Kio Stark: Why you should talk to strangers
Kio Stark: Por que devemos conversar com estranhos
Kio Stark explores the myriad ways encounters with strangers impact our lives. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
o olhar com um estranho ou um vizinho.
And, in some ways, they are.
De certa forma, são.
or what the day is like.
ou como está o dia.
essas coisas é: eu vejo você.
documenting my experiences
a documentar minhas experiências
really beautiful was going on.
muito lindo acontecendo.
waiting for the light to change,
esperando o sinal abrir.
in the street on the storm drain,
eu estava na rua, em cima do bueiro,
atravessar mais rápido.
standing next to me.
and sort of an old-man hat,
e um tipo de chapéu de senhor,
I stepped back onto the sidewalk.
Recuei para a calçada.
so happy that he'd saved me.
e estava muito feliz de ter me salvado.
my existence as a person
como pessoa tinha sido notada,
that strangers are dangerous by default,
que estranhos são perigosos por definição,
that they might hurt us.
que eles podem nos machucar.
não são perigosos.
because we have no context.
porque não temos um contexto.
nosso discernimento e fazer escolhas,
and making choices,
I say that to her,
sempre que digo isso a ela,
but as a woman, particularly,
mas, especialmente como mulher,
on the street has the best intentions.
na rua têm as melhores intenções.
and it's good to learn when not to be,
e é bom saber quando não ser,
we have to be afraid.
que temos que ter medo.
em vez de nossos medos.
em vez de categorias,
for learning about them.
estranhos, amigos
para o preconceito.
about people as individuals.
nas pessoas como indivíduos.
who travels frequently
que frequentemente viaja sozinha
as a real, individual person.
a veja como uma pessoa real, individual.
other people see you that way, too.
outra pessoa a vê-la assim também.
has to do with intimacy.
o discernimento tem a ver com intimidade.
a little counterintuitive,
can lead to a feeling
podem levar a um sentimento
"fleeting intimacy."
de "intimidade passageira".
that has emotional resonance and meaning.
com repercussão e significado emocional.
of the storm drain by the old man,
em um bueiro por um senhor de idade,
on my train on the way to work.
no trem a caminho do trabalho.
that people often feel more comfortable
frequentemente se sentem mais confortáveis
about their inner selves with strangers
sobre si mesmas com estranhos,
and their families --
more understood by strangers.
mais compreendidas por estranhos.
with great lament.
com grande lamento.
better than spouses!"
melhor do que cônjuges!"
these interactions can be;
essas interações podem ser;
nos dá algo de que precisamos
as much as we need our friends
de nossos amigos e famílias.
so well with strangers?
nos comunicar tão bem com estranhos?
it's a quick interaction.
you're never going to see again, right?
que não veremos de novo, certo?
it gets more interesting.
to people we're close to.
em relação a pessoas próximas:
e esperamos que leiam nossas mentes.
that your friend or your spouse
que seu amigo ou esposo
that you want to leave early.
que você quer ir embora cedo.
to start from scratch.
precisamos começar do zero.
how we feel about them;
como nos sentimos em relação a elas,
understand us a little better.
um pouco melhor.
that talking to strangers matters,
com estranhos tem importância,
we tend to follow.
que tendemos a seguir.
dependendo do país em que estamos,
depending on what country you're in,
entre civilidade e privacidade.
between civility and privacy.
towards each other on the street.
na direção uma da outra na rua.
from a distance.
they'll look away,
not to interact at all.
extraordinárias para não interagir.
são tão avessos a falar com estranhos,
to talking to strangers,
miss their stop on the bus
seu ponto de ônibus
that they need to get around.
por quem precisam passar.
shuffling of bags
that you need to get past,
que precisam passar,
culture of hospitality.
for a sip of water.
por um gole de água.
to invite you home for coffee.
para um café em sua casa.
most clearly when they're broken,
mais claramente quando são quebradas,
what the right thing to do is.
is where the action is.
as regras é que as coisas acontecem.
I really want you to do this. OK?
eu quero muito que façam isso, certo?
que esteja fazendo contato visual.
or in the hallway here, smile.
na rua ou no corredor aqui, sorriam.
que ambos podem ver e comentar,
that you both might see and comment on,
e vejam se isso começa uma conversa.
and see if starts a conversation.
nos sapatos das pessoas.
fabulous shoes right now,
sapatos magníficos agora,
as far as giving compliments goes.
about their awesome shoes.
algo sobre seus sapatos magníficos.
the dogs and babies principle.
dos cachorros e nenês.
com alguém na rua;
to talk to someone on the street;
they're going to respond.
com seus cachorros ou nenês.
to their dog or their baby.
são um canal social à pessoa,
se estão abertos a mais conversa.
a vocês é a revelação.
com um estranho
I talked about of feeling understood.
de que eu falava,
de as pessoas me perguntarem:
or, "Where does he live?"
que ele morreu quando eu era criança.
suas experiências de perda.
disclosure with disclosure,
uma revelação com outra,
you're making beautiful interruptions
fazemos interrupções lindas
of your daily life
rotinas diárias e das deles.
you're missing out on all of that.
estamos perdendo isso tudo.
more time teaching ourselves?
ensinando a nós mesmos?
that make us so suspicious of each other.
que nos fazem suspeitar uns dos outros.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kio Stark - Stranger enthusiastKio Stark explores the myriad ways encounters with strangers impact our lives.
Why you should listen
Kio Stark has always talked to strangers. She started documenting her experiences when she realized that not everyone shares this predilection. She's done extensive research into the emotional and political dimensions of stranger interactions and the complex dynamics how people relate to each other in public places.
Her novel Follow Me Down began as a series of true vignettes about strangers placed in the fictional context of a woman unraveling the eerie history of a lost letter misdelivered to her door.
Stark did doctoral work at Yale University’s American Studies program, where she thought a lot about the history of science and medicine, urban studies, art, and race -- and then dropped out. Because she also taught graduate courses at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program, numberless people consulted her about whether or not to go back to school. Those conversations inspired Don't Go Back to School, a handbook for independent learners.
Stark is the author of the TED Book When Strangers Meet, in which she argues for the pleasures and transformative possibilities of talking to people you don’t know.
Beyond strangers, Stark's abiding fixations include the invisibility of technology; how people learn; practices of generosity and mutual aid; the culture, infrastructure and ephemera of cities; mythology and fairy tales; and advocating for independent learning, data literacy, social justice and feminism. Fiction writers get to dive down wonderful rabbit holes, and some of her favorites have been the forging and stealing of art, secret societies, the daily lives of medical examiners, the physics of elementary particles, bridge design, the history of maps, the mechanisms of wrongful conviction and psychoanalysis.
When not writing books, Stark has worked in journalism, interactive advertising, community research and game design. She writes, teaches and speaks around the world about stranger interactions, independent learning and how people relate to technology. She also consults for startups and large companies helping them think about stranger interactions among their users and audiences.
Kio Stark | Speaker | TED.com