We had pledged that, while researching this book, we would never reduce ourselves to driving round in a car, staring at people out of the window and making wild generalisations. But we were pushed for time
March 14, 2013 § Leave a comment
But what I really hate about TED talks is the curating of ideas that it represents. I realize that any gatekeeper will do this, but I’m particularly concerned about the TED byline, “Ideas Worth Spreading”. According to whom?
Who gets invited to those things? Whose ideas are interesting but non-threatening enough for the TED audience?
And how often do other, rawer ideas get ignored? How appealing do I have to make my idea to rich people in order to be an insider in this mini self-congratulatory universe?
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about written by a woman who was uninvited to give a TED talk under suspicious circumstances. Granted, it’s a TEDx situation, but it’s the same problem. The paragraph I worry about most:
Looking back, I must admit that upon learning of this invitation some of my colleagues and I questioned TEDx Manhattan’s commitment to serving as a platform for looking at our food system from a non-privileged perspective. Changing the Way We Eat is not a venue for the common person. The website makes no mention of available scholarships to enable low-income people or students to attend the pricey one day conference. Not only must attendees pay $135 for the privilege of sitting and listening, they also have to apply, explaining why they deserve to be part of the audience and then hope to be selected! read more
PHOTOGRAPH: Daniela Pineda
my nerves are bad to-night 
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