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View Full Version : Nick Hanauer's talk at TED



DaringMehring
20th May 2012, 17:47
TED talks are a confab for the rich, famous, and powerful to socialize and share their ideas. Typically, the themes are how new technology (invented by Great Men and the Justly Super-Rich), and new ideas (invented by Great Men and the Justly Super-Rich), will solve all humanity's problems. So, follow the Great Men and the Justly Super-Rich. They hit a variety of themes and are sometimes interesting. For instance, Richard Dawkins once gave a talk there that I did not find offensive and in fact thought was pretty interesting.

To be clear, these are events with $6,000 tickets, and speakers including tech moguls, scientists, celebrities, and politicians, including speeches like Bill Clinton "Let's Build a Health Care System in Rwanda" (2007), Bono "Join my Call to Action in Africa" (2005), Gordon Brown "Global ethic vs. national interest" (2009), Bill Gates on schools, energy, and malaria (2009, 2010, 2011), Al Gore etc. etc.

But guess what -- recently one of TEDs bourgeois celebres gave a talk that didn't fit in with the super-rich, capitalist, technocrat propaganda consensus of TED. Ultra-wealthy venture capitalist whose work includes Amazon.com, Nick Hanauer, gave a 5-minute talk in which he advocated taxing the wealthy. He said -- the capitalists are not the job creators, demand from a strong middle-class is the real job creator. You can see him make his case concisely and compellingly here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBx2Y5HhplI

Now, lets be clear, here we have a member of the bourgeoisie advocating higher taxes on the wealthy, because it will be good for all of society including the bourgeoisie. Certainly no call for socialism. But guess what, TED decided not to put the talk up electronically because it was "too controversial." There you have the freedom and free information flow that those same people fetishize. What hypocrisy! Their speakers constantly propagandize capitalism, and attack socialism, and yet the argument merely for attempting to make capitalism more humane and functional, is given the censor's hand, because it goes against the neoliberal orthodoxy of the rich man.

TED reveals itself yet again as nothing but a propaganda machine for the bourgeoisie.

Well, someone snuck the video and posted it, that is why the link is available.

Prinskaj
20th May 2012, 18:37
TED reveals itself yet again as nothing but a propaganda machine for the bourgeoisie.
Well.. They already have a talk about inequality..
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ÑóẊîöʼn
21st May 2012, 14:52
TED talks are a confab for the rich, famous, and powerful to socialize and share their ideas. Typically, the themes are how new technology (invented by Great Men and the Justly Super-Rich), and new ideas (invented by Great Men and the Justly Super-Rich), will solve all humanity's problems. So, follow the Great Men and the Justly Super-Rich. They hit a variety of themes and are sometimes interesting. For instance, Richard Dawkins once gave a talk there that I did not find offensive and in fact thought was pretty interesting.

To be clear, these are events with $6,000 tickets, and speakers including tech moguls, scientists, celebrities, and politicians, including speeches like Bill Clinton "Let's Build a Health Care System in Rwanda" (2007), Bono "Join my Call to Action in Africa" (2005), Gordon Brown "Global ethic vs. national interest" (2009), Bill Gates on schools, energy, and malaria (2009, 2010, 2011), Al Gore etc. etc.

I dunno, who would pay $6000 to watch a guy talk about fungus (http://blog.ted.com/2010/10/04/are-mushrooms-the-new-plastic-eben-bayer-on-ted-com/)?

Granted, what he has to say is interesting (no more plastic waste!), but I hardly think that justifies such a steep pricetag.


TED reveals itself yet again as nothing but a propaganda machine for the bourgeoisie.

Well the videos I've seen have been very interesting, but this event definitely lowers my opinion of TED as an organisation.