Malcolm Gladwell, Revisionist History: Special Event

I don’t have to agree with talent to accept it as legitimate tales. Great diverse set of topics. I don’t always agree with the personal opinions of this guy, I do more than not, but I thought that’s what we were shooting for here, a diverse marketplace of reflective articulate ideas. I don’t always agree but It’s always interesting. I don’t always agree but there have been more than a few times where when I did agree I had previously felt like I was alone in the world with that particular viewpoint. He doesn’t hold back much and yet isn’t aggressive and it’s always interesting. What more could one hope for. Time very well spent listening.

As an ardent fan and follower of Revisionist History, I was disappointed that Malcolm stated on the RH podcast, The Dog Will See you Now (overall an amazing story), that he would not get a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test for prostate screening. This test, although by no means perfect as Malcom pointed out, has resulted in early detection for prostate cancer and thus saved or extended countless lives from this most common type of cancer in men in the U.S. (other than skin cancer). As a physician and cancer survivor whose prostate cancer was initially detected by a routine screening PSA, I recommend Malcom rethink his stand on this simple and useful screening test. It might save your life!

Everyone should listen to every episode of Revisionist History, where the seemingly mundane is rendered utterly fascinating and you leave your preconceived notions by the wayside. Prepare to delight in the seemingly ordinary.

I've listened on and off since this was first launched so I have some history with this podcast. I enjoy the topics presented and appreciate the intended direction, but I feel the commentary is often so slanted as to not give the audience any chance to decide on our own. And by that, I mean the tone of voice and inflection of the presenter. If I wanted a preacher telling me where I went wrong, I would go to church. Malcolm Gladwell is engaging, but he often comes across as an elitist with such a dismissive tone at times, as if HIS opinion is the only one that matters. And if we don't agree, we're ignorant. If you want to widen your audience where some of these topics might really be helpful to people, Malcolm needs to learn how to relate to the "everyman/woman". If that's not the goal, then I was correct in my assessment.