TEDxMileHigh
Theo E.J. Wilson: A black man goes undercover in the alt-right
Filmed:
Readability: 4.4
4,351,240 views
In an unmissable talk about race and politics in America, Theo E.J. Wilson tells the story of becoming Lucius25, white supremacist lurker, and the unexpected compassion and surprising perspective he found from engaging with people he disagrees with. He encourages us to let go of fear, embrace curiosity and have courageous conversations with people who think differently from us. "Conversations stop violence, conversations start countries and build bridges," he says.
Theo E.J. Wilson - Public intellectual
Theo E.J. Wilson encourages us to break through the divides that separate us. Full bio
Theo E.J. Wilson encourages us to break through the divides that separate us. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
I took a cell phone
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and accidentally made myself famous.
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(Laughter)
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I was just talking
about the things that I cared about,
about the things that I cared about,
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but with the click of a button
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and an incendiary viral video
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I propelled myself into overnight stardom.
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When I say overnight,
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I mean I literally woke up
the next morning
the next morning
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with so many notifications on my phone,
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I thought I slept
through a national tragedy.
through a national tragedy.
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(Laughter)
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It was the craziest thing, guys,
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but when it came to my influence
and my exposure,
and my exposure,
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I literally took a quantum leap.
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So I made more videos
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and the subject matter of my videos
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was often the most divisive subject
in American life,
in American life,
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01:02
but it was the way that I articulated race
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that made me somewhat
of a digital lightning rod.
of a digital lightning rod.
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See, being a survivor myself
of police brutality
of police brutality
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and having lost a childhood friend,
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Alonzo Ashley,
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at the hands of the police,
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I had a little something
to say about the topic.
to say about the topic.
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You see, this was at the height
of the Black Lives Matter furor
of the Black Lives Matter furor
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and people seemed to be turning
to me to articulate their viewpoints,
to me to articulate their viewpoints,
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and honestly, it was sort of overwhelming.
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You see, the internet
has this interesting quality.
has this interesting quality.
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In one way, it totally
brought the world together,
brought the world together,
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and I remember being a kid
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and all of this utopian propaganda
was being dumped on us
was being dumped on us
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about how the World Wide Web
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was going to span the reaches
of people across the globe.
of people across the globe.
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But as it turns out, people are people.
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(Laughter)
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And this magical superhighway
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also took the demons of our nature
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and gave them Ferraris.
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(Laughter)
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You see, technology, y'all,
is a lot like money.
is a lot like money.
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It just brings out what's already
inside you and amplifies it.
inside you and amplifies it.
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And so I soon became familiar
with the phenomenon of the internet troll.
with the phenomenon of the internet troll.
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These guys seem to live
beneath the bridges
beneath the bridges
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of said superhighway --
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(Laughter)
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And they also missed the memo about
the enlightenment of the internet age.
the enlightenment of the internet age.
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I remember being called
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highly colorful racial slurs
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by those who use
the anonymity of the internet
the anonymity of the internet
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as a Klan hood.
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And some of them
were pretty creative, actually,
were pretty creative, actually,
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but others were pretty wounding,
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especially navigating
the post-traumatic world
the post-traumatic world
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of a police brutality survivor
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in the height of Black Lives Matter,
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with all of these people
being killed on my timeline.
being killed on my timeline.
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To these trolls, I wasn't a human.
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I was an idea, an object,
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a caricature.
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Did I mention that this race stuff
can be kind of divisive?
can be kind of divisive?
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You see, I'm an innately curious person
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and as I drew my sword to engage
in epic battles in the comment section --
in epic battles in the comment section --
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(Laughter)
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I also began to notice
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that a few of my trolls
actually had brains,
actually had brains,
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which made me even more curious
and what to understand them even further.
and what to understand them even further.
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And although these supposed morons
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engaged in what appeared
to be original thought,
to be original thought,
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I said to myself,
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"Um, these guys are highly misinformed,
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at least according to my knowledge."
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Where are these guys
getting these arguments from?
getting these arguments from?
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Like, was there some kind
of alternative universe
of alternative universe
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with alternative facts?
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(Laughter)
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(Applause)
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Was history and gravity
optional over there?
optional over there?
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I don't know.
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But I needed to know.
Like, I wanted to know.
Like, I wanted to know.
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And as it turns out, I had no idea
about digital echo chambers.
about digital echo chambers.
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That same target marketing algorithm
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that feeds you more
of the products you like to buy
of the products you like to buy
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also feeds you more
of the news that you like to hear.
of the news that you like to hear.
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I had been living in an online universe
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that just reflected
my worldview back to me.
my worldview back to me.
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So my timeline was pretty liberal.
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I had no Breitbart
or Infowars or Fox News.
or Infowars or Fox News.
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No, no, I was all MSNBC
and The Daily Show,
and The Daily Show,
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CNN and theGrio, right?
