TED Community » Kanisk Chakraborty

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Science, Art, Technology, Music, Computers, Photography, Writing

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• A comment on Conversation: What can we do and what do we do about bullying?

  Jul 13 2012: I like how you've paralleled the gaming experience to bullying.
  
  By doing so, you've highlighted something that made me gain perspective on the nature of bullying. People bully those who they deem susceptible. Usually bullies are insecure about something, hence they pick on ones who they think are easy catch for them.
  
  You may agree, or disagree, but I think that the motivation to constantly kill the noobs in games developed from the fact that we are insecure of dying and being called noobs ourselves. Since, killing LatinLupe752 gave you a window to escape out of that insecurity pretty easily (plus you were rewarded!), you chose that path.
  
  Similarly, in the real world, most bullies have intentions that are almost always directly connected to their insecurity. Shown in a lot of movies (from real life experiences), most bullies pick on others because they feel threatened by their victim subconsciously. Some everyday examples are:
  -(verbal) bullying of someone good looking if he/she happens to be around your love interest
  -(verbal) bullying of co-workers in an office environment if he/she starts to become popular with the boss
  -(physical) bullying in school because teens need to create hierarchy, and the only tools in their arsenal in strength
  -(cyber) bullying throughout the internet, and something you've provided an example on (although not the best)
  
  Now that we know the stem of it, we can try to find ways to eradicate it. How? I think someone else mentioned that it depends on the upbringing. Now I'm no parent, just a high school student, so here are just some things that I think could be useful:
  -raising in an open environment without being scared of anything particular
  -are explained their roles in society, and as future citizens
  -are encouraged to talk about daily experiences so that adults can help
  -are brought up with good sources of knowledge such as educational cartoons (not the violent games; following the ESRB ratings for movies/games helps

• A reply on Conversation: Working children: should we prohibit, permit or promote it.

  Jul 12 2012: Well hey, I didn't just say "old enough". By age, I was referring to the time it would take to gain adequate experience, which in-turn translates to a B./M./Phd. in their fields. On what basis will a child gain entry to a "well-paying" job? Will they have proof of mastery in the field which they are pursuing their jobs? No. The only jobs one can get without proof is labor-something which exists, and is classified as "under the table money".
  
  Experience is the key word here.
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  A reply on Conversation: What do you think is the biggest technological challenge the human race will face in the next 30 years?

  Jul 12 2012: I don't know if you got the reply (seems that the system only allows for a max of 3 replies;yes I'm new here). I'll try to condense whatever I said.
  
  You seem to be basing the future thinking that there will be more people like you, who are smart and grasp things much quicker than their peers. But, you must also take into consideration the fact that there will be people who are a complete polar opposite to your image of kids in the future (in most real life cases, there seems to be an abundance of people like these for reasons, unexplained). The amount of distractions the avg student faces now is 100x what was before, and the likelihood of that number going higher is inevitable. Not every person is going to be interested in what you think they might be (this is where the disconnect comes in). You'd want your son to be watching videos on quantum mechanics, but (and let's hope not), maybe they'll end up being fanatics of Justin Bieber's son, and watch youtube videos of them on "hovering" telescreens.

• A reply on Conversation: Why is it socially acceptable to complain but not talk up successes?

  Jul 12 2012: Most of my examples are ideas referring to the years of studies scientists have performed on human behavior, natural selection, and hierarchy. So, indeed, it will be hard for me to prove that without specificity and delving into statistics. But they are somewhere there, I remember reading these in my Bio classes. These characteristics are innate primarily because we've been doing this for centuries.
  
  However, some of them are insight from my own trials and errors. I have seen that when people share their failures, deep down inside, I have this feeling that I am more successful than them because I haven't failed yet. If not that, I certainly get a confidence boost.
  
  Similarly, when someone tries to rub in their success stories, at times, I find myself agitated, but maintain my composure. During collaborative school projects, if the other student does something that makes us stand out, then I'm happy, but again, deep down, I feel "what if I was the one who thought of that".

• A reply on Conversation: Working children: should we prohibit, permit or promote it.

  Jul 12 2012: Well, for point #5, I'm thinking more from the point of view of a 15 year old kid, where they, "lets say" are still learning about the importance of money. If they require money to go out with friends, for instance, and the parents don't provide it, they will take up these jobs just for the money aspect, and not for the fruitful experience.
  
  As for point #7, I agree with you, children can do jobs that are other than menial tasks. But I'm saying that it is next to impossible for kids to do complicated jobs. Our world, with a population of upwards 7bn+, already has adults who are accomplished enough to do difficult jobs. When a certain amount of these adults don't make it to that high-tier job, a lot of them try the low-tier jobs. An employer would most certainly pick the more "experienced" and "accomplished" adult for the task than the child, who at his/her age shouldn't be thinking about money anyways, but rather gaining experience and knowledge of his field of interest.
  
