Eric Liu: Why ordinary people need to understand power

Far too many Americans are illiterate in power - what it is, how it operates and why some people have it. As a result, those few who do understand power wield disproportionate influence over everyone else. “We need to make civics sexy again,” says civics educator Eric Liu. “As sexy as it was during the American Revolution or the Civil Rights Movement.”
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[@FlyingGrunt28]

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln

[@lebanbo55]

+FlyingGrunt28 Although It's Lincoln's words, i disagree with the "Nearly all men can stand adversity " part.

[@dontask6863]

+Leban Bo In his time you could bet your sweet cheeks most were as rough as life was compared to these days.

[@kreanukreanu]

Actually, you can test yourself in every day life. We all have some form of power over certain things, be it our employees, pets, diet whatsoever. Check yourselves out.

[@sboloshis1188]

This quote is actually by Robert G. Ingersoll.

[@Chuck_N0rris]

You all got the quote right but that was Gandhi if I am not tripping.

[@upwhen2]

This is one of the most articulate, inspiring, and crisply presented TED talks I've ever heard.

[@rayawake]

Very much agreed. He did the cause justice.

[@lylehimself9287]

guy's writing for president what did you think

[@basdeoloknauth1376]

Please describe two examples eric liu give in which ordinary people from the local level understood power, how it operated and exercised it?

[@Josh34724]

I concur

[@avedic]

He has a really versatile and expansive vocabulary. Quite refreshing. English _can_ be a beautiful language....so it's always nice to come across people who get that. With Christopher Hitchens' passing, we lost one of the best English wordsmiths ever...

[@mannymsena6796]

English is a beautiful language, just as other languages are. One just needs to like it, enjoy it.

[@srimansrini]

In this talk, Eric Liu asserts the importance of knowing our power, how the common people like us are living in a fool's paradise with our illiteracy about civics. His persuasive arguments are very interesting to watch. Very inspiring and highly recommended talk to everyone.

[@SetlalentoaTV]

How Does a graduate student get in touch with Eric Liu?

[@MegaMiir]

@@SetlalentoaTV Did you ever get a response?

[@basdeoloknauth1376]

you seem like you know your stuff very well, can you help me I have some questions for my English class

[@basdeoloknauth1376]

Please describe two examples eric liu give in which ordinary people from the local level understood power, how it operated and exercised it?

[@demetrx7972]

good summary) me lo gusta!

[@hori166]

Eric Liu is right, that control is best effected at the local level. When you live near the people who supposedly represent you, they are less likely, but not always, to engage in malfeasance and self-interest. The irony of this is that a lot of people in the audience are looking at their devices, deciding what to have for dinner, how many likes they have from people who could care less about them. Power has always been in the hands of a few. Once in a while, they get toppled, but they're not going to just roll over and give it to the polis. They need to be persuaded by force majeur.

[@danipulok]

It’s a really good speech. Especially how he makes pauses. After watching this speech I’ve decided to understand the situation in my country and not thinking that it doesn’t connect to me anymore. Thank you for this! And thanks Russian translations.

[@TheRockerAvril]

This is the best TED talk I've listened to out of almost.. 20 that I've watched.. but still. I love this guy's confidence and his talk was surprisingly coherent without any repetition. Interesting content, too

[@whatstwelveohnine]

This is a damn good speech on a damn important topic

[@luisgomez3936]

I watched this video without too many expectations, thinking that it would be boring. Several seconds into it my ears and mind perked up and I started to take notes. In a logical, structured way Mr. Liu started to define and encapsulate a simple way for people to empower themselves instead of abrogating their rights to those who now are wielding power over us. It seems that most of the comments focus on money, which has power but also information, ideas, social networking all these are also forms of power that anyone informed can use. He proposes a narrative as a self teaching aid to start and learn about grassroots power. All governments are now scurrying, forming laws and ways of monitoring ideas and information passing through the internet at the cost of many billions of dollars to their subjective people. This guys talk is refreshing as well as informative.

[@NjBou]

This is so excellent! Thank you for opening my mind to the idea of studying power, applying those studies and creating a REAL on-the-ground model of self-governance.

[@MegtaBubble]

He is by far the best TED talker.

[@Inxvate]

'Money is the McMansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after ten years, power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who does not see the difference' - Francis Underwood

[@icarpethediem8690]

As a high school teacher, this talk has changed my perspective and approach on teaching civics. It's always important to align concepts in school to relevant, chunked ideas that will enable students to see things more than just brushing the surface. To Eric Liu, thank you for this!

[@QQ-lh8bp]

This is such an important topic and speech. This man is a great speaker too. All people should get involved more, including myself, or only a select people will be in charge. Simply trusting other people to do the right thing, no matter how small, is stupid. Letting things go, hoping that they work out in the end, foolish.