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Well, these trolls were hopping
the dimensional doorway
the dimensional doorway
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and I needed to figure out how.
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(Laughter)
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So what I decided to do
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was trick the Facebook algorithm
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into feeding me more news
that I didn't necessarily agree with,
that I didn't necessarily agree with,
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and this worked fine for a while,
but it wasn't enough,
but it wasn't enough,
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because my online footprint
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already established the patterns
that I like to hear.
that I like to hear.
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So with the anonymity of the internet,
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I went undercover.
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(Laughter)
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I set up this ghost profile
and went crazy.
and went crazy.
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Now, on a practical level,
it was very simple,
it was very simple,
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but on an emotional level,
it was kind of daunting,
it was kind of daunting,
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especially with the racist vitriol
that I had experienced.
that I had experienced.
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But what I didn't realize
is that my trolls were inoculating me,
is that my trolls were inoculating me,
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thickening my skin,
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making me immune to viewpoints
that I didn't necessarily agree with,
that I didn't necessarily agree with,
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and so I didn't react to the same things
as I would have several months prior.
as I would have several months prior.
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All right? So I pressed on.
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Noticing that this stuff
also worked on YouTube,
also worked on YouTube,
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I became Lucius25,
white supremacist lurker --
white supremacist lurker --
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(Laughter)
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And digitally I began to infiltrate
the infamous alt-right movement.
the infamous alt-right movement.
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Now, my doppelgänger
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was Edgar Rice Burroughs'
John Carter character --
John Carter character --
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(Laughter)
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a sci-fi hero who was once
a Confederate soldier.
a Confederate soldier.
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And to think, like, years ago,
I would have needed acting training
I would have needed acting training
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and, like, makeup and a fake ID.
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Now I could just lurk.
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And so I started
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with a little Infowars,
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went on into some American Renaissance,
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National Vanguard Alliance,
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and, you know, I started
commenting on videos,
commenting on videos,
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talking bad about Al Sharpton
and Black Lives Matter.
and Black Lives Matter.
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I started bemoaning race baiters
like Eric Holder and Barack Obama
like Eric Holder and Barack Obama
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and just mirroring
the antiblack sentiments
the antiblack sentiments
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that were thrown at me.
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And to be honest,
it was kind of exhilarating.
it was kind of exhilarating.
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(Laughter)
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Like, I would literally spend days
clicking through my new racist profile --
clicking through my new racist profile --
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(Laughter)
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Goofing off at work in Aryan land.
It was something else.
It was something else.
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(Laughter)
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And so I then started
visiting some of the pages
visiting some of the pages
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of my former trolls,
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and a lot of these guys
were just regular Joes,
were just regular Joes,
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a lot of outdoorsmen,
hunters, computer nerds,
hunters, computer nerds,
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some of them family guys
with videos of their families.
with videos of their families.
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I mean, for all I know, some of y'all
could be in this room right now. Right?
could be in this room right now. Right?
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(Laughter)
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But when I went undercover,
I found a lovely plethora of characters,
I found a lovely plethora of characters,
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luminaries like Milo Yiannopoulos,
Richard Spencer and David Duke.
Richard Spencer and David Duke.
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All of these guys were
thought leaders in their own right,
thought leaders in their own right,
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but over time, the alt-right movement
ended up using their information
ended up using their information
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to fuel their momentum.
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And I'm going to tell you what else
led to the momentum of the alt-right:
led to the momentum of the alt-right:
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the left wing's wholesale demonization
of everything white and male.
of everything white and male.
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If you are a pale-skinned penis-haver,
you're in league with Satan.
you're in league with Satan.
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(Laughter)
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Now, would you believe,
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would you believe that some people
find that offensive?
find that offensive?
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And --
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(Laughter)
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And so, I mean, listen,
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the fact is that millennials
get a lifetime of diet brand history.
get a lifetime of diet brand history.
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I mean, America seems to be hellbent
on filling its textbooks
on filling its textbooks
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with CliffsNotes versions
of its dark past.
of its dark past.
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This severely, severely decontextualizes
race and the anger associated with it,
race and the anger associated with it,
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and that is fertile ground
for alt-facts to grow.
for alt-facts to grow.
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Add in the wild landscape of the internet
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and it's easy to sell
rebranded "Mein Kampf" ideas
rebranded "Mein Kampf" ideas
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to a generation who has been
failed by public schools.
failed by public schools.
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A lot of these ideas, easily debunked.
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Alt-facts have that quality.
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However, one theme kept screaming at me
through the subtext of those arguments,
through the subtext of those arguments,
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and that was,
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why should I be hated
for who I cannot help but be?
for who I cannot help but be?
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Now, as a black man in America,
that resonated with me.
that resonated with me.
