Malcolm Gladwell

The vernacular.

That idea as well. No, it's funny, because I'm making the same, on some level, observations you are as a child, but I have no... What sidetracks me at that age is not how people are speaking, but how they're explaining things. I get obsessed in the same way that you, I think, it's funny, in the same way that you get obsessed with how your people are expressing themselves. Grammar, yeah.

That idea as well. No, it's funny, because I'm making the same, on some level, observations you are as a child, but I have no... What sidetracks me at that age is not how people are speaking, but how they're explaining things. I get obsessed in the same way that you, I think, it's funny, in the same way that you get obsessed with how your people are expressing themselves. Grammar, yeah.

To me, it was about, we're playing hearts and our cousin doesn't know how to play hearts and my brother starts explaining hearts to my cousin. He's doing it all wrong. That was my obsession. I'm six, I'm just like, why, why, start with the point of the game. Like, what are you doing? You know, like that. And I realized how deeply kind of... And it bothered you? Oh, to this day, it works.

To me, it was about, we're playing hearts and our cousin doesn't know how to play hearts and my brother starts explaining hearts to my cousin. He's doing it all wrong. That was my obsession. I'm six, I'm just like, why, why, start with the point of the game. Like, what are you doing? You know, like that. And I realized how deeply kind of... And it bothered you? Oh, to this day, it works.

I get bothered by it.

I get bothered by it.

No, no, no. The surest way for me to completely lose my cool is to read instructions that someone has written for something. Just like, what is this? I mean, come on. I want to call up the company and volunteer my services. We'll be right back with more of my conversation with John McWhorter. I want to talk a little bit about your, and by the way,

No, no, no. The surest way for me to completely lose my cool is to read instructions that someone has written for something. Just like, what is this? I mean, come on. I want to call up the company and volunteer my services. We'll be right back with more of my conversation with John McWhorter. I want to talk a little bit about your, and by the way,

I always find this question, if it's asked of me, deeply annoying. So you don't have to answer it if you don't want to. But I wanted to talk about your kind of place in the culture right now, which is really interesting to me. And I have a grand unified John McWhorter theory.

I always find this question, if it's asked of me, deeply annoying. So you don't have to answer it if you don't want to. But I wanted to talk about your kind of place in the culture right now, which is really interesting to me. And I have a grand unified John McWhorter theory.

Here's my theory. At any given moment in sort of popular culture or intellectual popular culture, there is someone who is allowed to get away with saying anything. You're that person. I think you get to say whatever you want. For a variety of reasons, which I'd like you to unpack.

Here's my theory. At any given moment in sort of popular culture or intellectual popular culture, there is someone who is allowed to get away with saying anything. You're that person. I think you get to say whatever you want. For a variety of reasons, which I'd like you to unpack.

Well, you wrote a beautiful, was it an op-ed? I can't remember where you wrote it. a thing about your own experience with affirmative action. Yes. Nobody else could write that. True. You write about... You, in your column, are constantly... in a very beautiful way, kind of setting down the rules for discourse, particularly around your code-switching column of yesterday.

Well, you wrote a beautiful, was it an op-ed? I can't remember where you wrote it. a thing about your own experience with affirmative action. Yes. Nobody else could write that. True. You write about... You, in your column, are constantly... in a very beautiful way, kind of setting down the rules for discourse, particularly around your code-switching column of yesterday.

Like, all right, you're not allowed to do that. You're going to do it this way.

Like, all right, you're not allowed to do that. You're going to do it this way.

Jasmine Crockett. You said very gently and nicely, you said to her, come on now. You get to do that. I do. You know what? Who else can do that?

Jasmine Crockett. You said very gently and nicely, you said to her, come on now. You get to do that. I do. You know what? Who else can do that?

Yeah.