In January, I was announced as a 2024 TED speaker in Vancouver. Predictably, a small group of very loud people were angry—mostly on Twitter. Then, five TED fellows resigned. They wrote a letter to the head of TED, Chris Anderson, titled: “TED Fellows Refuse to Be Associated with Genocide Apologists
As sure as night follows day, Bari’s superb talk was immediately followed by the obligatory mealy-mouthed “pushback“ that implied that Bari and her like-minded allies somehow don’t care about people who might be suffering. Ugh.
Between this, and their mistreatment of Coleman Hughes, the TED organization may well be irredeemable.
Free speech and the freedom to express oneself are a threat to a small faction of humans. The same people are intolerant of ideas they do not understand, or are unwilling to analyze and comprehend. Bigots and fascists abound everywhere. When speech is labeled equivalent to violence, you know we have reached a new depth of stupid and dangerous. Yesterday's jack booted brown shirts and today's thin skinned and intellectually weak and dishonest whiners.
It was a beautiful TED talk. My concern is you say we should all listen to TED talks but you that you are about as far conservative as they want to go. I love most of your ideas. I certainly enjoy listening to you, but I don’t want to listen to, TED talks if you are as conservative as they allow.
You frequently state that schools should not have been shut down during COVID. I assume this is because of the very low levels of hospitalization and death among young children.
Are there other people, more vulnerable, in those same schools? What should have been done about them? I would really like an answer to this. I've posed it to many (online) who advocated for no school shutdowns. I have not yet received an answer to this question, which as a former engineer in the medical device industry, would have been an obvious and basic question for any proposal in that industry: Who could be injured and how badly? How can we eliminate or mitigate those harms?
As the spouse of a retired public elementary school teacher (who was in her 60s during COVID), this was an important question to me.
In addition, as any parent knows, schools and school children are extremely effective disease vectors/spreaders. What about the people, more vulnerable, who live with those school students?
Blanket statements that "schools shouldn't have been shut down" seem very narrow and thoughtless to me.
The brief after-talk Q&A was instructive. The primary argument posed against free speech and open inquiry seems to be grounded in excessive empathy: bite your tongue and self-censor so as not to upset other people's feelings--which apparently is the same thing as challenging their "identity". Thus, while I agree with Bari that we need to be courageous speakers, perhaps what we need more are courageous listeners. When someone disagrees with you (or me), that is not a personal attack; it is just a difference of opinion. To love and respect someone--or some group of people--is not to always express agreement with them. Instead, love and respect is expressed through honest and open dialog and ultimate acceptance of who we differently are.
You unfortunately missed the part where, in your "moderation" you condoned and maybe even enabled the demonization of the other side. You claim that you are pro-choice but support European laws (abortion illegal after 13+/- weeks), but you don't say a word about Planned Parenthood as it demonizes anyone on the Right who might say, rightly, that abortion in the 9th month is infanticide. You were happy to march along with the pussy-hats led by openly anti-semitic Linda Sarsour because it was against Trump and the "hand-maids tale" Right, which is pure fiction. You never once made a stand that maybe your fellow Americans have a point and that demonizing them is wrong. You've never once said that Planned Parenthood's stance is morally bankrupt and has resulted in the deaths of countless (mostly) Black babies.
It isn't enough to "bravely" hold "moderate" opinions. You need to stand up against the demonization. You need to say enough is enough. Sure, you run articles about child mutilation, anti-semitism, and the government-industrial censorship cartel, but you don't show any indication that Biden is not your man although he supports all those things. You might pine for Hillary but remember, she is Bill's enabler, friend of Weinstein and Epstein and author of the Russiagate hoax. She is no paragon. You'll vote for Joe or Hillary and demonize Trump. For me, I'll vote against child mutilation, censorship, abortion on demand at any time, Hamas, anti-semitism, press lies, even if it means some mean tweets that I hate.
This is beautifully spoken, Bari, and it is so important that you did this. I’m sure it took courage, but thank you for mustering it and for your wise words. It is to TED’s credit that they invited you and to yours that you used the opportunity so well.
As sure as night follows day, Bari’s superb talk was immediately followed by the obligatory mealy-mouthed “pushback“ that implied that Bari and her like-minded allies somehow don’t care about people who might be suffering. Ugh.
