TED Community » Brittany Benson

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Food, environmental issues, water quality, evolution, sleep, education, light, chlorophyll, solar panels, art, friends, national parks, refusing/reducing packaging waste, sustainable lifestyle.

An idea worth spreading

Returnable bottles: just like the old milk jug, every glass bottle or jar can be bought for a deposit, and returned for money back.

Talk to me about

Yourself. And ask me anything you want! :-)

People don't know that I'm good at

Sewing my own underwear.

My TED Story

My uncle introduced me to TED, and since then I have gotten all of my friends watching it. I would love to watch all of the lectures, and wish that I knew what percentage of the talks I have already seen.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +10.80 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +2

  A comment on Talk: Melinda Gates: Let's put birth control back on the agenda

  Apr 13 2012: To add to this, large amounts of children in areas corrresponds to violence rates. In the Gaza Strip, women have an average of 6 children, and over 50% of the population is under 15 years old. With so many children and not enough opportunities and resources for them, it only adds fire and desperation to the violence. If birth control were an option for these women, it might make our world more peaceful.

• A comment on Talk: JD Schramm: Break the silence for suicide attempt survivors

  Jun 22 2011: I attempted suicide... Thank you for sharing your story at TED, it means a lot to show that someone with such a messed up background can still make something of himself/herself. Going to TED is a success! :-D

• A comment on Talk: Michael Specter: The danger of science denial

  Jun 16 2011: Amen, Amen, Amen... This is exactly where I stand in my life right now. I have been in tears being shunned by people who don't believe that we should advance forward with scientific advancement because it is considered to them inherently evil. I am one of the few science-understanding people who walks the line between the "natural" remedies and modern medicine, and seeing fault but also some benefits on both sides. Thank you so so much Michael Specter for explaining my take on the whole thing. I may be alone terms of personal relationships, but I am not alone with TED!
• +3

  A comment on Talk: Joel Burns tells gay teens "it gets better"

  Jan 29 2011: When I was in high school, I was bullied in a different way: I was expected to get a certain GPA/succeed and perform in a certain way. In failing to reach those expectations, I was publicly shamed, talked about, and I attempted suicide. Not a day goes by that I don't remember that. I feel like while growing up, people are pidgeonholed into stereotypes that they don't really fit into.
• +3

  A comment on Talk: Let's talk parenting taboos: Rufus Griscom + Alisa Volkman

  Jan 6 2011: If and when I am ever lonely at home with a baby, TED is gonna be my buddy.
• +1

  A comment on Talk: Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms

  Dec 27 2010: The grading system is just crippling to me as a person. Anything less than an 'A' is a criticism that has stayed with me throughout my life, placing me into categories of "good enough for this", "not good enough for that". I base my own self-worth my grades, just like other people do. I would pretty much do anything to have back the opportunities that I lost because of my grades. I don't have a 4.0 now, so I need to wait another two years and take another entrance exam before I can try again. It is so exhausting, I am like a mental athlete that has been injured, but still tries to play despite a broken hip and a sprained knee. Grades have killed something in me, and made me an insane grade junkie workaholic schoolorexic.
• +6

  A comment on Talk: Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms

  Dec 20 2010: I listen to these talks to get educated, not just entertained. The internet has provided over half of my education, not in terms of my resume or transcript, but in terms of what I know. I would be a sad person in comparison without youtube, google, wikipedia, and TED. Of course kids don't buy into the traditional education model anymore; it isn't accounting for what they are learning.
• +3

  A reply on Talk: Marcel Dicke: Why not eat insects?

  Dec 8 2010: I think if our generation can't accept insects as the expressed contents of our food, our kids can: young kids eat bugs, dirt, and plastic. Disgust is taught.
• +2

  A comment on Talk: Diane Benscoter on how cults rewire the brain

  Nov 20 2010: I am so glad that this video is here, because it helped me identify what is going on with a friend. About two weeks ago, she joined a cult-like "business opportunity" that has already scammed her out of approximately $1000. She literally doesn't remember signing the forms for it, and doesn't recall details such as how she paid for it or finding her tax ID number. I'm convinced that they must have hypnotized her, pumping her full of positive emotions about making money so much that her rational thought processes shut down. We are holding friend-interventions to take her out of the system.

• A comment on Talk: Julian Treasure: Shh! Sound health in 8 steps

  Sep 24 2010: I thought the difference in the sound clips was clear. This is really interesting. You have made up my mind what to play in the store, and to buy myself some good speakers so that I can listen to TED more easily. Making up things in between is exhausting, it's true. I get irritated after a while hearing poor quality music.