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I have spent so much time
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defending myself
against attempts to demonize me
against attempts to demonize me
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and make me apologize for who I am,
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trying to portray me
as something that I'm not,
as something that I'm not,
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some kind of thug or gangster,
a menace to society.
a menace to society.
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Unexpected compassion.
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Wow.
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Now, listen,
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the historical source of the demonization
of black males and white males
of black males and white males
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is highly different,
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and where you fall on this argument,
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sadly, tends to be an accident of birth.
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Now, you're probably surprised
by this perspective,
by this perspective,
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and so was I.
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Never in a billion years did I think
that I could have some kind of compassion
that I could have some kind of compassion
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for people who hated my guts.
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Now, mind you, not enough compassion
like I want to be friends.
like I want to be friends.
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I don't have infinite olive branches
to extend to people
to extend to people
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who, like, would not want
to see me on this planet. Right?
to see me on this planet. Right?
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But just enough compassion to understand
how they got to where they are.
how they got to where they are.
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And to be honest,
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there were a couple of fair points.
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One of them was how liberals
have this wide acceptance for everybody
have this wide acceptance for everybody
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except for those with honestly held
conservative viewpoints.
conservative viewpoints.
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(Laughter)
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Heaven forbid you love God,
this country and mean it. Right?
this country and mean it. Right?
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And another thing that they talked about
was this fear that they had
was this fear that they had
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of something that they labeled
as "white genocide,"
as "white genocide,"
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that diversity would be a force
that would wipe them out.
that would wipe them out.
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Now listen, I know what it is to fear
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for the fate of your people.
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Between crack, AIDS, gang violence,
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mass incarceration,
gentrification, police shootings,
gentrification, police shootings,
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black people have more
than enough reasons to stay up at night.
than enough reasons to stay up at night.
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But if nature is into diversity
and you are not,
and you are not,
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you're going to lose that fight, buddy.
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(Laughter)
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(Applause)
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You see, nature doesn't care
about your race. That's man-made.
about your race. That's man-made.
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Nature just cares about healthy organisms,
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and your precious ethnic features
are expendable to that aim.
are expendable to that aim.
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So the moment that you let go
of that racist identity
of that racist identity
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and relatch onto humanity,
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all your problems go away.
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(Applause)
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I'm going to tell you
what race ain't about to die out:
what race ain't about to die out:
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the human race.
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Join the party. The water's great.
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Until the water gets too hot,
but that's another TED Talk.
but that's another TED Talk.
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(Laughter)
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The point is that to get
to this point of understanding,
to this point of understanding,
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you have to let go of that fear
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and embrace your curiosity,
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and sadly, too many people
will not take that journey
will not take that journey
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to see the world from the other side.
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And, I mean, let's be honest,
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that doesn't just go for progressives,
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but also to the right wing
and conservatives.
and conservatives.
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You know, as fair
as some of their points were,
as some of their points were,
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they were still trapped
in their own echo chambers,
in their own echo chambers,
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recycling old, outdated points of view,
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never getting a diversity in perspective,
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not making them well-rounded
in their worldview.
in their worldview.
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So they're not hearing
certain anti-racist and political voices,
certain anti-racist and political voices,
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voices like Tim Wise
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and Michelle Alexander, Dr. Joy DeGruy,
Boyce Watkins, Tariq Nasheed.
Boyce Watkins, Tariq Nasheed.
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All of these voices have the answers
to the questions that they want,
to the questions that they want,
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but unfortunately they will not hear them
due to the power of these echo chambers.
due to the power of these echo chambers.
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We have got to break out
of these digital divides,
of these digital divides,
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because as our technology advances,
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the consequences of our tribalism
become more dangerous.
become more dangerous.
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And this whole experience
taught me something:
taught me something:
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our gadgets ain't going to save us.
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All these technological devices
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are only mastery of the universe
out there, not the one in here.
out there, not the one in here.
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And so that's all IQ, not EQ.
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That's a dangerous imbalance.
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Where do you get
the emotional intelligence,
the emotional intelligence,
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the character development,
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the virtues of patience,
forbearance, compassion,
forbearance, compassion,
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you know, the things that make sure
that these devices, however advanced,
that these devices, however advanced,
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become a blessing and not a curse?
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Seems to be me that humanity itself
needs an upgrade.
needs an upgrade.
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Now --
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(Applause)
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That's a big task, understandably,
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but I don't believe
in any kind of unbeatable monster.
in any kind of unbeatable monster.
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There was no giant out there
without perhaps a simple Achilles heel.
without perhaps a simple Achilles heel.
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And what if I told you
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that one of the best ways
to actually overcome this
to actually overcome this
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is to have courageous conversations
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with difficult people,
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people who do not see the world
the same way that you see the world?
the same way that you see the world?
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Oh yes, folks, conversations may be
indeed the key to that upgrade,
indeed the key to that upgrade,
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because remember,
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language was the first form
of virtual reality.
of virtual reality.
