The secret to changing the world | Lee Mun Wah | TEDxExpressionCollege

[@999a0s]

polite applause???? that deserved a fucking standing ovation. holy shit

[@liyaxmtv]

I wish everyone could listen to this talk. So powerful and insightful. There is yet a long way for us to go before the world becomes truly inclusive, diverse, and equal, and such talks are the ones that show us the direction.

[@snowballandpals]

Teared up. He described many aspects of my experiences growing up that I've never talked to anyone about.

[@blainemogil2254]

Even as one who writes, it's difficult to put into words the feelings you've evoked with this magnificent talk. It has changed me, and yet there is much overlap between your experiences and ideas with other lessons I've learned slowly, over a lifetime. Your presentation was sublime, and drew out my tears. So many of the lessons you've offered will go far to change the world, and I will share this video and these lessons in all the classes I teach from this day forward. Thank you so very much for sharing yourself and your story.

[@snamorta]

You are not Bruce Lee, you are not Chinese New Year. You are Lee Mun Wah. A wonderful person with a beautiful name that, even if it is not English, is wonderful, unique, and is you.

[@syde82]

I’m not even halfway through and I’m tearing up. I can so relate because I’m Nigerian brought up in the UK, as a child you disregard who you are just to fit. And he is right bcos you lose a part of who you are. And as an go into adulthood you struggle with your identity bcos you don’t fit in anywhere

[@Ironsav2.0]

Cried whilst watching this! totally relate! " We celebrate our differences but we don't practice them" sooo true!!

[@lakiba]

I LOVE this ... going to show it to my college students on Wednesday -- our last day of class for the semester. Thank you my friend and colleague ... Lee Mun Wah ...

[@lokeshshan6161]

One of the most soothing voices I have ever heard

[@johndavidbuell]

Grateful to have found this today. May this message continue to be shared.

[@aimfire1590]

wow, what a beautiful man, his words are so gentle but truthful. His last story really hits you in the gut and heart

[@ItsRoni]

We watched this video in class today. It is truly one of the deepest, one of the most BEAUTIFUL videos that I have ever seen! Thank you, Mr. Wah for a job well done!! Message received!!

[@marilyngentle2777]

This man's voice is heaven and I can relate to so much of this the food thing and people commenting on it. Beautiful aroma of his food and I totally agree as people would tell me I was eating banana's without asking what I was eating, to learn they tried to make US feel bad about what THEY didn't and don't understand. Very passionate speech

[@stephaniehall1346]

"The most segregated time in America is not on Sunday, it's at lunchtime at every one of our schools in this country." WOW. How true is that statement?! What a powerful talk. It is so inspiring. We have to do better, and it begins with each individual.. it begins with me!

[@LegitArchitecture]

I have to say, that story about throwing away the food really hit a chord with me - happened to me too. I think it's more common than people realise. I think the real secret to changing the world is just to change how you look at it. You can't change the world. To try to do so externally is foolish - start by changing yourself, and focus on that. True change starts from within.

[@thepacifist5140]

"PIN DROP SILENCE" all through out his speech.

[@marlenasantoyo4185]

A beautiful, sad commentary on our differences.

[@globaltherapeutic]

Thank you for your love and care and knowing how to be human and model humanity in the face of inhumanity.

[@risack8640]

I was moved by his story . So beautiful!

[@ananeira274]

This speech touches me profoundly.

[@adamaaron8780]

Thank you Lee Mun Wah, It would be a great honor to meet you one day, you inspire me to better myself especially how I deal with people.

[@elmoshouseartistresidency3017]

Wow, he is such a powerful speaker. How ironic that his name was spelled Lee Muh Wah in the digital tag (bottom left of the screen) at the beginning of the video. It punctuates his point so beautifully.

[@JeremiahHopescenterofhopes]

Great Mentor and Friend. You always challenge me to think and inevitably change. Thanks again.

[@ButchWahlsmith]

Well done Lee Mun Wah, excellent talk.

[@clairedelvoie7801]

Powerful message! Thank you. I am also so grateful for what you did for your students; find them and bring them up.

[@shadowofmyfutureself]

perhaps that is the secret to changing the world; That each and every one of us has to take the time to walk each other home.

[@anouk3539]

Truly inspiring, you just gave me the idea for my final work for graduation. Thanks a lot!

[@ebikeTodd]

Looking forward to meeting you.

[@funkypunkypine]

Absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much.

