Malcolm Gladwell on revisiting history, religion, and Trump

New York Times-bestselling author and explorer of life's mysteries Malcolm Gladwell unpacks Donald Trump's seemingly impossible achievement, the swift acceptance of gay marriage in the United States, and why he does his best writing "at a certain distance." Plus, the social science journalist on his new podcast, 'Revisionist History.'
#MalcolmGladwell

[@roz7056]

They listen to each other that makes for a great interview.

[@arunruthraa4559]

@@wordwarrior2350 all depends on what u r aiming to get, u wanna know a person then u listen, but if u wanna make someone look someway by putting them in an uncomfortable place then what u said is right. Unfortunately here we r trying understand Malcolm

[@indie8189]

Be quick but never hurry. It’s my new motto.

[@indie8189]

@Vassal Colony Nice. Thx.

[@steveilicous]

I think that was my most favorite interview. Thank you Malcolm and king!

[@xvsj5833]

MG, Love your research, work & writings always reminding us “ at the end of a day, we all belong to humanity “🚒🚒🚒👍👍👍

[@chadisan]

I can answer the first questions for Malcolm: "Why a podcast?" "Just listen to my voice." He has a wonderful voice.

[@dragoncurveenthusiast]

He is also narrating his own books as audio books. In case you are interested.

[@waritaboc]

His audiobooks are a piece of art!

[@dangerismyusername]

Love him

[@JLone55]

I liked Malcolm’s take on faith. It can be a tremendous gift.

[@shawarmageddonit]

Remember when interviewers didn't interrupt their guests all the time? R.I.P., Larry King.

[@askbob2009]

listening to Malcolm fascinating always

[@rayanneflowers]

i binged two seasons of his podcast. loved it!

[@rayanneflowers]

Edward G. L II it's for free on stitcher and castbox (apps)

[@syklospore]

rayanne liu same here

[@robmausser8346]

revisionisthistory.com/

[@mabatoo]

I have been pleasantly surprised by your wit and charisma. Your delivery is excellent and content is well researched. Thank you for the work you do because it does attract criticism; at times perhaps shock. I appreciate it nonetheless. I just discovered you recently and I am enriched by it.

[@SodaPopinksi]

Why surprised by his wit?

[@loislane4559]

Revisionist History is my favorite podcast. So interesting. So thought-provoking.

[@tobetrayafriend]

Gladwell is an international treasure

[@MikejSackey]

Thanks for sharing, Namaste

[@horsemania4356]

way to go Malcolm! love the podcast!

[@rebootukology1014]

Dear Malcom Gladwell, I would love to see your influence in our upper level country decision making. What a wonderful world it can be.

[@sjuvanet]

gladwell is worth like 30 mil... and he's got direct influence over thousands of people. he is a part of our "upper level country decision making."

[@Garima-lh2jl]

" People are willing to be honest with the passage of time."

[@powerranger284]

Nice to hear MG make reference to a great Kenya Asbel Kiprop

[@JP51ism]

The New Yorker magazine used to be more geared to reflective pieces & regularly dealt with material only months after the events. I'm not bashing Tina Brown, but that was changed under her watch, to make articles more current, which was probably responsive to the taste for change. But now there's Malcolm making the case for the distance; where once it was seen as stogy & slow, it's now a luxury to have the time to get a saner perspective on things that got short shrift when initially they whirled by - & may have had more significance only appreciable in the long-term.

[@mtmcas]

Great interview!

[@MsKRAZOR]

I’m in love with Malcolm Gladwell’s mind.

[@kidist7653]

Amazing!

[@michaelheins3044]

Good interview.

[@roz7056]

I got threw many late night at college listening to Larry King on his radio show. He introduced me to many interesting people who were not famous I miss that.

[@palania.subramaniam4271]

Such a fantastic guest.

[@teacherspetism]

Love the podcast, but I do prefer Season one over season two. Love Larry and Malcolm, both great journalists.

[@boihardwareonyutube]

...” Be quick but never hurry.”

[@shelster]

"Be quick but never hurry" What a very interesting quote

[@Ratboy2004]

He was 3 years into Talking to Strangers at this interview.

[@mgmartin51]

Great interview.

[@MustPassTruck]

Hollywood needs to be reduced back down to court jester level and intellectuals and creators need to be our focus.

[@billygodd6703]

the part of this interview I cared for was the part on religion. I'm non-religious but its always an interesting topic. I do agree w/ Malcolm that people are seeking substitutes for religion. it does give people that are able to believe, a sense of meaning and purpose to their lives.

[@SaeedTayeb]

This piece of work right here is amongst the very rare that worth my time for the second time

[@dcllaw677]

He doesn’t get angry? I wish I could be him for more than a day!

[@edwconr]

Larry King and Ma(h)l.colm Gladwell are brilliant because they 'listen and learn'..thanks!

