Putting a New Face on Pacifism | Corinna Hill | TEDxGallaudet

Putting a New Face on Pacifism
Corinna Hill is currently a senior undergraduate student at Gallaudet University with the plan to turn her tassel this May. Corinna is a History major and Criminology minor. She is originally from Texas and moved to Maryland when she was twelve. After graduating from Maryland School for the Deaf, she entered Gallaudet University. During her time here at Gallaudet, Corinna has been a part of several organizations such as The Buff and Blue student newspaper. She is going to now shamelessly plug information here, please go check out thebuffandblue.net if you haven't! She would like to take the time to thank her friends and family for listening to her ramble and putting up with her constant pacing. Corinna is very passionate about her topic and cannot thank her loved ones enough for all their support. Oh and in her free time, Corinna enjoys writing about herself in the third person.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@NotYourAverageHome]

I'm a 100% Service-Connected Disabled Veteran. I've had a broken back and neck. I've been unconscious, and as a result of my concussion and my Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), I had retrograde amnesia. I've spent nearly a year in the hospital, and had subsequent spinal surgery. I required subsequent cervical spine surgery, and have fused C-3 to C-7. During that same life-saving surgery, my left vocal cord was accidentally severed and paralyzed. Fifteen months of speech therapy, have strengthened my voice, and it has returned to a quasi-normal level. As such, my I lend my less-than-perfect voice to Miss Hill, and commend her for the courage to voice her position on this matter. I have worn both enlisted and officer grades (ranks). My background includes having worked War Plans; Strategic Plans and Programs; and Logistics Plans (from squadron-level, to Major Command staff). I've personally authored (and edited) Theater-Specific War Plan annexes. I maintained and performed duties requiring a Top Secret SCI clearance. Because of being forced to retire early medically, I have been the frequent recipient (especially in the last five years), of the accolade: "Thank you for your service. You, and those like you, are heroes, and have given so much to our country." May I be among the first to commend Miss Hill. Likewise, may I say to her, I thank you for "your" service... that of the seldom-heard voice in the wilderness. My injuries, by no means, make me heroic. Quite the contrary... more a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Heroic, is taking self-less action; thinking of what will benefit others, and acting upon those convictions. In the case of Miss Hill, I find it particularly impressive. It's done because of conviction; belief that what you are doing is the right thing. It's heroic, in light of the fact that your position won't gain favor from those blindly waving a flag, or thoughtlessly asking for divine assistance in smiting the enemy. You might enjoy how that type thinking was so thoroughly denounced, in the short story, The War Prayer, by Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain). The reasoning for providing some of my background, is to lend support to the comment that pacifists, such as Miss Hill, find like-mindedness from varied personalities. I'm a disabled American veteran, a retired military officer, and proud to say I join the ranks beside Miss Hill as a pacifist.

[@SnakeAndTurtleQigong]

Count me in! (This was a life-changing TED. Please have someone create a new audio translation. She deserves a better rendition!)

[@hayleyanderson3576]

I have hope in the future thankyou😊

[@seerar1]

I respect pacifism on its gentle nature , but I see it as naive and silly why? If under pacifism self defence is also wrong then it's foolishness What if your family was getting murdered or yourself Naive and foolish but also gentle like a child

[@TheMotivationRSF]

If you were listening, you would have heard her speak about pascifism associated with solely "War" not your scenerio my friend.

[@thememaster7]

And if you had read his comment properly you'd have seen that he was talking about pacifism, not the woman. And if she only sticks to war then she's creating a fallacy that contradicts itself that becomes a destructive "ethic". The naive and silly follow it but to intelligently preach is just plain evil. If the whole world became pacifists then a single thug could destroy the world. FYI, families get murdered in wars also.

[@TheMotivationRSF]

Theme Master Nowhere in my previous comment have i said Abdullah was speaking about the woman. If you read my comment FYI "properly" you would understand I mentioned "the woman" to back myself and am right to do so clearly she is the one advocating pacifism. I read his comment thoroughly and decided to comment accordingly. Obviously Abdullahs comment was directed at pacifism. Im saying she spoke upon pacifism associated solely with war, she didn't make a case about self defense. I do understand his argument, Im not saying he is wrong I'm simply saying "she" doesn't speak deeply upon the scenario he's made, which is obviously why he decided to share it...

