Malcolm Gladwell

How did you get into writing about raccoons?

I'm talking with intrepid investigative reporter for the Toronto Star, Amy Dempsey-Raven. Typically, she covers police wrongdoing, child welfare, controversial homicides. But in 2016, when Toronto declared a war on raccoons and unveiled a new raccoon-resistant composting bin, she realized it's time to get serious.

I'm talking with intrepid investigative reporter for the Toronto Star, Amy Dempsey-Raven. Typically, she covers police wrongdoing, child welfare, controversial homicides. But in 2016, when Toronto declared a war on raccoons and unveiled a new raccoon-resistant composting bin, she realized it's time to get serious.

This raccoon-resistant bin cost the city 31 million Canadian dollars. But Toronto is known as the raccoon capital of the world. Theoretically, it's a point of pride, but it's a little more complicated than that. If a race of Martians took over your city, would you call it the Martian capital of the world? Only if you'd already admitted defeat.

This raccoon-resistant bin cost the city 31 million Canadian dollars. But Toronto is known as the raccoon capital of the world. Theoretically, it's a point of pride, but it's a little more complicated than that. If a race of Martians took over your city, would you call it the Martian capital of the world? Only if you'd already admitted defeat.

That was about 40 years ago. Things have gotten much, much worse.

That was about 40 years ago. Things have gotten much, much worse.

Raccoons in the garbage. Raccoons on the train. Raccoons on the back deck.

Raccoons in the garbage. Raccoons on the train. Raccoons on the back deck.

Raccoons have taken over the attics in a whole street of houses and refused to leave. They brought traffic to a screeching halt on Toronto's highways and just stood there. They figured out how to open doors to houses and refrigerators and stood on top of countertops, leftovers in their paws, staring at freaked out homeowners as if to say, if I wanted you here, I would have rung the bell.

Raccoons have taken over the attics in a whole street of houses and refused to leave. They brought traffic to a screeching halt on Toronto's highways and just stood there. They figured out how to open doors to houses and refrigerators and stood on top of countertops, leftovers in their paws, staring at freaked out homeowners as if to say, if I wanted you here, I would have rung the bell.

Hence the pricey raccoon-resistant bins, which surely no raccoon would be able to open.

Hence the pricey raccoon-resistant bins, which surely no raccoon would be able to open.

Amy found herself wondering, how are raccoons smart enough to open that bin? This was the question a historian of science had found himself wondering one night when he looked at his back deck in Toronto and saw compost all over the place. He had an earlier version of the compost bin, but here too, the raccoons had picked the lock. Are they really just that smart? It turned out nobody really knew.

Amy found herself wondering, how are raccoons smart enough to open that bin? This was the question a historian of science had found himself wondering one night when he looked at his back deck in Toronto and saw compost all over the place. He had an earlier version of the compost bin, but here too, the raccoons had picked the lock. Are they really just that smart? It turned out nobody really knew.

Raccoons had hardly been studied, basically not at all compared to other animals like, say, rats or monkeys. This historian wanted to know why. The midnight raid on his compost bin would set in motion a sequence of events that in my own estimation have come to topple an entire century of psychological theory and restored the raccoon to its proper place.

Raccoons had hardly been studied, basically not at all compared to other animals like, say, rats or monkeys. This historian wanted to know why. The midnight raid on his compost bin would set in motion a sequence of events that in my own estimation have come to topple an entire century of psychological theory and restored the raccoon to its proper place.

the dead center of how we understand human beings.

the dead center of how we understand human beings.

Many historians of science will write about the greats. Einstein, Freud, Oppenheimer, the kind of research project not usually begun while scooping up trash in your bathrobe on your back deck in Toronto. But Michael Pettit's always gotten into things sideways.