[@ecbfilms1115]

Larry King I love you! Keep on bringing amazing and interesting guests on your show :)

[@rachelleanna3]

R.I.P

[@francismuiruri9064]

Asbel Kiprop my country man greatest miler mentioned there.

[@dionyates2482]

What was the Elvis Costello song he was referring to?

Larry's thoughts on religion here are wonderful and ring so true to me! It's nice to see someone of his prominence not bowing to faith for the sake of keeping up appearances.

[@manojjohnaxelsson2856]

A brilliant mind for sure !

[@MONICAANICA]

So many beautiful & wise points of view

[@skidfrog]

I take exception with one assumption there.......and this is relevant regarding revisionist history....and Malcolm's assumption that people would be more honest as they got older.It would be awesome to pass this on...he may not know it . When the movie Downfall came out in 2014 there was included an interview with Gertraud Junge ( Hitlers personal secretary ) where she vehemently denied knowing anything about what was going on with the communications she handled and any knowledge of the " final solution". HOWEVER....she was also interviewed for the Time Life series written in the 1970's and later made as a video series. In THAT earlier interview she bragged constantly about how SHE was important......how SHE knew everything / every piece of information that went in either direction had to go through HER. Clearly she was trying to distance herself even though she was close to death herself at the time.

[@ronrendon]

LOL!! I went to Montreal, Quebec a few years ago & when I came home (South Texas) I said: “OMG! It was beautiful but it was such a bore!” And a few weeks later I wanted to return! Yes! I’ll take “boring” Canada over psychotic America any day of the week!

[@robertgiles9124]

Does he still Sing with Paul Simon?

[@tmckenmd2506]

I said the same thing to my wife!

[@Bronco541]

😂

[@roofpizza1250]

His hair is actually under control here. You should see it when it gets wild.

[@uncutfishing]

2:44 - "just a generation ago, if you had something to say, you had to go through a whole lot of hurdles to get the world to see it". I'd argue that not much has changed here. The fact that you can post stuff on the internet easily does not mean that anyone will see it. The vast majority of tweets, Facebook posts or KZbin videos will *never* be seen or heard by more than a couple dozen people simply due to enormous supply of content and huge bias in pretty much all modern search/suggestion engines towards what's already popular.

[@joycefortin7877]

I think Malcolm stepped in it when explaining the difference between equal rights for blacks and gays having marriage equality. Referring to what gays want; "...gays and lesbians wanting to join the rest of society. They want to do the same thing that the rest of society has been doing for millennia". Not sure what the comparison is regarding blacks, but I'm pretty sure thats what blacks want too.

[@Arianatk]

exactly! and the reality is gay rights have progressed because there are white men who are gay and were already in places of power and therefore able to lobby in a way that other minority groups have not been in a place to do.

[@maninblack9271]

One of my favorite writers.

[@xinjiapofandichan]

The way he speaks reminds me of another writer Philip Yancey

[@bjdon99]

Does Larry write his own Qs on the cue cards, or does his staff write them for him?

[@julialarsen]

Larry, “I’d bet on the crazy” yup!

[@maniak1768]

Larry was right with his bet. :D

[@renatagross5959]

What a fascinating yet fun man ! 👏🏾

[@superpoopoo1000]

Everything he says is interesting

[@FerdinandZebua]

Regarding news today, the Journalist today _must_ become a curator of communicated statements. Not even a curator of information, much less a curator of news.

[@JuanMedina-tq6tv]

Finally some interesting conversation

[@stevedavenport1202]

Gladwell is simply brilliant. He will be relevant until his brain starts to rot at age 95.

[@OzzybinOswald]

That's what a dumb guy would say.

[@geraldbutler5484]

Not that brilliant. He has succumbed to the delusion of religion through hereditary processes.

[@delfimoliveira8883]

I miss Larry .

[@larainebutt9276]

What’s the name of his podcast.

[@barrycaylor3430]

Laraine Butt Revisionist History

[@roz7056]

Revisionist History

[@HearturMind]

He is the best!

[@JamieSmith-fz2mz]

Intelligence is a cool thing. Scares a lot of people, though, doesn’t it?

[@XieYali]

Malcom when you come back to Japan I’d love to show you around.

[@dean3850]

I agree with the rest of you he was born to be a storyteller. But it's not the sound of his voice folks it's how he uses it. It's his mind and his intellect that fascinates our own. But it's quite incompetent in my opinion to consider him prone to oversimplification. If anything he is very good at dividing the argument into halves and letting us choose how complicated we want it to be. But this guy is the slickest of the slick. Can you think of many other people who never even graduated high school, yet somehow were able to earn as many college diplomas as this guy?😕

[@NxDoyle]

"Bloo or orrnj, what's ya fayvrut kullah?"

