Why we should talk to strangers, according to Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell is a prolific author and thought leader. He talks to Anne McElvoy about his latest book “Talking to Strangers” and why we should adjust the way we interact with people we don't know. Click here for the full interview: econ.st/2ZYUkcM
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00:09 - What is a stranger?
00:41 - What draws you to talking to strangers?
01:15 - Consequences of misunderstanding strangers and the Sandra Bland case
06:33 - What is the difference between default to truth and confirmation bias?
07:14 - The Amanda Knox case
10:23 - Changing world of data, privacy, social media, challenging the notion of a stranger
11:20 - The notion of AI
13:39 - Who in public life do you think popular conception has most misunderstood?
14:13 - Donald Trump and what a candidate for presidency should look like
15:30 - Do you think Trump is made for the job?
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[@MomsChristmas]

"Awry" and "array" are both lovely words.

[@theimplacableauthoritarian2938]

Sounds like opposites!

[@Longtack55]

I'd like to hear Trump pronounce them (for my birthday laugh today.)

[@dshepherd107]

Malcolm’s book,”Outliers” was excellent. Made me see things in a whole new light.

[@bessbarnes6062]

Im reading that now

[@franzengold]

@@bessbarnes6062 Have you read it?

[@sportsfan120577]

Hush puppies

[@katd2191]

I have been taking to strangers since I could talk. For a while there I was Being mocked by others for wasting time spending too much time doing so. But it has brought everything such depth of knowledge about the universe. Can I imagine a world where ideas were shred not only by those who have big platforms or hold positions or have access to social media?

[@katd2191]

Ahhh spellcheck. Talking What was i taking... myself

[@katd2191]

Ideas shared. I know I read my comments before ..

[@warrengday]

Interesting interview - read several of his books, enlightening to see and hear him talk in person.

[@brendahines2116]

I am.completely UNENLIGHTENED

[@teh1782]

Check out his podcast - revisonist history

[@moreid202]

I've been doing this since the age of 5. I've only had one incident: a man took me to his house only to realise I wasn't the right kid - it happens. Anyway, I've learnt loads! I once spoke to a Nigerian guy who was a trained engineer and he taught me about nano technology and more. Great topic!

[@copacetic6440]

You sound like a very damaged young person I hope others have pity on you I know I sure don't.

[@moreid202]

@@copacetic6440 Why? Because I enjoy asking questions and having conversations?

[@MrGlostuber]

What do you mean "only to realise I wasn't the right kid?"

[@moreid202]

@@MrGlostuber Well, honestly, it was a haze, I just remember him looking at me saying: "oops, wrong one." I didn't really ask any questions.

[@ellismeah179]

strange so many people from Nigeria are doctors, engineers, scientist,iIT pros shame they can't help their develope and build their own country and economy instead of running to the USA, Europe to become, Americans, norweigons, British, Germans, Swedish claiming benefits

[@johnyoon1213]

Talking to strangers make you to follow the social conventions that people expect, allowing you to be a better communicator and find opportunities as a public figure.

[@daneladydriver]

I'm an over the road truck driver and I'm ALWAYS around strangers. I'm also a 65 year old woman which means I'm pretty much invisible to most of society, but at this age people also see me as 'safe' and aren't afraid to talk to me when I approach them. I'm not afraid to talk to anybody and I ask permission to take their photo as well. I mean at this age, I'm not really worried about what people might think of me, lol. Call me weird or eccentric and I'll say THANK YOU!!

[@moreid202]

Respectable, if only we could master such confidence at a younger age, we'd all be at peace.

[@daneladydriver]

@@moreid202 Ah yes.... if only. I spent decades of my life backed into a corner with my dukes up, just daring people to cross the line I drew in the sand. And no one did. Finally I said....fuck this shit, put my fists down and jumped into this messy human abyss, laughing the whole way.

[@brendadrumm9708]

Spot on love u ur salt of the earth xx

[@Longtack55]

You are a sweetheart. I'm 67 and a part-time P.I. I find talking with people really easy and I generally get what I need without using any guile.

