Talking to Strangers, Malcolm Gladwell

I decided to give the author one last chance. His first book, The Tipping Point I enjoyed…but since then it seems like all recycled stories with nothing really of substance. It continues with this T to S. Why are we deceived by strangers, stories of various stories we’ve already heard and read about incessantly – ponzi scheme dullard, Bernie Madoff; burn in hell PSU coach Jerry Sandusky, etc. The theories weren’t revolutionary and basic – “When we don’t know someone, or can’t communicate with them, or don’t have the time to understand them properly, we believe we can make sense of them through their behavior and demeanor.” Yes, we know, not rocket science.

There were a few items of note… Interrogation. The point of interrogation is to get a subject to talk. But in many cases the process of serving compliance becomes so stressful to the interviewee that it significantly affects what he/she can actually remember. And because we don’t know how to talk to strangers ,what do we do when things go awry with them… we blame the stranger.

No solutions of matter though, just stories. Gladwell is way past his fifteen of fame.