is it possible? Utter mystery.

[@James-n2t4w]

In 2016 Trump received 2.9M fewer votes than Hilary. At no time has a majority of US voters chosen Trump to be POTUS.

[@Urza26]

Only a tiny tiny portion made the realization. Most of the elections of the past few decades are very close to 50 50 in terms of the percentage of votes.

[@letsRegulateSociopaths]

the answer to why Trump? an alliance of powerful rightwing christofascists (The Council for National Policy and "The Gathering/The Family/The Syndicate/Mark Burnett-creator of "The Apprentice" and The RUSSIAN FEDERATION....

[@dannydetonator]

Yes, but deeper "why" is answered by Anne Applebaum. Summary of her books is enough to basically explain what happens with MAGA or putinist Russia.

[@VancouverInvestor]

Is Russia under your bed?

[@jbinmd]

I think i live in that town. I remember visiting my child in residential treatment two states away and finding a big portion of the population was from the same place.

[@stephenphillips6245]

Naomi Kline said in her book Doppelganger that gym goers and evangelical religious sects thought either fitness or faith made them impervious to, early aggressive, forms of Covid ...ie they reopened when things were supposed to be closed.

[@dianedenham5259]

Excellent book 👍

[@leob3447]

I had not heard of that book before - looks like a fascinating read.

[@stephenphillips6245]

@@leob3447 It has been a great read so far...still got 300 pages left

[@Micowoco]

There is no change bc there is no vision of the future. As Mark Fisher and Timothy Snyder have pointed out.

[@homofloridensis]

Perhaps the Trump phenomenon is simply a result of frustration. A substantial number of people feel like they've tried to do the right thing and are just sick of trying and getting no results. I think of the line in "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" "I haven't had a day off in over a year." So they give up and go totally selfish. Short-sighted, to be sure, but feeling like they're looking out for themselves.

[@tim57243]

There is a plausible story about Trump's popularity at "msnbc anti shame ritual". This claims there are four steps for Trump to increment his popularity: 1. Trump says something transgressive. 2. Many people shame him. 3. Trump says that I stand for all of you. 4. Trump angrily attacks the people who were shaming him. People who previously felt shame now feel anger, if they choose to identify with Trump. Anger feels better than shame, so that is an improvement.

[@matthemming9105]

I noticed this when the world learned for a second time about Michael Jackson. The first time it was "just" in the news, but the second time it stuck, because it came in the format of a tv miniseries

[@JAYDUBYAH29]

Now explain why you’ve got Chairman Mao over your shoulder!

[@Pussaychop]

Malcolm is the man. Hope he’s writing books for 30-40 more years, folks will be reading them for hundreds.

[@michaelsalovaara567]

I have to push back on Gladwell’s assertion that the Holocaust wasn’t presented in media until the 80s. He and I are about the same age, he grew up in Toronto and I several hours north of Toronto, straight up highway 11. In the late 60s I saw on CBC videos of bodies being bulldozed and thrown into mass graves. To time stamp this is when I saw on television Gordon Lightfoot’s “Black Day in July” video… not called video back then… about the riots in the 60s. I was 7 or 8 when I saw both on television. These images have never left me. Gladwell perhaps missed these tv episodes when he was a child, they were horrible to watch. They seemed unreal to as a kid growing up in northern Ontario. But for Gladwell to claim the holocaust wasn’t on media until much later, I beg to differ. The CBC did so in the late 60s.

[@joshm3342]

I first learned of the Holocaust as a child in the 1960's, not from school History classes, but from a book I found on my father's stack. Then in 1976 the movie Marathon Man was released. What I found deeply disturbing, was when I learned there are Holocaust Deniers.

[@marilynhoward380]

Off to the bookshop to pick up his book. I have Tipping Point so I can’t wait to read the sequel…even if I had to wait 25 years.😂

[@michaelvanstiphout5507]

Excellent!

[@bj6515]

A sequel after 25 years. I think you may find George R. R. Martin is out to surpass that particular record.

[@toober1066]

Diversity = Resilience.

[@DH-cg6qx]

Not always.

[@toober1066]

@@DH-cg6qx When not?