[@JCResDoc94]

☼ "a friend you haven't met"!! it was right there!

[@emem2863]

I like Malcolm Gladwell, but I disagree with his assessment of the Sandra Bland case. Police should be trained to deal with the public. Angry, impatient people, like the cop, should not be cops. Also, he seems to make things overly complicated unnecessarily.

[@emem2863]

@jay Regardless of how you feel about the citizen involved, cops are supposed to be able endure difficult people. In the Sandra Bland case, she didn't misbehave. The public has the legal right to question cops. Last I checked, America wasn't an authoritarian country where under the law, citizens had no rights to question a cop's behavior.

[@emem2863]

@jay There was no reason for Sandra Bland to be arrested. Unfortunately, cops, especially bad ones in the U.S., have an abnormal amount of power with few consequences. So if a cop sees you as being less than a human, s/he can disrespect you, even kill you on camera (not referencing this specific case), and completely get away with it.

[@awesomealv]

His response may be that you’re conceptualizing this problem in an unnecessarily simple way. There’s room for nuance and if you’re serious about finding solutions that actually work then complexity should never be ignored. Especially if the reasoning behind that decision is beholden to political considerations. There is so much unnecessary suffering going on because of problems like these and we need to respond with curiosity and innovation, not stubbornness and aggression. Not saying you’re being aggressive by the way.

[@aperson2730]

@jay kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zn-WgZiuZcarh7s

[@aperson2730]

@jay kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJTOo2x-i6pre8k

[@tatiyana8934]

What a perfect way of speaking - I mean the pronunciation -🙏🌟 - it is so comfortable to listen - 🙏, although I can't say my English is fluent.. - And very interesting subject - 👍🌟🙏

[@mimimosa259]

This was an ad on my feed and I watched the whole thing. Very intersting

[@ehsanb3322]

Frustratingly the title of this video didn’t actually answer any questions as to ‘why we should talk to strangers’ just a collection of cases?

[@murrayreid2644]

I do this all the time, this is what we do in rural Canada. I've done this in other countries, the elderly are especially interested to talk to strangers.

[@Nautilus1972]

In my experience of 18 years, teachers are hired because of their looks. It has become the primary decider in hiring from what I have come to see.

[@ShinySephiroth1]

I guess I'm the outlier for trusting people, but that explains a lot - my kids are homeschooled and I tend to think everyone is lying until I'm proven wrong.

[@manubhatt3]

There is a saying in hindi: "ये दुनिया विश्वास पे ही टिकी है|" meaning this world is based upon a single pillar of trust. Very apt.

[@deveshgupta8655]

And why are some people mismatched ? Does the society they lived in childhood affects or is it the genetics of different people or some emotional trauma?

[@AS-gz8xw]

Interview of the month

[@simone222]

I love all of his books. Thanks for the heads up.

[@kaliforniacated]

Very interesting conversation

[@Nautilus1972]

Works both ways. I raised my daughters to look at the world with eyes of love and not fear. I should have taught them 'stranger danger', as one daughter - aged six - was sexually assaulted yards away from her home by a worker who was in the housing area for the day. But then, when I was in my twenties. An older man struck up a conversation on the road with me, late one night. I thought he seemed like a serial killer trying to get me to go for a coffee with him .... so I refused. Years later, I realized it was Vint Cerf, inventor of TCP/IP ....father of the Internet. I was a computer programmer, so the meeting would have been life-changing.

[@steelxx1779]

Oh my god I found a way to finally fall asleep, watching these podcasts.

[@alwaysincentivestrumpethic6689]

Great Author, Great Book,Great interview

[@vishaalbhatnagar3924]

Unpacks complex human behaviour traits in very simple and straightforward terms.

[@manubhatt3]

13:45 - This would make a perfect meme/gif.

[@andreating9712]

If you ever see me in public, please back away slowly. I am easily frightened.