[@FabianBarajas]

seriously a beautiful and moving talk.

[@cyberdevil657]

I love this speech so much. He's public speaking is legendary and his knowledge is very impressive to say lightly!

[@ARYANRAJ-db6ky]

I am watching this Ted Talk before filling up for my college student body elections. Really helpful in understanding power dynamics at a micro and macro level. Thanks for organising this.

[@claudialiebenberg9740]

So GOOD!!!!! Understanding power in my country, and how long it will take to bring improvement, sounds exciting - Thank You!

[@raunletrelle]

loved this video. i wish that more people could be open to accepting such basic/foundational ideas.

[@Exceltrainingvideos]

That was so well explained! Thank you!

[@amitkumar-sz6ze]

I've read and watched a lot of videos on the equation of wealth or that of education. But this was amazing!! Opens another dimension and so important most of us have never realized!!

[@LoveAndPeaceOccurs]

Thank You for this information ... may it help us to better understand power ... our own personal power, as well as the power of others and how that changes when we come together in groups. Power is not a good or bad thing, as you say, it just is, the problem that many associate with power is the misuse of it and how some feel they have a right to assert their power over others ... Remember ... No one can take your power away or exploit your power without you allowing it ... Be aware of your power and may we all use it only for the best of All. Love & Peace to All

[@ProfessorBorax]

I wish I could speak like this...

[@jaganmaster]

practice

[@ProfessorBorax]

It's more about learning the words, what they mean, how to use them

[@jaganmaster]

***** lol

[@persinders]

***** With the fake it till you make it approach, how would you respond during question time?

[@sirbattlecat]

There's a TED talk about that :)

[@amandadudley2983]

We VOTE every time we spend at stores, etc. Love this talk, and how honest and well-organized

[@vibingchakras]

Amazing! will definitely share!

[@tomkelly8827]

Damn that was a good speech! I have always had a more national/global outlook but he makes an amazing case for focousing on local issues to make global changes. Well said man!

[@romanicholas5762]

Wow, thank you. Very nicely done.

[@saleemisgod]

The most intelligent and informative Ted Talk I have heard in a long time. Excellent speaker with a message very relevant to the world we have created and have to navigate.

[@en2p187]

I feel like I see a comment like this on every ted talk I watch, which is great because it must mean that the ted talks I am watching are of good quality! That or people throw out compliments too easily, but i feel it's the former.

[@LehlohonoloFaith]

I loooooove these talks!

[@bolotbekesenov8722]

There definitely should have been a standing ovation! But this just goes to show, that this talk is so timely, even TED audience is the very ignorant of which he talks! Priceless!

[@kristiandahl2709]

wow. what a great speaker. (not meant ironic)

[@avedic]

***** It's a black...fly....in your Chardonnay....

[@dotceef9]

avedic It's a death row pardon two minutes too late

[@DanishCamp]

You can say ironic in his country so that's where the fault stems from.

[@k3nny111]

This is what we need. More people engaging in conflicts to get things their way. I would also like to point out that this talk has almost no content; it is mostly an array of emotional appeals. I know, it is a TED talk, so duh.. but still. Don't let yourself be dazzeld by high level rhetorics, and try to think about what he is really saying. This talk is easily condensed to a post-it, and not even a very original one.

[@HamsterPants522]

Anarcho-Capitalist here. I stopped affording myself to fall for emotional bullshit long ago. I rely on cold hard economics to validate the truth behind power, and my conclusions are invariably that it is a bad thing which nobody should wield.

[@xamphor]

This was clearly an advertisement for his organization. Post little narratives to our facebook, become part of our curriculum. The lesson would be watching him convince people to do so.

[@mtdchallengeoffamilytime5750]

Thank you so much Erin Liu Help mind to understand

[@esmondadjei]

The vocabs I've got from this video alone, wow... Nice presentation

[@kiiza.s.hussein9092]

A powerful insightful and intriguing talk on an interesting and crucial topic “power “ I love it!

[@nicolaibuschbhrenz9530]

thats one of the best speeches i ever seen.

[@merlvinc]

Great talk about how citizens can make a real diffrence! --Bonnie Robinson

[@itsybitsy8385]

This was a very beautiful and eye opening ted-talk and i saw that coming somehow from the thumbnail itself .

[@tariqz5384]

The topic, content, voice, articulation all Excellent.

[@sarahpurol7710]

I see you. I hear you. Excellent. Thank you.

[@kitbleakney2696]

This is excellent!

[@shrinkhlapandey973]

I have always been a fan of of civics! Great video

[@sherispaul]

i can't stop watching his speech.

