How to have hope for American democracy | Sharon McMahon | TEDxBillings

[@storytimewithauntiekatie]

Hope filled and hopeful. Thank you Sharon for inspiring change by choosing to see the good in others, instead of othering others. Thank you for elevating the power of choosing hope, and how it is a power we can all claim. Thank you!

[@gingerstyrsky]

This came out at the perfect time. Thanks for the history lesson and the encouragement.

[@donnavalentine]

I did not know these things. It was fascinating to hear about Guevenor Morris. I have your audiobook The Small and the Mighty. It’s THE most inspiring book I’ve read in a long time! I felt impassioned and inspired to believe I can make a difference! Fave story was about Daniel Inouye (whom the Honolulu airport is named after). iBooks got the sound right. Ted needs a de-esser and lower 12hz and boost some lows. It’s very mid-heavy.

[@lindasteger7207]

We still do not know if this is going to work out Nov 5 2024 12:10 pm cst Hope is a choice. To actualize it requires mutual respect, actual facts, and pure of heart.

[@potato9832]

I'm from the future. It in fact, did not work out. Putin won the election.

[@cgoodson2010]

Thank you for this. It's what I needed to hear!

[@sparrowgeiller9360]

Brava! Inspiring talk.

[@vcello6450]

I could use some hope, as long as it's realistic.

[@markkallstrom7398]

@@vcello6450 hope is found in the God of the Bible

[@vcello6450]

@ nope.

[@lilygdsn]

Awesome talk (and also shoutout Billings!!)

[@stayhappylittlemermaid]

You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible

[@ChristyLuisDostoevskyinSpace]

And working with your enemies might result in you learning something from them. As you said in the Armchair Expert interview, nobody has a monopoly on truth 😄

[@bradcogley8146]

“How to have hope for American democracy” change it🤔

[@andrewe2643]

Sounds like a church sermon and mildly triggering for an ex evangelical. The whispering, the vocal loudness changes, the metaphors. Was half expecting a slow piano segue into an altar call to be saved at the end.

[@towritemichelle210]

I thought this was excellent

[@timetowakeup6302]

“If voting made any difference they wouldn’t let you do it.”

[@janetslicer3637]

Whose quote is that? And why would you repeat it? Just wondering.

[@timetowakeup6302]

@ Mark Twain.

[@janetslicer3637]

​@@timetowakeup6302Thank you, I appreciate it.

[@Нина-э3р]

❤

[@joeldheath]

That's the thing though, in red states, they go out of their way to prevent people from voting.

[@Mtnnaturegal]

❤

[@ragnar1019]

We The People America is a Immigrant Nation, America is a Nation of Immigrants. America, Gods of All Nations.

[@h.neubert8770]

"Gods of all Nations"

[@Phlucious]

Sharon, you’re amazing. I love this message. You do great work. But please… stop whispering when you do public speaking. It’s why I can’t do your podcast. When your voice gets normal like at 5:36 you are great. You sound normal. I even love your sarcastic voice like at 6:57. But the first five minutes you’re like wispy and whispering and you’re going to lose a lot of people with that voice texture. Maybe I’m just not your audience, idk. But you are a voice for healing for all of America, and you are a powerful, influential woman. Please show America’s men that her women are powerful.

[@harrypearle9781]

DUMP TRUMP? Flip this insanity, around, whatever it takes.... TNX MCH

[@mr.obsidian8009]

"no State shall be at liberty to form any other than a Republican Government"- james madison Article IV, Section 4: The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

[@vcello6450]

This totally missed the mark.

[@737ngJR]

With that voice she should be making asmr videos

[@sendtothisone]

She has a podcast and an audiobook, so you could start there 😅

[@pennyrichards8019]

We are a democracy???

[@caitk.1258]

Yes we are.

[@leodouskyron5671]

We were a representative democracy- just not any more.

[@sendtothisone]

​@@z-man1980that's a type of democracy

[@h.neubert8770]

@@z-man1980 thats a representative democracy

[@shivershins3730]

Happy Election Day USA

[@potato9832]

You mean "Happy Putin" day?

[@shivershins3730]

@ unfortunately yes

[@urbanzmb]

lol was this like for a joke?

[@giftedgreen2152]

Put a fork in TedX. No one is buying this propaganda.

[@jacobhertl1398]

How to say nothing for 20 minutes. No offense but this was terrible.