[@Alex_Plante]

So, if you have to suppress the urge to smirk at funerals, then forget about becoming a politician....

[@Liberty_Freedom_Brotherhood]

... I love the captions...

[@benwoodward5273]

I think something went array with them

[@cardiogame2773]

The irony of two strangers misunderstanding each other about Donald trump whilst talking about strangers misunderstanding each other

[@brianearner5092]

Talk to all of them

[@gkbluestocking]

Reading it now!

[@cynthiasmith2459]

I finished reading this book yesterday. It was amazing!

[@howardcohen6817]

Conferring legitimacy was a big part of letters of introduction, which accompanied someone to a new employer in a new city, for example. Through proxy one was able to let someone else know about this otherwise stranger and argue for respect for this person.

[@mbm8690]

cool, wenn endlich jemand mal das sagt, was man selber schon mal gedacht hat.

[@coolwater55]

This is the crux fir me in what he says.: "The Same things in human Interaction that make perfect sense when I know you, clearly don't work when I don't know you." And gender plays a role..as well as small town living versus city.

[@Auriflamme]

Totally agree. Case in point, I grew up in a small town where it was perfectly normal to say hello to a passing stranger in the street. It was just good manners and friendliness, you might be a vague acquaintance, you might get to know them later. Do that in a big city and a lot of people will assume they must know you, then when they realise they don't know you, will think you are mentally ill or a sex offender or whatever.

[@coolwater55]

Pretty much.

[@beldonhuang]

What an interesting episode! His TED talks (like a couple of his that I summarise on my channel) are also highly recommended.

[@Toulousadub]

It's hard to talk to strangers nowadays as people are constantly absorbed by their smartphones.....

[@manubhatt3]

First he says that people who are running for public office should be transparent and then he says that Trump showing his inner feelings is wholly inappropriate and to be an effective leader one needs to do/be opposite. WTF?!

[@justanotherhappyhumanist8832]

You've misunderstood the conversation. He's saying that if public officials are not transparent in the way that fits our stereotypes, then they won't be able to win the public's confidence enough to win office. Therefore, anyone running for office needs to conform to our societal stereotypes in regards to transparency. He's not saying that it's right - he's saying that that's the current reality. He hasn't contradicted himself; rather, you've simply collated two completely disparate points that he is making.

[@Jasonmhg]

Is he wearing a NOMOS watch ?

[@socratease1432]

Good stuff, good interview.

[@RyanAnthonyDigitalMedia]

great video

[@joycetam3239]

lmfao

[@theimplacableauthoritarian2938]

It's widely regarded in some cultures that direct gaze is an insult!

[@gregoryallen0001]

book recommendation for y'all: TIMES SQUARE RED TIMES SQUARE BLUE

[@calvinsylveste8474]

Don't talk to strangers kids.

[@zebra3stripes]

Hey, everyone. How's it going? I'm a stranger.

[@TheJournalingSoul]

Hi stranger!

[@erikhoyer7885]

Internet and technology is suppouse to make us closer. Yet we are more distant from eachother..... text each other at parties, film when something bad is happening instead of helping, etc....

[@carynm.4662]

I would have liked to hear about Gladwell's analysis of the Sandra Bland police encounter but Anne McElvoy pushes him to move on from the topic. I hope you have Mr. Gladwell on again and ask him specifically to do a step by step analysis of Mrs. Bland's police encounter.

[@DesertVox]

The ALT-RIGHT will find this so triggering.

[@warrengday]

I typed ALT-RIGHT on my Mac keyboard but nothing happened.

[@salomon1471]

I don't understand what you mean.

[@lisangelblack9070]

@jay Something is truly wrong with you. 'Uppity' huh?

[@bigthangz5489]

What if the roomate was not distressed? Sometimes roommates can annoy each other. And if the roomate is removed from your space and you are happy?

[@manubhatt3]

The lady reminds me of Viktor from Underworld.

