TED Community » Tiara Shafiq

More About Me

I'm passionate about

People being able to represent themselves, their identities, and their stories however they want without obstructions

An idea worth spreading

Eliminate visas. Seriously, what's the point of restricting travel to those already super-privileged anyway?

Talk to me about

Performance art, gender, sexuality, queer issues, race & culture, intersectionality, burlesque, creative blogging, awesomeness, feminism, grassroots socio-politics

People don't know that I'm good at

Likely adapting to new circumstances a lot better than anticipated.

My TED Story

Heard about the idea a lot and thought it was nifty!

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.60 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +1

  A reply on Conversation: TED should select "normal people" to attend its primary annual event, i.e. people selected on merit.

  Apr 16 2011: When organisations and groups talk about judging people based on merit, they're usually scanning for achievements like participation in major groups or having starting so-and-so project or whatever. However, what if you're just struggling to get by? What if you don't have the money to be able to afford whizzing off to universities or conferences everywhere to "make a difference"? What if you're in a minority that makes it hard to be taken seriously?
  
  It's worth looking at the idea of privilege - start with Unpacking the White Knapsack and go from there.
  
  I used to be quite the conference junkie, but I noticed that there was often a lot of talk and fervour - but not a lot of action. There were grand ideas and projects occasionally, but how has it effected change a year on? Or two?

• A reply on Conversation: TED should select "normal people" to attend its primary annual event, i.e. people selected on merit.

  Apr 11 2011: Just 20? Out of how many people that attend TED?
  
  I would challenge TED to hold a conference - not a TEDx, but one of the main ones - where at least 50% of the audience are regular people from unprivileged backgrounds. Forget the immense pricetag and see what happens when you get the everyday person involved.

• A reply on Conversation: TED should select "normal people" to attend its primary annual event, i.e. people selected on merit.

  Apr 11 2011: Thank you for noting that! I thought it was a little bit iffy.
  
  Though I would agree about setting sights too low. Having tons of money (which seems to be the core criterion to attend TED) does not make you any more worthy. There are plenty of bright passionate people who will NEVER be able to achieve the $6000 price tag, because their economies would not sustain it. Let's not assume Western privilege is right here.
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: TED should select "normal people" to attend its primary annual event, i.e. people selected on merit.

  Apr 11 2011: Not just merit, because that still has a tendency to favour those with privilege in various ways. But I totally agree with you that TED right now privileges those with wealth, and in a way creates an echo chamber. How are you going to change the world if it's just the same old people over and over?
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: Does sharing ideas change minds?

  Apr 11 2011: I've had this happen through my blog and on my other social networks, so it is indeed possible! You'll need to be able to interact with people beyond your closed circle though.

• A reply on Conversation: How do we encourage society to see the value of arts and creativity outside the context of business or industry?

  Apr 3 2011: What do you mean "by force"? Buying art is free choice - you can buy it, or you don't. Cultural and art development is a part of national and community development and so is a valid reason for taxes. Which artists are *forcing* you to give them money?
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: How can creativity and chronic depression coexist?

  Apr 2 2011: Oh lordy. I've been dealing with depression for a great deal of my youth & young adult life too. I find that it's a bit of a double-edged sword when it comes to creativity - it can make for good material, but that same depression is also what makes me not want to get out of bed or be motivated to do anything. The day they invent a method to do things by thinking I will be very very happy!

• A reply on Talk: Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight

  Apr 2 2011: That's an interesting idea, mentalese, I should look that up. I am multilingual from childhood and have been exposed to various cultural concepts, many of whom have no clear or definable analogue in other cultures. I'm also an artist in various forms and I have noticed some difficulty in trying to express something that is more amorphous or abstract into writing or performance or visuals, especially when you're then trying to translate THAT into specific cultural contexts.
  
  The thing is, what seems "abstract and amorphous" doesn't really seem like that in my head. It makes sense! There is a logic to it! Except "logic" isn't the right word. But see - that's an example of the problem, trying to define "it makes sense" or concepts like it in forms and languages that don't do it justice. Like how someone mentioned trying to describe spiritual experiences. My mentalese is multi-sensory, not just words or pictures but also senses and intuition and emotion and touch and taste and all kinds of things. Translating them into something other people can understand seems like trying to deal with multiple languages at once, while at the same time one person only talks in sign language and another communicates via sand-kicking.
  
  THEN you add that to Nick's mind chatter, which in my mind (and sometimes beyond that) can be rather overwhelming, and it all becomes a big mess!!

• A comment on Talk: Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

  Oct 16 2007: He is ABSOLUTELY right. However, in Malaysia, his order of hierachy on subjects is a little different. Sciences and Maths come first (with Medicine being the ULTIMATE #1), then Accounting and Engineering, then other business subjects, then arts and humanities.