[@Ninja9JKD]

Why do you keep using that word democracy? 1. The USA is a constitutional republic 2 democracy essentially means mon rule, which then often turns into dictatorship.

[@ethancoster1324]

I guess they're referring to the democratic process of voting for candidates.

[@caitk.1258]

Sharon has a fantastic explainer on why this is inaccurate, actually. We are a democracy.

[@Ninja9JKD]

@@caitk.1258 Have you read the constitution? Do you know what a republic is?

[@Ninja9JKD]

@@ethancoster1324 But we don't, we are in a republic, that is the structure as we don't directly vote for the president. The Electoral College is part of what makes the USA a REPUBLIC.

[@jeffyeager9168]

They're not mutually exclusive. Yes, we live in a constitutional republic. And yes, we live in a democracy.

[@Boxagami]

It's a REPUBLIC. Get educated!

[@cj415guerrero]

The U.S. has never been a republic, so read a history book.

[@Boxagami]

@@cj415guerrero It's a REPUBLIC! Your elected officials are representatives of the Republic. You democrats are uneducated. It's in your HISTORY BOOK. lol

[@marnieolson6084]

A Republic IS a democracy. It's a representative democracy.

[@Boxagami]

@@marnieolson6084 I stated that is a representative republic. My message was of course censored or deleted! The two words Republic and Democracy and the reason I say it's a Republic is because you elect Representatives to represent YOU. You do NOT have direct voting of bills. Your representative has that ability and they can choose to vote for or against a bill not matter what you ask them to do. In the situation of a a TRUE 100% democracy, you would have the choice of writing the bills and also voting for them directly as a citizen, but you do not have that option. The only option you have is to encourage your representative to vote for or against a bill and if they choose they can ignore your request. To me, that's NOT a democracy! It becomes a democracy, when you choose to re-elect or elect another representative official to represent you again. I won't get into the fact that 2 constitutions exist and the title was changed. However, you can read the book about it on Amazon written by constitutional lawyers. Neither of our offcials are following the constitution period.

[@gailboos]

We are constitutional republic that uses representative democracy. We elect either directly (basically all of our government leaders except the president). We do not have a lot of direct democracy but we do have some.

[@markkallstrom7398]

I did not finish listening to, do not like the tone of here voice

[@pamelaaustin9021]

Thanks for letting us know

[@edwarddebone402]

Just because it’s a TED talk….

[@a91170]

VOTE TRUMP

[@homeshows]

You are voting for and agreeing to a plutocracy. Everything will be geared solely to the influence and whims of the ultra rich. If you think any of their riches will trickle down to you; enjoy your fantasy. Musk has shown his disdain for his own workforce and highlighted his own addiction to power. He is the first lady now and his goals and dreams will supersede all. He has no problem trashing this planet because he has his eyes on another but if you think you will be invited along you are very mistaken. The plutocrats dangle boggie men in front of you to give you something to hate or be distracted by while they pick your pockets and insulate themselves with ever increasing money and power.

[@deepakghosh6169]

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. - Winston Churchill

[@bcooke1000]

Ask India about Modi creeping upon them. Ever lived under a dictatorship?

[@deepakghosh6169]

@bcooke1000 socialism is dictatorship "Democracy is indispensable to socialism." - Lenin it is interconnected "The goal of socialism is communism." - Vladimir Lenin

[@dkarras]

… democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. - Sir Winston Churchill

[@deepakghosh6169]

@@dkarras Democracy gives every man the right to be his own oppressor. - James Russell Lowell

[@deepakghosh6169]

@@dkarras Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. - Benjamin Franklin

[@deepakghosh6169]

'Democratic’ in its original meaning [refers to] unlimited majority rule … a social system in which one’s work, one’s property, one’s mind, and one’s life are at the mercy of any gang that may muster the vote of a majority at any moment for any purpose. - Ayn Rand

[@theNoogler88]

Any Rand suffered PTSD from trauma after a childhood under early Communist Russia. Instead of receiving therapy she wrote her trauma into her books, then rose to fame through the second red scare and even took part in the HUAC trials. She is not an authority on democratic principles, and this quote of hers is grossly disingenuous at best.

[@JaneaDahl]

Well said! ​@@theNoogler88

[@deepakghosh6169]

Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage. - H.L. Mencken