Summary: Why Ordinary People Need To Understand Power
Rachel Kinane
Mrs. Gallagher
American Studies
29 August 2017
Why Ordinary People Need To Understand Power: Eric Liu
In this Ted Talk, Liu discusses the negative connotations in the world of corporations, such as the words “civics” and “power”, which relate to boring and evil respectively. I strongly agree with him on this point, as this is how these words are usually portrayed in the media or in day to day life. However, I disagree with how he just wants us to accept civics and power without the people in power giving us a reason to trust them. What was new to me was the bias on the both the left and the right concerning big corporations. This is most likely because I myself am guilty of bias in the
left, and the video opened my eyes to my ignorance.
We Need To Talk About An Injustice: Bryan Stevenson
One thing I learned from Stevenson was a new perspective on the death penalty. Personally, I have always thought if the people deserve to die for their crimes, but from now on I will also think if we deserve to kill. A point I agreed with was America's unwillingness to bring up their past regarding race. I believe this is a classic form of “white guilt”, or overcompensating to prove they aren’t racist. The only point I disagree with is the idea that people won’t judge us for our technology in the future, as time has proven that every generation is criticized just for being born in that generation.
Mrs. Gallagher
American Studies
29 August 2017
Why Ordinary People Need To Understand Power: Eric Liu
In this Ted Talk, Liu discusses the negative connotations in the world of corporations, such as the words “civics” and “power”, which relate to boring and evil respectively. I strongly agree with him on this point, as this is how these words are usually portrayed in the media or in day to day life. However, I disagree with how he just wants us to accept civics and power without the people in power giving us a reason to trust them. What was new to me was the bias on the both the left and the right concerning big corporations. This is most likely because I myself am guilty of bias in the
left, and the video opened my eyes to my ignorance.
We Need To Talk About An Injustice: Bryan Stevenson
One thing I learned from Stevenson was a new perspective on the death penalty. Personally, I have always thought if the people deserve to die for their crimes, but from now on I will also think if we deserve to kill. A point I agreed with was America's unwillingness to bring up their past regarding race. I believe this is a classic form of “white guilt”, or overcompensating to prove they aren’t racist. The only point I disagree with is the idea that people won’t judge us for our technology in the future, as time has proven that every generation is criticized just for being born in that generation.