Malcolm Gladwell

Chauvin crouches down next to the prone boy and puts his knee on the boy's neck. Then he just sits there. There are at least six officers at the scene. At this point, most of them have filed out of the room as if they can't stomach what's happening. One of the remaining officers turns his body cam to the wall. Chauvin keeps his knee on the boy's neck for 15 minutes.

Chauvin crouches down next to the prone boy and puts his knee on the boy's neck. Then he just sits there. There are at least six officers at the scene. At this point, most of them have filed out of the room as if they can't stomach what's happening. One of the remaining officers turns his body cam to the wall. Chauvin keeps his knee on the boy's neck for 15 minutes.

Even after the paramedics arrive and the boy explains to them that he blacked out after he was choked and that his ear is bleeding, Chauvin remains on the boy's neck, frozen. The boy is eventually rescued and he's finally able to get up and walk away. I have watched that body cam footage more times than I can count.

Even after the paramedics arrive and the boy explains to them that he blacked out after he was choked and that his ear is bleeding, Chauvin remains on the boy's neck, frozen. The boy is eventually rescued and he's finally able to get up and walk away. I have watched that body cam footage more times than I can count.

And every time I find myself crying at the end, in a way that I never did with George Floyd. Not because it's worse than George Floyd, because of course it isn't, but because it's about a boy. And it was all recorded on tape years before it happened again. A former U.S. attorney named Amanda Sertich examined the video while prosecuting Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.

And every time I find myself crying at the end, in a way that I never did with George Floyd. Not because it's worse than George Floyd, because of course it isn't, but because it's about a boy. And it was all recorded on tape years before it happened again. A former U.S. attorney named Amanda Sertich examined the video while prosecuting Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.

There's another reason I found that tape so heartbreaking, something that I did not expect myself to feel, and something I cannot entirely explain. I felt an overwhelming wave of pity for Derek Chauvin, a man who sees every action as a threat, who cannot tell the difference between fear and aggression, who looks at a boy on his phone in his bedroom and sees a monster.

There's another reason I found that tape so heartbreaking, something that I did not expect myself to feel, and something I cannot entirely explain. I felt an overwhelming wave of pity for Derek Chauvin, a man who sees every action as a threat, who cannot tell the difference between fear and aggression, who looks at a boy on his phone in his bedroom and sees a monster.

That is a dark, joyless place for anyone to find themselves imprisoned. And by what tragic failure of administration did a man who showed on videotape that he cannot do the single most important thing that a police officer needs to do to be a police officer remain on the force for three more years? until he killed someone in cold blood. That's next week.

That is a dark, joyless place for anyone to find themselves imprisoned. And by what tragic failure of administration did a man who showed on videotape that he cannot do the single most important thing that a police officer needs to do to be a police officer remain on the force for three more years? until he killed someone in cold blood. That's next week.

Revisionist History is produced by Nina Bird Lawrence, Lucy Sullivan, and Ben Nadaf-Haffrey. Our editor is Karen Shakerji. Fact-checking by Sam Rusick. Engineering, Nina Bird Lawrence. Mixing and mastering on this episode by Jake Gorski. Production support from Luke Lamond. Thank you to Mikhail Leibovitch. Our executive producer is Jacob Smith. Special thanks to Sarah Nix.

Revisionist History is produced by Nina Bird Lawrence, Lucy Sullivan, and Ben Nadaf-Haffrey. Our editor is Karen Shakerji. Fact-checking by Sam Rusick. Engineering, Nina Bird Lawrence. Mixing and mastering on this episode by Jake Gorski. Production support from Luke Lamond. Thank you to Mikhail Leibovitch. Our executive producer is Jacob Smith. Special thanks to Sarah Nix.

And El Hafei, Greta Cohn. I'm Malcolm Gladwell. Get ad-free episodes of Revisionist History by subscribing to Pushkin Plus. Sign up on the show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm. Pushkin Plus subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.

And El Hafei, Greta Cohn. I'm Malcolm Gladwell. Get ad-free episodes of Revisionist History by subscribing to Pushkin Plus. Sign up on the show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm. Pushkin Plus subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.

Pushkin. Hello, hello. Malcolm Gladwell here to give you a preview of the upcoming season of Revisionist History, where we once again go where no podcast has ever been so foolish to go.

Pushkin. Hello, hello. Malcolm Gladwell here to give you a preview of the upcoming season of Revisionist History, where we once again go where no podcast has ever been so foolish to go.

You heard that correctly. Paw Patrol. Me and my three-year-old will defend one of the world's most popular children's television shows against its critics. Then we get serious. It's been five years since the death of George Floyd. We're going to go back and tell that story from a different perspective.

You heard that correctly. Paw Patrol. Me and my three-year-old will defend one of the world's most popular children's television shows against its critics. Then we get serious. It's been five years since the death of George Floyd. We're going to go back and tell that story from a different perspective.

Ben Nadaf-Haffrey, my esteemed colleague, will launch a detailed investigation into Thomas' English muffins.

Ben Nadaf-Haffrey, my esteemed colleague, will launch a detailed investigation into Thomas' English muffins.