Between this, and their mistreatment of Coleman Hughes, the TED organization may well be irredeemable.
Free speech and the freedom to express oneself are a threat to a small faction of humans. The same people are intolerant of ideas they do not understand, or are unwilling to analyze and comprehend. Bigots and fascists abound everywhere. When speech is labeled equivalent to violence, you know we have reached a new depth of stupid and dangerous. Yesterday's jack booted brown shirts and today's thin skinned and intellectually weak and dishonest whiners.
I believe in about 99% of the things you mentioned and it is shocking that your beliefs are considered provocative by this TED talk crew. Sad.
Excellent speech! Thank you for your courage!
People who grew up knowing nothing but the comforts of civilization fail to appreciate that paper-thin line.
It was a beautiful TED talk. My concern is you say we should all listen to TED talks but you that you are about as far conservative as they want to go. I love most of your ideas. I certainly enjoy listening to you, but I don’t want to listen to, TED talks if you are as conservative as they allow.
Hi Bari,
Love your work. You are a superb speaker.
You frequently state that schools should not have been shut down during COVID. I assume this is because of the very low levels of hospitalization and death among young children.
Are there other people, more vulnerable, in those same schools? What should have been done about them? I would really like an answer to this. I've posed it to many (online) who advocated for no school shutdowns. I have not yet received an answer to this question, which as a former engineer in the medical device industry, would have been an obvious and basic question for any proposal in that industry: Who could be injured and how badly? How can we eliminate or mitigate those harms?
As the spouse of a retired public elementary school teacher (who was in her 60s during COVID), this was an important question to me.
In addition, as any parent knows, schools and school children are extremely effective disease vectors/spreaders. What about the people, more vulnerable, who live with those school students?
Blanket statements that "schools shouldn't have been shut down" seem very narrow and thoughtless to me.
The brief after-talk Q&A was instructive. The primary argument posed against free speech and open inquiry seems to be grounded in excessive empathy: bite your tongue and self-censor so as not to upset other people's feelings--which apparently is the same thing as challenging their "identity". Thus, while I agree with Bari that we need to be courageous speakers, perhaps what we need more are courageous listeners. When someone disagrees with you (or me), that is not a personal attack; it is just a difference of opinion. To love and respect someone--or some group of people--is not to always express agreement with them. Instead, love and respect is expressed through honest and open dialog and ultimate acceptance of who we differently are.
You unfortunately missed the part where, in your "moderation" you condoned and maybe even enabled the demonization of the other side. You claim that you are pro-choice but support European laws (abortion illegal after 13+/- weeks), but you don't say a word about Planned Parenthood as it demonizes anyone on the Right who might say, rightly, that abortion in the 9th month is infanticide. You were happy to march along with the pussy-hats led by openly anti-semitic Linda Sarsour because it was against Trump and the "hand-maids tale" Right, which is pure fiction. You never once made a stand that maybe your fellow Americans have a point and that demonizing them is wrong. You've never once said that Planned Parenthood's stance is morally bankrupt and has resulted in the deaths of countless (mostly) Black babies.
It isn't enough to "bravely" hold "moderate" opinions. You need to stand up against the demonization. You need to say enough is enough. Sure, you run articles about child mutilation, anti-semitism, and the government-industrial censorship cartel, but you don't show any indication that Biden is not your man although he supports all those things. You might pine for Hillary but remember, she is Bill's enabler, friend of Weinstein and Epstein and author of the Russiagate hoax. She is no paragon. You'll vote for Joe or Hillary and demonize Trump. For me, I'll vote against child mutilation, censorship, abortion on demand at any time, Hamas, anti-semitism, press lies, even if it means some mean tweets that I hate.
This is beautifully spoken, Bari, and it is so important that you did this. I’m sure it took courage, but thank you for mustering it and for your wise words. It is to TED’s credit that they invited you and to yours that you used the opportunity so well.
Are TED talks still a thing? I watched a few of these 10+ years ago and felt they were weak and thin presentations meant only to celebrate elitism.
I admire your ability to see the other side. Can this be possible in others? Or is it because you grew up in a politically different household?
Wonderful talk. The first few minutes enumerating your beliefs is brilliant for its clarity alone. Thank you for being my favorite "provacateauer."
Heartily agreed, but to correct your French « provocateuse »