20 Unbelievable Human Rights Talks on TED
For many, college’s comparatively broad perspective means a burgeoning interest in social justice and human rights issues. It seems overwhelming at first, fathoming the barrage of atrocities committed every second of every day of every year — ones met with a resounding “meh” from privileged demographics more often than not. But intellectual havens such as TED offer up an inspiring forum for activists (and aspiring activists) pursuing ideas and insights. Students nurturing a very real interest in making the world a better place for all might find these and the site’s other offerings an excellent way to gauge the shape of things.
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Kristen Ashburn’s photos of AIDS
Today, many people tend to think of HIV/AIDS as a nebulous cause, far removed from “Western” society — an almost exclusively Third World issue. Such a mindset is patently false, of course, not to mention entirely dehumanizing to those suffering from the conditions. Kristen Ashburn’s intense stories and photographs put a heartbreaking face on the epidemic, chronicling her journeys through Zimbabwe and Botswana.
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Phil Borges on endangered cultures
Indigenous cultures and languages die out at a rate of one almost every two weeks, a horrifying statistic for human rights activists fighting against colonialism and exploitation. Photographer and former dentist Phil Borges brings viewers to some of peoples and places crushed beneath sociopolitical turmoil — paying particular attention to the Huaoroni of Ecuador and Buddhists exiled from Tibet and forced to live in Dharamsala. He hopes his efforts to preserve their ways of life through stories and photos will shed light on the very serious human rights issues associated with increased globalization.
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Erik Hersman on reporting crisis via texting
Human rights and technology come intrinsically intertwined, as the latter allows the former to spread quickly and bring more activists into the fold. The Ushahidi program, launched alongside Kenya’s 2008 election, utilizes Google Maps and text messaging to empower the people and help them track violence. Because it successfully combated the problem (though, of course, did not eradicate it completely), other African nations and NGOs – as well as Al Jazeera – adopted the system with the hope of spreading peace.
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Jacqueline Novogratz on escaping poverty
Acumen Fund founder and director Jacqueline Novogratz has spent the past two decades quelling poverty the world over, thinking much of the issue comes from a systemic lack of opportunities. Here, she shares a story from the Mathare Valley in Kenya, infamous for its squalor, drugs, prostitution and horrific violence. Former prostitute Jane dreams of marrying and working as a doctor; while she has yet to fully achieve her goals, Acumen Fund gifted her with the chance to start saving money for medical school.
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Ernest Madu on world-class health care
Access to reliable medical attention is a human right, not a privilege afforded to few, and yet many societies across the globe tragically think otherwise. Politicians, insurance companies and healthcare professionals cite costs for this phenomenon, but Dr. Ernest Madu of Kingston’s Heart Institute of the Caribbean devised a way to work around this excuse. In this illuminating, absolutely necessary lecture, he opens up about a typical day at the center and details exactly how the developing world still provides amazing, sustainable coverage to impoverished or struggling citizens.
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Jody Williams: A realistic vision for world peace
Fighting for peace is an admirable cause indeed, but it exists as such a broad concept finding the proper channels proves challenging to even the most ardent activist. This Nobel laureate, lauded for her projects removing landmines, admits that humanity as a whole is “so messed up” — yet she still persists and creates a compelling case for “reclaim[ing] what peace really means.” Losing its original meaning, Jody Williams argues, compromises sustainability and distracts from discovering the best possible routes towards instilling it.
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Auret van Heerden: Making global labor fair
The fair trade movement has gained a goodly amount of momentum over the years, exposing the poor conditions and harsh treatment of workers caught in rapid globalization. In his TED Talk, labor activist Auret van Heerden discusses cell phones, chocolate, diamonds, pharmaceuticals and other everyday items developed nations take for granted oftentimes begin life courtesy of child slaves and other exploited individuals. He offers up a compelling argument for improved regulation ensuring adequate pay and mentally and physically healthier work environments — a cause of critical importance to ensuring human rights worldwide.
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Sunitha Krishnan fights sex slavery
Stories of women — many of them merely children — shoved into a horrific life of sexual servitude and slavery stand at the forefront of Sunitha Krishnan’s absolutely necessary lecture. Sex trafficking banks billions of dollars yearly, forcing kidnapped or otherwise exploited females into rape, sexual assault, violence and pornography; this lecture peels back the very real horrors of several victims brave enough to speak out. Krishnan herself opens up about what she went through with the hopes of dissolving the unfair stigma of victimhood.
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Tony Porter: A call to men
Impassioned activist and teacher Tony Porter explores his personal experiences as a reflection of arbitrary perceptions of masculinity. He and other activists crusading against rape and sexual assault realize that one of the most effective ways of curbing the issue involves completely redefining what it means to be a man — something he strives for through comprehensive education. Men putting forth the effort to understand, respect and consider women equals play an integral role in ending worldwide sexual violence for good.
