But I'm still a parasite.
August 13, 2012 1:45 AM Subscribe
Beneath Malcolm Gladwell’s cleverly-crafted ambiguity, beneath the branded facade, one finds, with surprising ease, a common huckster on the take.
Yasha Levine tugs lightly on the curtain and finds the beloved wonk wizard accepting piles of cash from the health insurance industry, big pharma, and Phillip Morris.
A bullet-point profile.
Follow up back and forth.
Courtesy of The S.H.A.M.E. Project.
Yasha Levine tugs lightly on the curtain and finds the beloved wonk wizard accepting piles of cash from the health insurance industry, big pharma, and Phillip Morris.
A bullet-point profile.
Follow up back and forth.
Courtesy of The S.H.A.M.E. Project.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Oops! Looks like we had a post on this in June. -- taz
Isn't it common knowledge that Sideshow Malc's on the take?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:03 AM on August 13, 2012
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:03 AM on August 13, 2012
Yeah, the main article is basically the same one as in the June 8 post, but under a different URL. So: double, unfortunately. The follow-ups are interesting, though.
posted by Sonny Jim at 2:08 AM on August 13, 2012
posted by Sonny Jim at 2:08 AM on August 13, 2012
The author is ludicrously wrong, dopey in her claims about the tobacco section that I cannot bother to read the remaining ones. I feel Malcom is not confronting this criticisms effectively as a punishment to his popularity.
a) Yasha/Яша is a Russian men's name.
b) Whilst I hesitate to go up against such a rock-solid argument as "nuh huh", I feel I should mention that Gladwell is listed under "third-party message development" by Phillip Morris. Someone should probably tell the PM PR team that they were wasting their money.
posted by jaduncan at 2:08 AM on August 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
a) Yasha/Яша is a Russian men's name.
b) Whilst I hesitate to go up against such a rock-solid argument as "nuh huh", I feel I should mention that Gladwell is listed under "third-party message development" by Phillip Morris. Someone should probably tell the PM PR team that they were wasting their money.
posted by jaduncan at 2:08 AM on August 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
Whatever else is true of him, as someone with a more-than-passing interest in neuro- and cognitive science I am totally willing to defend Blink as awesome but very-easily-misinterpreted popsci.
posted by cthuljew at 2:39 AM on August 13, 2012
posted by cthuljew at 2:39 AM on August 13, 2012
[direct link for that PM document]
I noticed that "Penn Gillette, magician"(sic) appears directly above Gladwell's name on the list.
Wait a minute, does that mean Bullshit is bullshit?
posted by SteveInMaine at 2:41 AM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
I noticed that "Penn Gillette, magician"(sic) appears directly above Gladwell's name on the list.
Wait a minute, does that mean Bullshit is bullshit?
posted by SteveInMaine at 2:41 AM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
On the other hand jaduncan, that list reads more like a shopping list, a list of people PM would have liked to work for them, than a list of people actually on the take. A lot of names are followed by "(no contact)".
posted by Skeptic at 2:49 AM on August 13, 2012
posted by Skeptic at 2:49 AM on August 13, 2012
Wait a minute, does that mean Bullshit is bullshit?
In fairness to the man:
Heh, and on preview...Gladwell isn't one of those names, though. I'd suggest that the fact that some of the names say "no contact" and others do not makes the names where that is not stated more implicated rather than less.
posted by jaduncan at 2:54 AM on August 13, 2012
In fairness to the man:
Penn GilletteOn the other hand jaduncan, that list reads more like a shopping list, a list of people PM would have liked to work for them, than a list of people actually on the take. A lot of names are followed by "(no contact)".
magician
(note: no contact)
Heh, and on preview...Gladwell isn't one of those names, though. I'd suggest that the fact that some of the names say "no contact" and others do not makes the names where that is not stated more implicated rather than less.
posted by jaduncan at 2:54 AM on August 13, 2012
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posted by godugu at 1:57 AM on August 13, 2012