[@firecrackertpo]

I am absolutely terrified

[@randstahl4869]

An America man said years ago he could shoot someone and still be elected president. He now could once again hold the US executive office. Were he assume that role while a legally imprisoned convict would hardly matter to those who support him.

[@leslieacoca5876]

My explanation of the Trump phenomen is that he is actually a hologram.

[@pennypothoneypot634mimmahappun]

He makes some sense

[@Frankie-tc1bh]

Next sequel: Son of Revenge of the Tipping Point

[@secretadmirer5006]

"Poplar Grove" might be Palo Alto, Calif. A few years ago there were quite a few articles about the suicide epidemic among its highschoolers.

[@marisabenson1222]

Trump has no chance

[@TesterAnimal1]

I don’t think he will win. He definitely will not win the *POPULAR VOTE*. But he has a chance. And that is insane. It tells us that the USA is a dangerous and unstable country.

[@ChristopherLewis-q3d]

Monocultures applied to education, I feel educated. Better my kids do well in a middling school . . . bin the OFSTED ratings

[@American-In-Mykolaiv]

The reason nothing changes for Trump supporters is like religion, when you believe something for a long time, it is difficult to admit having been wrong for such a long time. Slava Ukraini!

[@patmccullough5885]

Sorry . . . Margaret Atwood, your fellow Canadian author, wrote a sequel 34 years after the Handmaid’s Tale (1985), see The Testaments (2019).

[@jaidev777]

Is that…. Is that a picture of Mao Zedong in Malcom’s room? … I don’t even know what to say to that…

[@indranidasgupta8982]

Yes yet another demagogue. But why are you surprised? Intellectuals like Gladwell don’t adhere to the concept of “poster = worship.”

[@raymondmartin6737]

The epidemic in a fictional wealthy town, reminds me of NYC suburbs where I lived near and experienced, those are Scarsdale, NY, and Darien New Cannan, CT, where people are oblivious to you as an outsider there. 😮

[@destinyfive]

Access Hollywood was what left me speechless and that was nothing.

[@lindafletcher1628]

I'm old enough to have worked with a lot of people who fought in the war, lived thru it. They were all recent re speaking about it and if/when they did it was a few sentences about what happened never about how they felt about it. It was a get on with it generation, that which can't be changed must be borne so they did

[@ZivkaFlora]

I have always been afraid of making argument and or debates unil I found courage

[@dianedenham5259]

I find courage through knowledge.

[@leannevandekew1996]

They're eating the dogs. They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets that live there in Springfield.

[@billy2807]

"I saw...the man on the TV...said his dog, they...was used for food by...the people that went there."

[@TesterAnimal1]

DWARGS!

[@elisa7881]

Sir Nicholas Winton, Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vachem, Israel.

[@Clementine.Pie.Am.I]

If Malcolm Gladwell cannot explain Trump, then maybe we ARE in the End Times! 🤣

[@raymondmartin6737]

tRump is the Tower of Babble. 😮

[@gregorythomas5804]

He’s basically calling for high-tech eugenics.

[@kwilliams1958]

Sounds like he was talking about Plano, Texas in the 70's, where suicides greatly increased amongst the high school students.

[@jberkeley1195]

DonOLD 🤡 has a chance NO chance of becoming president 👍👌👏👏😂

[@justkelly6992]

I'll be sending you a box of kleenex on election day.

[@catherinellewelyn-evans3693]

I hope you are right

[@keithpalmer4547]

@@justkelly6992 Ok russian.

[@collintee133]

In June 11, 2024 New York Times editorial board and many of Trump former cabinet declares Trump 'unfit to lead'

[@aha3885]

I mean, Trump is awful. But this guy with his Mao's poster in the wall...

[@ExceptTin]

“I thought how fun it would be, while transacting business at my desk, to have Mao visible over my shoulder,” he explains. “The idea of having this truly despicable tyrant reminding me of the importance of being human while I work - I thought that was good.”