  And for the matter of high tier jobs, I think we all know that no industrialist/wall st. corporate/etc will be placing a 13 year old on a directors seat, just because they've desired to experience things.
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  A comment on Conversation: Working children: should we prohibit, permit or promote it.

  Jul 12 2012: for the majority of the world, I think it should not be permitted. For places where their situation urges, well that's a different issue all together.
  
  Let's see, here are a list of +/- points if it is permitted:
  
  -kids decide for themselves if they want to participate and experience work
  -learn the value of money, hard work
  -some might have no other option due to their family background/environment
  -hone real life skills, as mentioned by "Sir Ken Robinson"
  -if promoted too much, some kids might fall prey to the instant gratification of receiving money, and the whole learning process may backfire
  -chance of employers exploiting them
  -there is a lack of jobs in the market, inclusion of kids will only serve to increase competition for the jobs
  -then again, there is also the fact that most of them won't be qualified to do anything other than menial labor
  -which gets us to the point where we see that a lot of parents (like mine) have tried to teach their kids by providing them allowance money for doing things like household chores, which is like working, and is done in a controlled environment, under the supervision of parents.
  
  So, all in all, it is circumstantially determined-depending on the individual to take up work, or on situations where basic resources are not accessible. But, for rest of the "resourceful" world, it won't serve any purpose. I'm a high-school student, and I'm overwhelmed with coursework, study material, extracurricular activities, social engagement etc. there is no where I can place work in my schedule apart from the summer holidays-something I've definitely taken advantage of, doing a few unpaid internships at local companies, and finding universities to serve as assistant to 4th year students in my field of interest. But, then again, you can do all these to gain experience without permitting child labor. Some of my friends haven't even started thinking about work. So, IMO, I would prohibit, although depending on various conditions.
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  A comment on Conversation: Is there such a thing as a bad person?

  Jul 12 2012: There is no such thing as darkness-it is classified as being the absence of light. Similarly, there is no such bad person, just absence of good deeds.
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  A comment on Conversation: Why is it socially acceptable to complain but not talk up successes?

  Jul 11 2012: Obviously, it is not bad to share success as it is inspirational/eye opening (much like TED), and I think it should be more socially acceptable. It's just that humans, by nature, are competitive. From the very first day, man was pitted against everything else on this world-even their own kind. If one had the necessary resources, their generation would move on to survive, while the others suffered. People fought for things from the very beginning in order to dominate, and move ahead in the food chain.
  
  Same thing here, although no food chain involved because we've grown far ahead than that. The people of this generation are bombarded with preconceived notions, stereotypes and the likes, which they must fall into because that's how it all "works". They are born insecure. Therefore, sharing different kinds of insecurities, such as ones regarding to failure, is perfectly acceptable to almost anyone-irrespective of a competitive, or collaborative society. People say they don't, but most of them, when hearing about others failures, actually feel good inside. Because that is how we are programmed to accept others failures-it gives us the false satisfaction on thinking of ourselves as being higher on the "chain" than them.
  
  Similarly, when we hear about others success, our natural reaction is to tell them to stop because it is playing on our insecurities. In a competitive work environment, if one gets the promotion and the other doesn't, he/she starts to get flooded by the idea of being worse than the other-and that angers them. In a collaborative environment, if one person has better achievements, then the other, even though not angry, does feel some amount of regret that he/she was not the one to achieve.
  
  Since these characteristics are innate, it is hard for change to be quick. However, as the population advances further with their open minds and changing social norms, everything will soon fall into place, hopefully.

• A reply on Conversation: What do you think is the biggest technological challenge the human race will face in the next 30 years?

  Jul 11 2012: Hmm.. well there isn't anything wrong with that, I agree (well, primarily because I'm a kid myself :) )
  Having resources like KhanAcademy and the likes just a click away has been truly beneficial for my studies.
  
  But, I have a feeling that this might turn out deleterious in the future-primarily because of the young age of the kids. Becoming independent is great, and a crucial step forward in life. However, technology might create that barrier between the parents and the kids. They will be smart, but they will become their own bosses, doing what they think is right, and what google thinks is right-which is not always correct.
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  A comment on Conversation: What do you think is the biggest technological challenge the human race will face in the next 30 years?

  Jul 5 2012: Not technological, although would be caused due to technology-disconnect between the younger and older generations. Even though there has been some disconnect between past generations, the one in the future will be more drastic.
  
  The kids will be able to access the internet, and therefore, information, at a much younger age which could cause them to rely more on technology than their guardians. When they will need to know the meaning of something, they will simply do voice searches on google to find out the answer. The idea is a stretch, I agree. But it is very much possible for something like that to happen if things aren't moderated-something most parents don't think of with internet/gadgets/technology (unless they've had first hand experience), or simply don't know how to.