[@thememaster7]

Oh ok, you just felt like talking about her even though he wasn't. Fair enough lol.

[@seastorm1979]

I think self-defence is allright, but aggression is not. Defenders good, aggressors not.

[@coles2688]

seastorm1979 It completely depends

[@jacksonkouns5623]

war has changed -Corinna "Solid Snake" Hill

[@1MRJB1]

I like your video but I dont think I agree with 10:30-10:50.

[@BrickRoscoCDC]

We don’t have to keep putting the majority of our money into military just to stay on top is what she meant

[@dsalazarm]

proud quaker Pacifist here

[@raywest3834]

"Pale Ebenezer thought it wrong to fight, But Roaring Bill, who killed him, thought it right." Hillaire Belloc

[@bradwatson7324]

It's okay to be anti-government. It's okay to be anti-soldier.

[@DevSarman]

They how would you overthrow the government?

[@neptunianman]

@@DevSarman put a giant cage over the white house

[@obiwankenobi3574]

It’s not okay to be against the men and women who defend our nation

[@bradwatson7324]

@@obiwankenobi3574 Yes, it is. Government and soldiers make a country's population less safe and less free, not more so. Soldiers are more often a police force that mollify or control their own country's population, rather than acting as a deterrent defense force against foreign aggression. They're just mercenaries; they're political tools. Certainly this applies to dictatorships or communist regimes, but it applies to less oppressive states as well.

[@obiwankenobi3574]

@@bradwatson7324 in democratic western countries the military is seldom if ever deployed in a civilian role apart from disaster relief or serious civilian unrest like rioting, soldiers in western countries mostly act as a deterrent against foreign aggressors, yes in places like Myanmar the military is an occupying force but that’s mostly dictatorships

[@Kristoffceyssens]

whats wrong with hippies? :p

[@NaiefThegoony]

I dunno ? They really just want to spread peace , violence never helped anything at all, yes war has helped some stuff but they were mostly fighting back , a world without violence would be a great world , not a perfect world but a great world.

[@coles2688]

Naief Alromi Violence is the reason the world is as largely globally safe as it is.

[@jacksonkouns5623]

@@coles2688 uhh the way that comment is structured, self-defense ie the safeness is not considered violence, that is considered a defense, violence is the reason for self-defense, so you statement made to argue, does not do anything if we didn't have violence as in aggression we wouldn't need to be defensive, so to say violence (aggression) never helped would still be accurate as defence isn't violence only the natural answer to violence

[@DevSarman]

@@jacksonkouns5623 then what violence means to you if you ends up must performing violence in the scene of self defence? Using of pepper spray as a simple self defence could be counted violent to me

[@thenewcovenantforthenewera5412]

Peace through non violence is the only way... KZbin channel: the new covenant for the new era

[@coles2688]

The New Covenant For the New Era Peace through violence is the only way. Peace through non violence is ignorance.

[@leastbloodthirstyneocon2776]

Well lets look at how well that nonviolence turned out in ww2. Lets just say it made everything worser.

[@squito94]

I'm all for peace but we need a good military to discourage other countries from attacking us.

[@daltorb8739]

The building up of defense is just an excuse for offensive tactics.

[@hellspwanedperson]

+Daltorb with out some sort of deterrent a defenseless nation risks going the way of the moriori. vulnerability is not a virtue.

[@generalskunk6876]

Same, but for defence and ONLY defence

[@coles2688]

Daltorb Offense is the best defense

[@leastbloodthirstyneocon2776]

@@generalskunk6876 but then, offense is best defense. If were going to just defend ourselves and not a attack a regime first before it gains power to threaten us or its neighbors, then we will be going to ww2 like scenario.

[@Julian-wd8ym]

Yes I am a vegan. Yes I eat meat. We exist (replace "vegan" with "pacifist" and "eat meat" with "am a patriot"