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msfree_e 's review for:
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know
by Malcolm Gladwell
I was going to give this book 5 stars but then I read some of the reviews. And in reading the reviews I began to see some of the flaws and simplifications Malcolm Gladwell made in writing this book. Although I didn’t agree with everything he said, I did enjoy reading the examples and research he provided in making his point. Overall, the book has an interesting premise and for that I will give it 4 stars.
In this book, Malcolm Gladwell explores why we are so bad in talking to strangers. He mentions how we have a default for truth (i.e. we’re terrible at spotting liars and tend to believe people until presented with enough doubt) and we expect people to be transparent (i.e. innocent people will act innocent and criminals will act shifty). Ultimately, we think we are able to read people better than we actually can. And this leads to miscommunication, it can lead to sexual assault, and, in the worst case scenario, it can lead to someone’s death as was the case with Sandra Bland.
This book really challenged me in my thinking and made me realize how bad I am in talking to those around me. I do not think Malcolm’s theories though are an excuse for people’s behavior. It does, however, open up the conversation on difficult topics and hopefully encourages some introspection.
In this book, Malcolm Gladwell explores why we are so bad in talking to strangers. He mentions how we have a default for truth (i.e. we’re terrible at spotting liars and tend to believe people until presented with enough doubt) and we expect people to be transparent (i.e. innocent people will act innocent and criminals will act shifty). Ultimately, we think we are able to read people better than we actually can. And this leads to miscommunication, it can lead to sexual assault, and, in the worst case scenario, it can lead to someone’s death as was the case with Sandra Bland.
This book really challenged me in my thinking and made me realize how bad I am in talking to those around me. I do not think Malcolm’s theories though are an excuse for people’s behavior. It does, however, open up the conversation on difficult topics and hopefully encourages some introspection.