Malcolm Gladwell

through the eyes of the first police officer to approach George Floyd, Thomas Lane, who at the time had been a fully-fledged member of the Minneapolis Police Department for only four days. May 25th, 2020 was Memorial Day, a lovely Minneapolis summer evening. People are outside, walking about. It's just after 8 p.m.

through the eyes of the first police officer to approach George Floyd, Thomas Lane, who at the time had been a fully-fledged member of the Minneapolis Police Department for only four days. May 25th, 2020 was Memorial Day, a lovely Minneapolis summer evening. People are outside, walking about. It's just after 8 p.m.

when Lane and his partner pull up to the Cup Foods on the corner of 38th and Chicago. Lane pulls Floyd out of his car, handcuffs him, sits him on the sidewalk, takes his information, then walks Floyd over to the squad car and puts him in the backseat. Only Floyd doesn't want to get in the backseat, so Lane and his partner King try to force him into it. Then a second squad car pulls up.

when Lane and his partner pull up to the Cup Foods on the corner of 38th and Chicago. Lane pulls Floyd out of his car, handcuffs him, sits him on the sidewalk, takes his information, then walks Floyd over to the squad car and puts him in the backseat. Only Floyd doesn't want to get in the backseat, so Lane and his partner King try to force him into it. Then a second squad car pulls up.

Derek Chauvin gets out. Floyd is struggling so much with Lane and King that he cuts his mouth, badly enough that Lane calls an ambulance. Lane thinks Floyd is on drugs. He's acting erratically, and they found a glass pipe on him when they searched him. They decide to keep him restrained so he can't move or hurt himself anymore.

Derek Chauvin gets out. Floyd is struggling so much with Lane and King that he cuts his mouth, badly enough that Lane calls an ambulance. Lane thinks Floyd is on drugs. He's acting erratically, and they found a glass pipe on him when they searched him. They decide to keep him restrained so he can't move or hurt himself anymore.

They call EMS a second time and upgrade their request to Code 3, the most urgent level. Life-threatening. Immediate response. Lights and sirens. So far, all of this is nothing out of the ordinary.

They call EMS a second time and upgrade their request to Code 3, the most urgent level. Life-threatening. Immediate response. Lights and sirens. So far, all of this is nothing out of the ordinary.

Excited delirium is something that Lane must have learned about at the police academy, a state of extreme agitation, aggression, and distress. It's not an officially recognized clinical diagnosis. Listen.

Excited delirium is something that Lane must have learned about at the police academy, a state of extreme agitation, aggression, and distress. It's not an officially recognized clinical diagnosis. Listen.

Chauvin puts his knee on Floyd's neck. Lane turns to Chauvin and shares his concern. This man's not doing well.

Chauvin puts his knee on Floyd's neck. Lane turns to Chauvin and shares his concern. This man's not doing well.

You want him on his side? No, he's staying put where we got him. Okay, just worry about the excited delirium or whatever. That's why we got the ambulance coming. Okay, I suppose. A minute later, Lane says, I think he's passing out. Meaning, Floyd's in trouble. Let's get off him. Nothing happens. A minute after that, Lane says once again, want to roll him on his side? No.

You want him on his side? No, he's staying put where we got him. Okay, just worry about the excited delirium or whatever. That's why we got the ambulance coming. Okay, I suppose. A minute later, Lane says, I think he's passing out. Meaning, Floyd's in trouble. Let's get off him. Nothing happens. A minute after that, Lane says once again, want to roll him on his side? No.

As in, he shouldn't be on his stomach. Lane is trying to do the right thing. He understands the gravity of the situation. But the crucial thing here is the way Lane sets out to convince Shulman. He doesn't make a declarative statement. We should put him on his side. He has to be on his side. He asks a question. He softens it. Should we? Should we put him on his side? He mentions excited delirium.

As in, he shouldn't be on his stomach. Lane is trying to do the right thing. He understands the gravity of the situation. But the crucial thing here is the way Lane sets out to convince Shulman. He doesn't make a declarative statement. We should put him on his side. He has to be on his side. He asks a question. He softens it. Should we? Should we put him on his side? He mentions excited delirium.

He's concerned about Floyd's safety, but he undercuts that concern with words that soften his alarm. I just worry about excited delirium or whatever. And then finally, after Chauvin shuts him down, okay, I suppose. Passive-aggressive agreement. Sociologists call this mitigated speech. One of the greatest causes of plane crashes for years was mitigated speech in a cockpit.

He's concerned about Floyd's safety, but he undercuts that concern with words that soften his alarm. I just worry about excited delirium or whatever. And then finally, after Chauvin shuts him down, okay, I suppose. Passive-aggressive agreement. Sociologists call this mitigated speech. One of the greatest causes of plane crashes for years was mitigated speech in a cockpit.

The first officer would see something dangerous and try to let the captain know, but he would do it in such a mitigated way that the captain wouldn't take the new information seriously. I wrote about one of those cases in my book, Outliers. It involved a 1982 Air Florida flight out of Washington, D.C., It was a snowy day. The plane had been in line for takeoff for an unusually long time.

The first officer would see something dangerous and try to let the captain know, but he would do it in such a mitigated way that the captain wouldn't take the new information seriously. I wrote about one of those cases in my book, Outliers. It involved a 1982 Air Florida flight out of Washington, D.C., It was a snowy day. The plane had been in line for takeoff for an unusually long time.