[@bjdon99]

Larry has lost a few mph on his fastball.

[@trishbirchard1270]

I’m smitten.

[@damienpardow2911]

Two people I'd like to sit down and have coffee with: Former President Obama and Malcolm Gladwell.

[@davidhicks9215]

A great lateral thinker.

[@lukejanis2016]

What is that weird background noise?

[@gwgwgwgw1854]

I think he is a journalist.

[@bxbank]

Can we revise the history and misunderstanding of money? PLEASE!!!???

[@edwconr]

Mr. Gladwell, do not yield ground...good science is founded on good investigation!!! You are a true investigator...ergo...if the scientific method is followed, also a good scientist.

[@jeffdevrow1316]

Architects draw. Carpenters build. I can say I build that house. An architect can say I drew that, ir I designed that. Not I built that.

[@dalepetersen6533]

All elections are like this!! Wtf?

[@tangobear3536]

Larry's view on religion is amazingly immature and narrow (18:20-5). According to Larry, it's all about death. But, in fact, most religions are all about living---how to live in the present and be at peace, love others, be humble and gracious. I suggest that you pick up one of Pema Chodron's books to learn how irrelevant death is in the true realm of spiritual maturity.

[@lotfibouhedjeur]

Notice that he was referring to organized religion, not spiritually. And that's actually true, death is one of the corner stones of religion and without it it'd be impossible to lure the faithful.

[@GreenOrchid9]

Malcolm Gladwell outlier🕯👏👏

[@Ratboy2004]

Larry is now more. Not the same. No chemistry.

[@jacobduncan958]

Larry's disinterest here is palpable. Or is he always like this? I haven't seen many of his interviews.

[@seanwebb605]

Larry Kind is probably the best known American interviewer, the least prepared and the least likely to understand or retain any of the information that is presented to him. He seems entirely unaware of his surroundings or the point of conducting interviews. Journalisms version of a bad game show host for an audience that doesn't seem to care.

[@roz7056]

Larry King interview style is to learn from the interviewee as apposed to over talking and being a know it all like most others do.

[@peggyharris3815]

If it weren't for Judas, who would Jesus be?

[@kyleBlittle]

Architect: "I built that" Investors: "I built that" Engineer: "I built that" Foreman: "I built that" Construction worker: "I built that" He said he wants to be an architect so he can say "I built that". This is the what came first question. Remove anyone of these and it doesn't get built.

[@tjclarke238]

Deepity alert

[@dcllaw677]

One is no good without the work of the others.

[@matthewfergudon8627]

It like Adam Conver but black

[@peanut71968]

I would suppose the primary difference between Liberals and Conservatives is: it is OK for liberals to change or alter their perspective and or point of view, but it is strictly forbidden for conservatives to do so.

[@fellowcitizen]

Gilligan + Einstein + Christopher Walken

[@thomaslocke3407]

Lol, now he doesn't do the podcast anymore.

[@seanwebb605]

Malcolm Gladwell doesn't follow the evidence. He popularizes Daniel Kahneman's work and not just simplifies something very complex, but fundamentally gets it wrong and never makes the necessary corrections. Michael Lewis is an honest writer and makes the effort to get it right and then makes corrections when necessary.

[@welovelibraries4556]

It’s not tough research cause he makes much of it up

[@tjclarke238]

99%: Specifics please.

[@welovelibraries4556]

Tj Clarke many of his “reports” are just made up - the Toyota is classic, the 10,000 hours he just made up, etc, the Prop 13 law in CA he’s deliberately misrepresenting, etc - he’s a fiction writer very entertaining but like most main stream - he presents what he knows is fiction as facts

[@tjclarke238]

99%: Wow. First, locking in property taxes levels does in fact advantage old estate to the detriment of the current taxpayer. Second, his 10,000 hours factor was only one criteria that was used to explain elite levels of excellence. Noone ever said it was a rule. Duh; Of course experience counts. Lastly, if Toyota feels that submitting itself to American law and punishment is too much of a burden, it can leave my marketplace. (I own 2 Toyotas). Ultimately, your arguments are strawman. Are you sure you are not really a Russian trying to act like an economist? Your arguments are quite shallow and reflect a "talking points" level of knowledge.

[@robkitchen5344]

Prop 13 advantages older buildings having same continuing business there... Over competition in a newer similar sized building.... The rent would be lower because property tax would be lower... Maybe 3-4 times less then a start up competing directly against... However your stuck in that building which might limit your own business if technology has advanced or improved with innovation and you can't compete if you remain in place while your new rivals speed in service and they make up any loses ffom higher overhead, with higher volume of sales..... .

[@notmyaccounthacked]

99%. An embarrassment to great writers and researchers everywhere.