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Devdutt Pattanaik: East vs. West — the myths that mystify
Perpetuating misunderstandings and stereotypes acts as a stepping stone towards discord, violence and human rights violations. Devdutt Pattanaik believes societies in the “East” and the “West” are both at fault when it comes to spreading falsehood and prejudice, dedicating his TED time to revealing the truth. Religion and perceptions of death, he argues, factor significantly into the divide.
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Elizabeth Pisani: Sex, drugs and HIV — let’s get rational
Elizabeth Pisani speaks frankly about HIV/AIDS and how it spreads across populations the world over — and not just developing nations. Her tireless work amongst demographics most prone to the disease led her to completely rethink how governments address the issue. Many of supposedly valuable, effective programs surprisingly render the plight even worse.
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Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world
So much press time goes towards decrying video games as ground zero for violent, antisocial tendencies, mainstream society largely ignores their positive elements. Collaborative activities found on Xbox Live and World of Warcraft nurture communication skills, group goal setting and force participants to set aside differences and iron out conflicts if they hope to achieve anything. Jane McGonigal argues that such phenomena on a micro level can very easily inspire the macro — provided people set aside their prejudices against the video game medium and open their minds to the myriad lessons they offer.
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John Hunter on the World Peace Game
The World Peace Game places serious global issues on a 4′x5′ slab of plywood and allowing fourth graders a chance to formulate solutions; Chris Farina even directed a film about it, titled World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements. While working in an inner-city school in 1978, John Hunter challenged his students to play it during a lesson on Africa and its diaspora. What resulted was a transcendent experience fraught with spontaneity, creativity and — above all — some surprisingly viable strategies for solving the world’s problems.
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Jose Abreau on kids transformed by music
El Sistema, founded in 1975, provided (and continues to provide) thousands of Venezuelan children opportunities for higher education and self-improvement through orchestral training. Jose Antonio Abreau masterminded the project, using his TED Prize speech as a pulpit celebrating its success and opining positively on its future. He earnestly believes implementing such a program worldwide will mean even more amazing things for impoverished and struggling kids often unfairly caught in society’s margins.
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Karen Armstrong: Let’s revive the Golden Rule
One need not adhere to any sort of religious credo to promote and live within the Golden Rule’s main tenet — and even those who do oftentimes dismiss it in favor of spitefully vomiting dogma in nonbelievers’ faces. Yet TED Prize winner Karen Armstrong looks optimistically at the role faith might one day play in uniting society, believing the ancient credo a key to sustainable peace and understanding. All it takes is a shift in focus from arguing over minute details over to fostering love and compassion; which is, of course, supposedly the core goal of most major religions.
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Kevin Bales: How to combat modern slavery
Slavery continues on every inhabited continent, with Asia, South America and Africa harboring the most men, women and children — though Australia, Europe and North America still have to address the issue despite frequently ignoring it. Easily one of the most disconcerting elements of the contemporary slave trade revolves around economics, as today’s wrongly dehumanized individuals actually fetch a far, far lower price than their predecessors. Free the Slaves co-founder Kevin Bales straightforwardly lays out all findings gleaned from firsthand visits and research and outlines a solid plan for eradicating the atrocity permanently.
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Louise Fresco on feeding the whole world
Many times, it seems as of artisanal mom-and-pop establishments and international conglomerates peddling mass-produced items can’t coexist peacefully. Louise Fresco believes otherwise, offering up a spirited argument that both play an integral role in global economics. Combining sustainability initiatives found in the former with the supply lines of the latter might very well revolutionize how nations address the hunger epidemic.
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Mallika Sarabhai: Dance to change the world
Both the performing and visual arts exist as amazing — not to mention absolutely necessary — conduits for promoting political and social awareness and, subsequently, change. Through storytelling, film and dance, this politician hopes to inspire her people to taking action and instilling permanent solutions. In her mind, exposing the populace to creative pursuits will lead to an eventual dissolving of violence and discord.
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Mechai Viravaidya: How Mr. Condom made Thailand a better place
Mechai Viravaidya, alias Mr. Condom, responded to Thailand’s clarion call for an improved standard of living through birth control. Since 1974, he has teamed up with religious leaders and educators alike in order to teach the populace about preventing unwanted pregnancies and most sexually-transmitted conditions — and seeing a significant drop in both, including HIV/AIDS. The secret to Viravaidya’s success is actually exceptionally simple; a little humor and a lot of blunt discussions about sex, completely void of stigma and ridicule does the trick quite well.
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Mother and daughter doctor-heroes: Hawa Abdi + Deqo Mohamed
Somalia suffers beneath a crushing civil war, wrenching poverty and some of the absolute worst women’s rights on the planet; and even with such challenges working against them, Dr. Hawa Abdi and her two daughters (Dr. Deqo Mohamed and Dr. Amina Mohamed) still bring its citizens healthcare and education. The absolutely amazing trio own and operate a school and hospital serving the 90,000 refugees “in [their] backyard.” Both institutions provide anyone requiring their assistance all the attention they need for a healthier life and greater opportunities.
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