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It is literally a symbolic representation
of the physical world,
of the physical world,
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and through this device,
we change the physical world.
we change the physical world.
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Keep in mind, conversations stop violence,
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conversations start countries,
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they build bridges,
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and when the chips are down,
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conversations are the last tools
that humans use
that humans use
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before they pick up their guns.
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And I ain't talking
about online safe conversations
about online safe conversations
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from the security of your laptop.
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No.
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I'm talking about in-your-face
conversations with real, breathing people.
conversations with real, breathing people.
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And for me, this looks
like running a community forum
like running a community forum
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called Shop Talk Live.
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Now, in Shop Talk Live --
somebody's been there, right?
somebody's been there, right?
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In Shop Talk Live,
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we have the conversations
that change lives.
that change lives.
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We meet the community
right where they are,
right where they are,
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and we've done everything
from divert gang violence in real time
from divert gang violence in real time
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to help find people jobs
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to mentoring homeless youth.
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And the reason why we needed to do this
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is because there was a severe lack
of trust in the black community
of trust in the black community
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due to the violence of the crack era.
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And so we ended up taking
agency into our own hands,
agency into our own hands,
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solving our own problems,
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not waiting for anybody else.
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And the truth is,
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from the mayor to the felon,
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you're going to find them
in that barber shop.
in that barber shop.
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And so what we did was just
organize what was already going on.
organize what was already going on.
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And so what I started doing
was mining these alternative viewpoints
was mining these alternative viewpoints
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from these alternative digital universes,
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dissecting them, breaking them down
into controversial talking points.
into controversial talking points.
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Then, with my cell phone,
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I flipped the internet against itself
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and began to broadcast
these live conversations
these live conversations
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to my online followers.
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This made them want to leave
the safety of their laptops
the safety of their laptops
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and meet us in person
to have real conversations
to have real conversations
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with real people in real life.
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And we did this. Thank you.
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(Applause)
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Sometimes I sit back,
and I reflect on the paradox
and I reflect on the paradox
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of me just trying to solve the problems,
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us trying to solve the problems
in our own communities --
in our own communities --
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we build bridges
to so many other communities,
to so many other communities,
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from the LGBTQ community
to the Arab immigrant community
to the Arab immigrant community
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and even sat down with somebody
with a Confederate flag on their hat
with a Confederate flag on their hat
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and talked about the things
that actually matter.
that actually matter.
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It is time that we stop trying
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to hack our way
around the human experience.
around the human experience.
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There is no way out of each other.
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Stop trying to find one.
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(Applause)
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We have to understand something.
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Human beings all want the same things
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and we have to go through
each other to get these things.
each other to get these things.
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These courageous conversations
are the way that these bridges are built.
are the way that these bridges are built.
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It's time that we start
seeing people as people
seeing people as people
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and not simply the ideas
that we project onto them or react to.
that we project onto them or react to.
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Human beings are not the barriers
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but the gateways
to the very things that we want.
to the very things that we want.
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This is a collective
and conscious evolution.
and conscious evolution.
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My journey began with
a terribly popular cell phone video
a terribly popular cell phone video
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and a fallen friend.
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Your journey begins right about now.
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Join the renaissance in human connection.
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It is going to happen with or without you.
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My suggestion: pick a topic,
and start a community dialogue
and start a community dialogue
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in your neck of the woods.
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Meet folks back in real life.
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And I'm going to tell you,
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when you trick the algorithm
of your existence,
of your existence,
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you will get some diversified experiences.
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It is time to grow, people.
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And when we do this, not if,
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it will be clear
that the key to this upgrade
that the key to this upgrade
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was always our inner world,
not some device that we create,
not some device that we create,
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and the doorways
to this experience is now,
to this experience is now,
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and will forever be, each other.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Theo E.J. Wilson - Public intellectualTheo E.J. Wilson encourages us to break through the divides that separate us.
Why you should listen
Theo E.J. Wilson is a founding member of the Denver Slam Nuba team, who won the National Poetry Slam in 2011. He's also know as slam poet Lucifury. He began his speaking career in the N.A.A.C.P. at the age of 15, and he has always had a passion for social justice. He attended Florida A&M University, where he obtained his B.A. in theater performance. Upon graduating, he interned as a full-time actor at the St. Louis Black repertory company.
Wilson is the executive director of Shop Talk Live, Inc. The organization uses the barbershop as a staging ground for community dialogue and healing. In 2013, Wilson began speaking with "Rachel's Challenge," an organization dedicated to ending school violence through compassion. After viral video success beginning in 2015, he published his first book in 2017, The Law of Action. The book addresses some of the misconceptions about the law of attraction and the role direct action plays into manifestation.
Theo E.J. Wilson | Speaker | TED.com