[@mgbsecteacher]

As a fellow educator, I fully agree with all of Mr. Liu's points. He is a marvelous teacher. However, he doesn't discuss the backlash, pushback, back-biting, and power plays that come from naming a problem and trying to solve its causes. We see it here in Minenapolis and it happens in any city. Fellow citizens feel that "naming the problem" might be racist and cause hard feelings to they quickly retaliate against anyone who wants change. This happened to me when I served on the Minneapolis police third precinct advisory council. The commander of the precinct wanted to retain all control of the group and quickly ended any threat to authority -- it became tiresome. He wanted to use the meetings as a bully pulpit for his own agenda. I also tried to get our neighborhood more involved in some other things, like curfew for adolescents, however, the other block leader coopted the control for herself. People want change but they do not want to get involved or they are tired of dealing with internecine problems in the group that stops the solving of the problem.

[@IanMahetiMbano]

Don't give up fellow human, your efforts are far and beyond what the average person can say! Don't give up.

[@nicktrice4921]

Great speech. Great topic. A free society built on ignorance will not remain free for long.

[@EmeraldKenny]

The guy at 0:47 is like "OH YEAH"

[@tiacarr]

Very relevant today

[@Rielestkid]

Powerful speaking skills! He killed it. Really made me think.

[@jvaldez97]

Very interesting perspective..

[@WindCorsia]

He's being very encouraging, and we definitely need people to feel more proactive and powerful towards society. Power is only a weapon, can be used for both good and evil, so it's all up to you, seems to me the message. Well, we are again back to square one - do you want to believe that people are able to overcome the limitations in their nature and harness power for the good of the collective rather than individual, zero-sum gains? This is not something one motivational speech can do to change people's entire life experiences on.

[@808bAler]

DAAAMMNNN!!! What a presentation!!!!!!!!

[@burningknuckle26]

This guy is a beast. bravo.

[@Blackafternoon]

Bravo!!

[@ShilowskaPretto]

BRAVO !

[@alex_pearl]

Eric Liu made civics sexier before he even started speaking. That man is a FOX.

[@tigertank06]

+Alex Pearl You know what? He kinda sounds like Rob Lowe. Lol.

[@ChrisLeeX]

Incredible.

[@mcdonald8814]

I love it

[@agntsmth77]

Genius. This guy know what i know.

[@IfIOnlyKnew2]

Great Video a topic rarely spoken about power love it!

[@Procrastinerd]

No standing ovation, wtf?

[@Cheekfats]

audience feel powerless to stand

[@Procrastinerd]

chinkhuan tan So true!

[@jaganmaster]

That was my first thought when the video ended but emotional thinkers tend to think he's encouraging evil because they can't help but poeticize the meaning of power. I've come to realize (& yes this is anecdotal) that there are fundamentally just two different breeds of people. There are the intellectuals who try to conceptualize their environment, the instinctive who respond to their environment & of course the entire spectrum between. However, a specific individual will mostly lean one direction or the other.

[@Procrastinerd]

jaganmaster I like your observation

[@MoerreNoseshine]

For a very superficial boring talk? Just because he's right with regards to the topic doesn't change that the talk was disappointing and shallow.

[@rackslap]

5 thumbs up before it's even possible to have watched the whole video. Great job!

[@megamastah]

I thumbed up your comment before reading it.

[@seancloser]

rackslap desperate to express oneself, desperate to feel counted n important.

[@chrisy.7501]

The most wanted Ted talk ever.

[@maxhi88]

fascinating

[@trainforlifevideo]

Was touching and makes me think about what I can do to make things change. A powerful talk

[@ashaysawalkar2720]

We have the power to do that!

[@duce50thy58]

Personal Financial Management, Personal Moral Righteous, and Personal Commitment to Self-Discipline, and not conforming to Norms you know are self-defeating. Are the key to power at the Individual level. Who ever controls your debt. Controls your destiny and power.

[@GTAMASTER.180]

Great

[@lilyarbee]

Me too, how I wish I could speak like him because I have so much to share.

[@richardsheehan6983]

Good Man...,...

[@itsDhiran]

When ordinary man understand power, he is no longer ordinary person, that's why ordinary people don't understand power...

[@RocioRomero-zn4wl]

me inspira me inspiraaaa

[@asordidreality]

Love.... not like. Great talk.

[@curtiscarpenter9881]

leadership is at the root of power. all leaders need to understand power.

[@rcandelaria11]

Sophism must be peppered with truths to make it palatable. Setting aside our reactions and opinions, instead of turning our attention outward toward the rebuttal and commentary of the collective, we should be asking ourselves "exactly where do I fit into this dynamic?" Have we been unwittingly written into someone else's script?