[@jlh6452]

he's accepted Jesus

[@pereraddison932]

... jlh;THAT, IS a HIGHLY relevant and VERY tasty lil tid-bit of perceptive info... HE doesn't HAVE to strive at building up an all-ready guaranteed, ready-willing-able, fan base, or, "captive" audience...

[@saidkamaal709]

What happens when you die????i hope I’ll go somewhere better...funny

[@perezpepito104]

My wife dated Gladwell briefly when in college. She said it was as close to a lesbian experience as she has ever had.

[@StorytellingHeadshots]

That's a pretty catty thing to say...She's probably bitter she broke up with him before he became a bazillionare... lol... #sourgrapes

[@pamelahopepatterson-dar7715]

My daughter Aneela Dar met you at The Carpenter Hotel in Austin, TX on October 25, 2019 at the coffee shop downstairs where she works. Apparently she recognized you when you approached the counter to order a beverage and she said to you " I love your work, thank you...I am a huge fan of yours".... well she got in big trouble from the "powers that be" and other jealous co-workers (baristas) for speaking to you malcolm gladwell. Aneela Dar is only 20 years old and has been reading your books for several years but went home to her condo across the street after work and cried because her heart was so heavy and her feelings were hurt. Her soul is pure and genuine. My heart sank as a mom's heart would. My daughter has always admired you. Hope you enjoyed your coffee.

[@lotfibouhedjeur]

I really don't like Larry King's style. He sounds invariably accusatory.

[@lamachhorne9043]

There has never been a time, a civilization or a man that was not religious. Human beings were created to worship, it's ingrained in us. There is no escaping religion. The problem is most people's perception of religion is going to a worship service once a week. So the atheist or agnostic thinks himself irreligious, when in fact he's simply replaced one religion for another.

[@steveordonez1728]

Like Biden's revisionism?

[@keeptrying5962]

Larry King, fine friend to Donald Trump you are. You were only too cosy with him on SO MANY OCCASIONS. Now look at you! For shame. Fair-weather friend.

[@tjclarke238]

1970: Are you for real? You feel like a paid troll to me.

[@keeptrying5962]

Oh good grief. While I understand such creatures exist, I am not one, TJ.

[@onthecorneroftheoryandtrut7951]

Trump is the ultimate outsider

[@stevedavenport1202]

Yes, Canada IS boring. People just sit around all day at Tim Hortons eating Tim Bits and coffee.

[@stevepowell6503]

I was a district manager for Tim's here in the States. I think that makes me an honorary Canadian.

[@EdWilsonPhoto]

Dunce vs Dope

[@healthymealthy775]

"Journalism is the place you can do whatever you want." I agree and it's why most journalists are terrible. It attracts the lazy and untrained to creatively write about random stuff.

[@tjclarke238]

Would it not be nice if we could convince liberals to give up their First Amendment Rights.

[@marymezsserwanga]

"The reason why gay marriage is legal in America is because it affects white people (majority) as well. Boom! Nailed it!" That's all he had to say...

[@fredcontreras32]

Stop taking trump as intriguing to accept him as a Cancer

[@doncollins7743]

Convoluted logic sounds sophisticated but that does not make it true. When someone says how can I be racist or antisemitic, look I have friends that are blah blah, maybe, just maybe, they are telling the truth. This does not mean that they are always telling the truth, but in most cases, on an individual level, I find they are. However, they do not do it to prove they are not racist or antisemitic or what have you, they do it to show they base their friendships based on them liking the individual, not on race or religion, which by default means they are not bigoted, even if they discriminate, because if they discriminate it must be based on something other than race or religion such as politics, meaness in thought and talk and the many other ways we all discriminate in order to keep our little space in the world civilized however we define that and we work that out with each other individually, not by fiat of the masses

[@keeptrying5962]

I believe Malcolm Gladwell is afraid of the Left. Trump's election should be absolutely fascinating to him (I've read all Gladwell's books, thus feel I have some grasp of what interests/intrigues him). Here, he is afraid to say anything which might in any way be construed as being positive re: Trump. That's my "Blink" on this. It's disappointing. I thought he cared about getting to the heart, the truth of things. He's afraid of not being liked by the Left, which is his milieu.

[@tjclarke238]

1970: His followers are from the left. Rather, he is just similar to most of us; He sees Trump as intellectually irredeemable.

[@joea9152]

I see him as more akin to Theodore Roosevelt in his political affiliations. He seems like a progressive republican which is a bit of an anachronism. They are liked by the left but the actually have fundamental foundations in the right.

[@---Dana----]

Of course he doesn't like Trump, and neither does 60% of America. Plus he's educated.

[@rebekahp4083]

You clearly have not listened to his podcast . . . it would be very difficult to argue he aligns with Trump.

[@robkitchen5344]

He's a shill for the right... Propaganda for the Oligarchy is what he's doing underneath his crappy writing