Entry 1:
In Esther Duflo’s TED talk on social experiments to fight poverty, she discusses the very important idea that poverty may not be solved by simply throwing money at the problem. Her overall point is that charity drives, while well-meaning, can be temporary Band-Aids that do not address the systemic problems that many in the developing world have to deal with. Rather than helping starving people in Africa build up the infrastructure they need to be self-sustaining, or giving vaccinations, charity work simply assuages our own sense of guilt over our own privilege in the developed world. I found this a very eye-opening perspective, as I have always thought of charity as a good thing – while it still is, Duflo’s points make it very necessary to re-evaluate the real reasons we give to charity, and whether or not it is actually effective.
Entry 2:
In Joe Smith’s informal TED talk on how to use a paper towel, he takes a very dry subject and makes it innately interesting. In many ways, the talk itself is not about paper towels, but simply about consumption, and the extent to which we mindlessly waste products. While much of his talk is tongue in cheek and not very serious, his irreverent approach makes it very intriguing, and deceptively lulls you into thinking about the ways in which you use paper towels yourself, and whether or not you are being too wasteful with them yourself. I found this kind of perspective very eye-opening, especially through Smith’s secretly insightful points masquerading as droll comedy. In many ways, his talk is almost a parody of TED Talks themselves, using such a prestigious platform to talk about something so mundane and informal, which lends further insight into the proceedings.
Works Cited
Duflo, Esther. “Social Experiments to Fight Poverty.” TEDTalks - Youtube. May 4, 2010.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zvrGiPkVcs>.
Smith, Joe. “How to Fold a Paper Towel.” TEDTalks - Youtube. March 2012.
<http://www.ted.com/talks/joe_smith_how_to_use_a_paper_towel>.