[@willieluncheonette5843]

"All the dictators in the world are created by us because we want somebody else to tell us what to do. There is a very subtle reason for it: when you are told by somebody else what to do, you don’t have any responsibility for whether it is right or wrong. You are free of responsibility; you don’t have to think about it; you don’t have to be worried about it. The whole responsibility goes to the person who is giving you the orders to do something. Your responsibility is not separate from your freedom, your individuality. Once you drop your responsibility on somebody else’s shoulders, you have reduced yourself into a nonentity. Of course, now nobody will blame you if something goes wrong, but you have lost your soul. People condemn the dictators, but nobody thinks what the psychology is, how dictators are created, who creates them? We are the people who create them, and we create them in the hope that they will take the responsibility. But we are not aware that with the responsibility goes our freedom, goes our individuality, goes democracy, goes freedom of thinking or expression - everything. We have lost our soul the moment we put our responsibility into somebody else’s hands. And there are people who enjoy to dominate, to dictate; these are insane people. So it is a strange situation. People want to be unburdened of responsibility, and of course there are a few people who are ready to take all the responsibilities, because they are also taking all your freedom. They are taking all your rights, your very individuality; they are people whose only will is for power. They have a different kind of insanity, but it seems to be very fitting. There seems to be a certain synchronicity between the people who want to get rid of responsibility without knowing that they are getting rid of their very soul, and the other insane people, who love only one thing, power."

[@majikfingershappytoes9193]

Lots of Americans wonder why he still so popular. We don’t like him either

[@ingridmorgan7893]

Because he represents people who’ve no voice without him. There are many good reasons why Trump is popular with those who are academic and are academic who’ve been silenced by the ruling class now represented by the Democratic Party. If he doesn’t understand he has not disagreed with those in power, he has not been silenced and he is not interested in really understanding because it does not serve him to understand.

[@vivalaleta]

Do you realize that you don't have to support either the red or the blue party? Neither party gives a damn about you. The biggest thing he did as president was a big tax reduction for the wealthy.

[@Aaron-rw3lv]

What is with the Mao poster? Malcom is a weird guy but at least he understands trump.

[@TesterAnimal1]

I think it’s to wind idiots up.

[@ExceptTin]

“I thought how fun it would be, while transacting business at my desk, to have Mao visible over my shoulder,” he explains. “The idea of having this truly despicable tyrant reminding me of the importance of being human while I work - I thought that was good.”

[@Aaron-rw3lv]

@@ExceptTin interesting. Being vaguely familiar with Malcoms work I kind of figured it was something like this and it wasn’t out of reverence for Mao. With the prevalence of the brown/red alliance on the internet these days and the context of democracy under attack I think he should take it down.

[@lidarman2]

Enjoy his books. Just reserved this one from library. I just saw the stop of the Miami Football Player Tyreek Hill in mirroring escalation of the stop of Sandra Bland in his book "Talking to Strangers." Gladwell seems to find behaviors that seem to repeat themselves that are easily avoided but are not.

[@DKBarie]

Triggering the 'cons' with a Mao poster... priceless.

[@Candyliz2003]

I don't understand this. Why would he have this poster? I don't know enough about him but I thought Gladwell IS a capitalist and a conservative.

[@DKBarie]

@@Candyliz2003 I think you could accurately describe him as a pragmatist and a humanist. My guess is that the poster is displayed as a subtle warning, and a poignant reminder, of what terrible things can happen to a society/culture when (absolute) power is concentrated in the hands of a single individual with malign and nefarious intentions.

[@patricknoel850]

Why has he got a picture of Mao on his wall?

[@abschmit]

Forget trying to explain Trump. Can he explain why he has a poster of Mao?

[@SariClark-z9j]

Gladerll writes about change. Map was an important example. It doesn't mean Mr Gladwell espouses the the philosophy.

[@jewellpink]

It has a lot to do with social media.

[@vzuzukin]

I have a reasonable explanation for the Trump phenomenon: We live inside a Simulation of reality, not actual base reality

[@fozzybear93]

Why do you have a framed Chairman Mao as your background? It said Comrade Mao😮

[@TesterAnimal1]

I’d guess it’s to wind idiots up.

[@ExceptTin]

“I thought how fun it would be, while transacting business at my desk, to have Mao visible over my shoulder,” he explains. “The idea of having this truly despicable tyrant reminding me of the importance of being human while I work - I thought that was good.”

[@yolielove9437]

100%!

[@robinlevin9575]

The problem with Trump is not that he demands adulation, but that he receives it.