[@beautydoctorcardiff]

Who is Dr levine can't find him on KZbin

[@mrtrashcompaktor1540]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_R._Levine

[@brendahines2116]

The ONLY Levine of any noteworthiness, is, in my opinion .an author named IRALEVINE.Among his notable fictional stories..are..ROSEMARY'S BABY,THE STEPFORD WIVES,THE BOYS FROM VRAZIL.,and not quite as up to par but still worth note,thecsequel to ROSEMARYS BABY..LEGION.

[@thomanderson7981]

Sandra was victimized by sexism & racism. The cop was totally mentally unstable & crazed. Really a very tragic situation.

[@gee_emm]

Sandra Bland died. her "apparent" suicide has been questioned. it really bothers me that MG seems to be towing this official suicide line when the Bland family have won a wrongful death lawsuit. why even raise this issue if you're going to soft shoe a womans' death while in police custody? if you're gonna tell it, tell it all. just saying...

[@gee_emm]

Bill Whittaker The timing? Where did you hear that? I saw a TYT video that characterised her death as suspicious.

[@gee_emm]

Bill Whittaker That took a turn! I ask about your references and THIS is your response?!?

[@rasputinswalloper475]

The suspicions surrounding Amanda Knox were much more than just her behaviour ... her alibi was considered suspect, for example.

[@nxxxx9601]

I think the moderator did no read the book.

[@aldoe2975]

A fine fine man!

[@larbilatina2436]

Ő

[@mem4037]

Bro I DID NOT IN HELL THINK HE LOOKS LIKE THIS

[@JasonRobertsMobi]

How is Default to Truth as you speak of it not more like turning a blind eye. Sounds misleading to call it "Defaulting to truth" if not seeking truth when there is new knowledge.

[@aplapl3726]

Default position: assume positive intent.👍

[@davemarty5259]

Hate to state the elephant in the room, but Sandra Bland was a black woman approached by a white police officer. To explain the officer’s mistaken judgement simply through the paradigm Gladwell points out, would be a dangerously simplistic answer. While Sandra’s “mismatched” emotional response may have been part of the story, I beg people to consider whether a “mismatched” response coming from a white woman, driving a fancy car, in an upper class neighbourhood would have also resulted in an arrest. Gladwells argument seems to miss out on this crucial factor of racial bias, gendered bias, and classism. This is not to dismiss his work entirely but to say it is severely lacking in these regards.

[@jason4275]

*Talking to strangers, don't he know people are getting crazier each day.*

[@gregoryallen0001]

jason4275 that's why you SHOULD talk to them.. crazy is the new sane 💁‍♀️

[@bigthangz5489]

Are the mismatched people aware that they ar mismatched?

[@tupisamba211]

At 10:30, the British presenter says "privacy" like an American.

[@tonysnark1530]

Ok.

[@Longtack55]

I say both/either way/s and I'm neither British nor Merikan. She is English.

[@TaewooKim]

Sales people do this everyday. Nothing new

[@edmondYJ]

Except they just want to leech off money from people.

[@kamranzarekamel7570]

ما طرحی بسیار جامع برای بازگشت دوباره به یک سیاره سبز هستیم. دروست مثل خاطرات دوران کودکی. برف های زیاد بارندگی.های فصلی ..اه اه که چقدر دلم برای دیدن یک رنکین کمان تنک شده.برای بوی کاه گل بعد از بارش باران.

[@auro1986]

a stranger isn't a stranger once you begin the interaction

[@danremenyi1179]

Interesting but not enough.

[@roseorphee9008]

I was only quoting the author like I said this was a bad example (when you should not talk to strangers ) this should be handled by automation; or it could turn into a fishing expedition (police had bigger fish to fry)

[@jogb9515]

This interviewer is daft, she misinterprets most of what he says and doesn't seem to be able to get in sync with the person she's interviewing.

