- Rick Williams
- Lady Lake, FL
- United States
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The TED Effect - It can make the world a better place by introducing the masses to insightful, well thought-out ideas and concepts
Every time I come to TED, I see a new video that expands my understanding of the world beyond the scope of my own life experience. The ideas that come with these talks are compelling and make a lot of sense, but what is most evident is the productive nature of what you're hearing. The speakers often present a problem that they have come across, explain what they learned as they have worked through said problem, then provide real and insightful solutions.
This in stark contrast to what I'm usually... subjected to... in the modern media. While we all need our dose of mindless and inane entertainment, we also need our dose of intelligent, thought-provoking ideas to keep our brains on the higher end of the wit-o-meter. Network television, as far as I've found, is a barren wasteland when it comes to intelligent entertainment. Network News channels are filled with rhetoric, spin, and double-talk. Entertainment channels have been gradually devolving into the oft-shameful spectacle that is reality TV. The closest you can get to intelligent entertainment are shows akin to How-Its-Made or Income Property(where the actual process of how sub-standard homes are renovated is shown in a semi-step-by-step process). What this means is that, in the absence of regular contact with well thought out ideas, the perception of what the world is about is becoming skewed to the more mindless end of the spectrum.
Without being able to see people talk about the world in a way such as they do on TED, it is easy to lower your standards to expect very little of society or life in general. Every time I come to TED, I walk away with my mind buzzing over how brilliant what I just heard was. I'm inspired to make a difference, or even if I don't make a huge difference such as Jacky. Novo., I'm at least inspired to be a better, more thoughtful person throughout my daily life.
What do you think? Is TED providing an inlet of smart entertainment in a world where it is sorely needed?