[@skipdalu5805]

I enjoy listening to Malcolm. He makes interesting points (including this one), and is enjoyable to listen to. However, some of his analysis and predictions well illustrate the difference between an authoritative expert, and someone who is merely interesting to read or listen to. However my nonagenarian relative with dementia asks every day something along the lines of "How is this man (Trump) allowed to...."? She's not Canadian.

[@doricetimko5403]

Could this affect the Maggats? It might be the USA’s saving grace

[@stevenpace892]

The holocaust was very bad, but I think it was not neglected of attention. The mass killing of people's, even Jews in particular, is tragically far too common. For example, events in the Congo, Cambodia, Stalin in Ukraine, and Armenia.

[@pbezunartea]

Join the club.

[@phhdvm]

if you go talkin about chairman Mao, nobody's gonna make it with you anyhow.

[@jabbermocky4520]

You say you want a revolution? Well, you know.....lol

[@TesterAnimal1]

A you explain what you mean, and what your point is?

[@jabbermocky4520]

@@TesterAnimal1 It's a quote from the Beatle's song "Revolution". Penned by John Lennon, mostly.

[@TribbleDude]

It is easy to understand why Trump has a very good chance. His inability to understand is a reflection of his derangement.

[@TimGeorge-dp7wb]

everything he just said about dt is true- it is also true of the other side - they are a horrible option to dt

[@gregorythomas5804]

Just talk to people, get out of your bubbles.

[@leetucker4897]

Please don’t talk about American politics with a framed picture of what looks like Mao Zedong behind you 😂 not going to take anything you say seriously and I’m probably going to vote Harris in this presidential election 🇺🇸🇺🇦

[@christinepereira7622]

Perhaps the picture is there as a reminder of what happens when one man has all the power and is also convinced he has all the answers? Love and support for Harris from Portugal 💙🔥💙

[@leetucker4897]

@@christinepereira7622 Perhaps but that is irrelevant to me. No matter who wins, Harris or Trump, they will only have one-third of the power in the US

[@stephengrimmer35]

Probably? A bit late to not have made your mind up, and a crazy-haired Canadian shouldn't be influencing it.

[@christinepereira7622]

@@leetucker4897 Unless one of them starts tinkering with the constitution, abusing executive authority to further limit First Amendment freedoms, surveil Americans and undermine democracy.

[@TesterAnimal1]

It’s a joke. It’s purely intended to wind idiots up.

[@leslieacoca5876]

Do you mean Shindler? Or before that?

[@megaforcemedia]

Remember when Gladewell seemed relevant.

[@JimmiesChoices]

Why do you have these clearly biased and short sighted people on?! who does not see how normal working class people need a voice and The current types of politicians do not support them DT hears them and is their for them It is a shame so many journalists see this as some sort of crazy “dumb” mind set No all people’s need a voice and now the majority have a leader who I hope can suppet them

[@FracmentalMusic]

I just watched the movie. One Life with Anthony Hopkins

[@gordonstrong5232]

Great movie 👍

[@mims503]

✨✨✨

[@peteryu4290]

Disappointing. Repeats disingenuous Trump remarks and then avoids discussion. Would expect better from Mr. Gladwell but appears he is battling cognitive dissonance inside his comfortable social bubble.

[@islandmonusvi]

@4:14, next time around we can’t rely upon comforting Mythologies of Individual Agency that refute actual data driven knowledge…once the Super Spreaders are identified via analytics they will need to be nudged into compliance with the published pandemic response protocols and standards.

[@johnharley4112]

Cult of personality, my friend 😱

[@Genjonez-o763]

I can explain it. It’s not that complicated.

[@vivalaleta]

Okay, do it.

[@Genjonez-o763]

@@vivalaleta I’ll give you a hint. It’s the same reason we have an electoral college. Look it up.

[@robinlevin9575]

Nicholas Winton

[@samhill618]

Just look around at the stupidity …then remember the groups that preferred moving to “the new world“ were the religious fanatics and the con men who conned the fanatics …that was the easy part

[@chillinginthefrozennorth]

Kurt Andersen's book "Fantasyland" discusses this phenomena in great detail. It also makes me wonder if the old world governments consciously used the new world as a dumping ground for everyone the latter wanted to be rid of.

[@Candyliz2003]

Ummm... Mao Zedong? Is Malcolm suggesting something other than capitalism? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?