[@jasonroberts1208]

What he said about Trump showing his emotions made perfect sense. I had no idea what she was on about

[@SheetStaples]

Agreed, she seemed a bit condescending

[@andrethorpe6183]

The Human being has to begin to understand we are one race, the human race. We have to learn to LOVE & HAVE COMPASSION FOR OUR NEIGHBOUR irrespective of how we look or project in appearance..... DNA (science) have confirmed this fact... Should we not now rise above our primal instincts. Trump was both good and bad for the US... It brought out the worst and the best in the population.... those still connected to "Divine Consciousness" GOD showed humanity while those possessed of satanic energy followed the path of negativity. The nation grew out of it naive image of itself as a guardian of human rights and integrity and began to seek a more enlightened path. We are now on the path that will lead to either an evolved highly positive spiritual existence or be lost, become extinct as have other past advanced civilizations. Our choice is simple... Cooperative peaceful harmonious coexistence with all cultures and life in the world or extinction. It will be interesting to see what we choose this time around.

[@andrethorpe6183]

@jay that we all evolve from the same genetic source... Just insignificant minor differences in makeup. humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics

[@andrethorpe6183]

@jay www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/science/ancient-dna-human-history.html

[@andrethorpe6183]

@jay www.quantamagazine.org/fossil-dna-reveals-new-twists-in-modern-human-origins-20190829/

[@PabloGnesutta]

I really like Malcolm's work, but about the Sandra's case there is something that is not being said and that is that racism exists. Specially in white cops. So, it's not that the cop wasn't Davy enough to understand where she came from, he was acting irrationally because he was educated to be racist.

[@TheRedverb]

He looks ill-at-ease during this interview.

[@bozobarr]

Especially when she confronted him about Trump. 🤔

[@mrharryrag]

That's because he's a fraud who is cynically talking about the Amanda Knox even though he's ignorant of the basic facts of the case in order to generate publicity and promote his new book. He's motivated by greed and self-interest.

[@mistax2k]

@@mrharryrag nope

[@Nautilus1972]

Explain 'mismatched' to a bunch of violent boys sitting on a corner.

[@azoor5881]

What? AI systems learn from any bias inherent in the data set.Trying to remove bias from AI systems is one of the biggest problems in training these systems!

[@copacetic6440]

So this is a good opportunity to let everyone know this guy has no schooling I don't even think he graduated high school guys and he's awfully successful this should tell you something about our society.

[@jimmyboyle3543]

Surprise, one journalist doesn’t call Donald Trump a psychopath before actually trying to make an educated assessment of him gets accused of liking him.

[@snowman01]

I'm sorry but this interviewer simply isn't up to the task as she can't comprehend what her subject is talking about. He odd statements interrupt the flow of the conversation because it shows she's either not listening or not particularly switched on

[@valerie2158]

He had to politely correct the interviewer twice in a row.

[@project-pe6ly]

why is a journalist pretending to be a psychologist?

[@Kaisersozze]

What cop would pull someone over for not signalling? Aside from a racists cop in the US? Seems like a case study of how a racist's mind functions and not everyday interactions between normal people.

[@williamh5780]

Labour MPs should read this, get to know the working class again.

[@olwethusilo7155]

“Hello everyone & welcome to Revisionist History, where we discuss things overlooked and misunderstood” Mr Gladwell himself 😂😂😂

[@MrNabil-mk1bl]

If you live a life with multi dimension then the concentration of the vision of globe distorted #theeconomist

[@roseorphee9008]

even if you don't live in NYC; this is a bad title. ( why we should talk to strangers) I believe the objective (the book) is to deal with everyone appropriately. first example (bad example) black woman mental health issues,; stop by cop in Texas. (this is the time you should not talk to strangers ) yes sir, no sir, thank you sir, and keep it moving . this should all be context appropriate.. (police should not talk to her) ticket should be automated. (police have bigger fish to fry )

[@lisangelblack9070]

What mental health issues did Sandra Bland display on the day she encountered that psycho? She knew her rights and wouldnt let that psycho violate them. That was all that was displayed. Any other color of human, 'people' wouldnt try to excuse or justify her treatment.