[@StorySaysProductions]

These videos are the peak of my intelligence.

[@onealr]

***** LOL!

[@dakkanTM]

***** No but its a start.

[@The_Cultural_Errorist]

Keep it up mate, broaden the boundaries of your intellect :) Also, since school tests what you remember nowadays, the internet is basically our modern brain. Who lives without a smartphone/tablet/laptop/pc these days? Application of the abstract, commanding your thoughts, actions, mindfulness and philosophy is the future. So keep sharpening your mind :D

[@franciscussteiner5661]

That saddens me. Especially since the sentence makes no logical sense. :-( (no offense meant)

[@AniketSen]

broght me here from the ted-ed video on power, which was a masterpiece in BGM, animation and storytelling.....

[@sucode9822]

Best

[@cefimssoas9830]

Indeed, we should all know about the physics of power

[@peppigue]

Interesting take on cities as the arena for action. I'd argue that the actual arena of power is a the individual level. Most of the structural arrangements in the world can be totally changed or heavily influenced by individuals altering their behaviour. I grimace every time people point their fingers at rich white men while failing to recognize that most of them are ultimately funded by consumers. I propose not changing any laws, but rather using the freedoms we in fact do have to establish and support businesses that share their profits with their workers, their customers and/or their communities. The city/local arena is the place to focus on. I'm intrigued by the idea of the majority of power residing at the local level, while broader commitments and cooperation could take more the form of voluntary agreements as is often the case on the international stage. This feels intuitively natural, as decisions then will be made closer to the affected citizens. Governmental structures above the city/regional level should generally be limited to upholding fundamentals such as constitutional law and other structures about ensuring human rights.

[@sageyash]

As he said power isn't inherently evil. Sure it would be better if no one held any power, and we all agreed to love and help each other, but we all know that's a pipe dream. If "good" people leave power because they think it's evil, then they are in fact making it evil by letting "bad" people wield it.

[@FelonyArson]

People are formed by their environment! With the right education an anarchist society is possible! Look at the spanish social revolution for example...

[@freelanceart1019]

sageyash look at your stupid society!

[@gklpang]

This one is one smart cookie! :)

[@ptgriffin]

The way the world is going right now I'm kind of scared about what would come to pass if everyone became "literate in power".

[@aprilreeves1]

Power: the ability to perceive truth and work towards it. Force: the capacity to make others do what you wish upon them. Power versus Force, a very Big difference....

[@kalenamichele3114]

Very fitting after the events in Ferguson. #power

[@the_awe]

I can only use the word "perfect" to describe his skills of speech. I am still learning English!

[@98nfp]

*watchin*

[@Hala-ataa]

He really thought he ate with this lol

[@baknie]

Olha só, bem interessante

[@patrickmccormack4318]

What would Jacque Fresco have to say about the need to understand power? Thank you for posting the vid. It is entertaining.

[@808bAler]

A lil behind but DDAAAMMMNNNN!!! That was on point!

[@ErrolLawson]

Power is like currency. Somebody has to have it. Its what you do with it or how you use it that matters.

[@pradhyudh]

This guy knows

[@lkal8754]

I have some alliances to make first but I would love to participate in citizen university, I advise that any sentient being should do the same. to make this planet a place we will want our decedent's to grow up in. as of now the future looks frightening, but it also looks brighter than ever. never before has hummanity been so interconnected from such far reaches, these next few generations could hold the key for peace. never doubt the power of the will of the people there has never been room for such poor spirted strength, nor has there ever been.

[@RyanJohnson]

I heard of a civics class, they cut that long ago. I wish I could've taken it, yet even graduating in 2002 it seems like they stripped it out of the lesson plans long ago.

[@emilyherman4483]

Where can I get the transcript for this speech?

[@JimJWalker]

Power was defined by my professor in college by showing the last scene from the Godfather movie: Michael: All right. This one time I'll let you ask me about my affairs. Kay Adams: Is it true? Is it? Michael: No. [Kay smiles and walks into his arms]

[@ronadominictepania7318]

lol

[@jimchavez3392]

it is true , i like to be myself

[@mctm1221]

It would be nice if people would listen with and open mind to the TED talks and listen carefully to the whole talk . There are positive and valuable ideas in the talks. Negative thoughts usually become negative actions. Please listen again you may have missed something.

[@hsgrain490]

1) recognize what "power" is, 2) recognize how 'power' effects YOU, 3) find a way to effect YOUR will to shape that "power' for the good of all. An example: VOTE! If you don't participate, your just letting someone have "power" over YOU. (Civics 101)

[@kuma1939]

Perfect argument.: "..civic illteracy is willful.." Yes, Sir! The infamous 'comfort zone'! Well spotted.