[@d49191]

Gladwell is not a journalist. He's willing to flatten a story and rob it of all its complexity for a neat, beautiful narrative. This guy should not be taken seriously. He also reminds me of sideshow bob.

[@billyjoeness6546]

20 billion send me guns

[@billyjoeness6546]

I told ya, my operation is totally worthy make sure the 358 get alot of bad stuff same as the other annoying dog owners

[@etaks99]

Is it just me or does Malcolm Gladwell sound really similar to Robert Greene

[@gee_emm]

Ryan Douglas How so?

[@brendahines2116]

Dont be so sure creepy meredith knox is innocent,either.im.not.

[@lisangelblack9070]

@jay How was Sandra Bland not innocent, according to you?...What did she do to not be 'innocent'?...Are you a police officer?

[@andrewm2399]

Dumb advice.

[@Standskeleton]

Her comment is perfect example of ignorance you hear in various quips over and over and only demonstrates those people who don't adapt to the changing and new world, but who commonly deny the abilities and expertise of knowledgeable people to replace politicians and as far as for governance they overflow the "politics" of party democracy. Political correctness in today's world is given to the plumbline. Plunged.

[@wltrs_srtlw7349]

What is that haircut lmfao

[@mistax2k]

You can tell who is the idiot when they are easily distracted by hair

[@mdkvisions]

The Sandra Bland story is not wether he didn't know who she is, it was because he looks at black people in a negative perspective he was a blatant racist simple no need for big complicated academic words

[@jordankelly4684]

That’s what got me stabbed don’t listen to this nub

[@Standskeleton]

AI is no more than a calculator at least until it is no longer programmed by humans. Then you'd see it's full capacity and capability. Or are we sucking along with classism here and a two-tier privalge society? Subtle fascism.

[@Standskeleton]

@Bill Whittaker basics, but actually you are who have here demonstrated such the case . Lol but it's not I who have you down the rabbit hole. And it is just understating the obvious fact "AI knows far more than you." I know so as much about you and not from what you've said about me but haven't said about AI.

[@brendahines2116]

I've never met JESUS CHRIST,yet..I talkto him. !!!

[@brendahines2116]

@Khurram Aziz BACK IN BLACK ROCKS THE HOUSE.AC/ DC ROCKED THE WORLD.WTF??? AM I SUPPOSED TO LISTEN TO CRAPPY FAKE POP MUSIC?!!! UGH.IN THE END..GOD LOVES THE BAD ASSES THE MOST.THOSE WHO HAVE THE COURAGE TO 1.REGUSECTHE MARK OF THE BEAST.2. SUFFER TRIBULATIONS BULLSHIT.3.THEN...LAY THEIR BODIES/ LIVES..DOWN AS A LIVING SACRIFICE..(TO SHED OUR BLOOD LIKE MARTYRS OF PAST)UPON THE ALTAR OF THE LIVING GOD.P.S.BLOOD IS MENTIONED MORE TIMES IN THE BIBLE...THAN ANY OTH ER WORDS..ALSO..YOUR RIGHTEOYSNESS IS TO GOD..AND....ME. ME..NE..AS FILTHY RAGS !!! HALLELUJAH!

[@JohnEButton]

Sorry...nothing new or original here

[@JohnEButton]

@Bill Whittaker well, in that case, some journalism is boring...I mean why doesn't he "report" on Monica Lewinsky? Perhaps because it's been done a billion times already and its irrelevant. This is no different

[@paulaharrisbaca4851]

He’s kinda dweebish

[@bobbeckel5266]

He is unprepared to define "strangers"! I think he oversimplifies the term "stranger".

[@britteach]

Yawn. Stretch. Malcolm Gladwell is a bore.

[@j.p.4910]

The police officer actually followed proper rules of engagement, and unfortunately she resisted arrest with the use of physical violence. Hence, the outcome. Gladwell is a complete amateur in terms of law enforcement and it's an absolute disgrace that he is slandering the Police officer like this.