[@AllAmericanAve]

As a child being born in NYC on the island of Manhattan, I can tell you I’ve been a huge advocate of this exact same mentality. Where change comes from within, just because stereotype are made it doesn’t mean that you as a person of color have to GIVE INTO someone else’s reality! Be the change you want in the world! DONT give in into stereotypes, don’t victimize yourself! LEARN to change your thought pattern! BREAK how others perceive you by your own character in society. Stay safe, GOD BLESS!!!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸ALLAMERICANAVE 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@efe8085]

Wow what a beautiful amazing man with such a beautiful inspiring story

[@spaghetti6155]

for me, i relate to this as I have a big head and I sweat alot in humid countries and was made fun of since 7. It gets harder when you sweat alot and have acne prone skin, so that when you want to wear makeup, you just sweat as if you just came out of the shower. It was hard when people around you tell you to wear makeup, when you know its going to clog your pores or you're not comfortable just because you dont fit the standards your society sets you up for. I resonate with Lee Mun Wah's speech in my own differences with my community. Taking time to help myself so that I can help kids.. who suffer like me too

[@chancho2223]

I love this talk. It is so important.

[@carlosheredia4823]

Relevant to us all.

[@coldisx]

This guy is a G I was clapping behind the screen 👏🔥

[@elvinasimx]

wise words still live again in 2020

[@drcunda1]

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. 💚 RUMI

[@Luis-xr6ec]

Damn that was phenomenal!

[@sussanalee430]

Great talk! I can relate to wonton soup and fried rice in the first grade. I was blessed with learning English in one year. Thanks to dad and a great first grade teacher. Yes and no were not even in my vocabulary. Then I was introduced to canned soggy spinach, mac n cheese, etc. I still love soggy canned spinach but mom's lightly sauteed bright green stuff was more invigorating. Yep. Wanting to be white, until guys and girls want us for friends. Ugh! They must have bad taste. Asian guys didn't seem to prefer me. A couple of them dumped me when I told them I was dating chocolate guys and "law fans" {haoles, gringos, not "white" or from Caucasus regions of Armenia Turkey Russia etc. either). In San Francisco. Go figure. I was really "conflicted". At the 50th high school reunion, it turned out most of my conceptions were more in my head than in theirs. I thought prejudice. They thought fun. So I left Durham. My little sister stayed, married a local boy and his parents just loved her. Even though they are no longer together, they still love her. Her current honey whom she knew in high school but never dated, asked the father in law for permission to date her. He got a yes. They are the cutest couple! And she is so popular! I have keep reminding myself. All reality/perception is between the ears.

[@mariacaceres5987]

THANK YOU !

[@terrencemurphy2495]

This should have 320 million views

[@laurab1804]

Powerful...

[@sallabraham7682]

Amazing, an awesome video..😇!

[@MargaretSpence]

Absolutely beautiful.

[@Ludifant]

Beautiful testament. We need to be aware of the (somewhat) hidden intolerance. But there is a world president and a crisis raging at the moment, so we are trying to stop the blatant racism again. Everybody wants to "take care of their own" and then it becomes very important who "their own" are. We are all people, one world. We are all "your own".. And you are mine and I am trying to take care of you. This is message needs to be heard right now.

[@formisfunction1861]

Deep!

[@eurekaice8654]

Powerful.

[@gracehampton7036]

“What was coming up for you” he’s a cool guy

[@cathymeaw]

Good conclusion, walk to each other's home.

[@jamescc2010]

Wow excellent speech and so true. The world should be color, religion, ethic blind as we are human with same needs and fear. The most important things are inside of us, how we think and act not external appearances and factors. Education in schools and outside should promote our potential to improve ourselves and the world not destroying them. All negative thoughts/speeches/actions, and violence should be condemned and stopped. Too much life, properties, and time are wasting due to ill thoughts and actions base on greed, prejudice, and extreme selfishness and inability to community and work together. I guess we all need to be open to differences, celebrate, learn, respect uniqueness in each of us, and walk each other home.

[@TheTonyspik]

LIES!! The world shall not be color blind. Colorblindess undermines the hardships and struggles of people of color. Denies the idea that minorities have to work even harder than a white person to achieve something, if they even achieve it at all. It denies institutional racism and says one's failure is because of everything else BUT his or her race...

[@nirnaya13]

Beautiful and unassumingly funny!

[@austincaruso2971]

bra you're making me sad your real name is awesome I wish kids weren't bullies

[@larrydubec2259]

Bravo!!!

[@FreshLevWhite]

Thank you!

[@peacenotwar9267]

Nice I hope we all learn 🙏🏼

[@ilikejdmcars]

wow, there are some ignorant comments below me. Look beneath what he is saying man. It's about assimilation, and how even if asians, blacks, or hispanics do assimilate they are still treated as an other. Case in point, some Japanese ameriacns have been citizens since the times of world war II and earlier. And they were put in internment camps, meanwhile that didn't happen to the german americans or italian americans. Germans look like any other white person from europe so it was hard to distinguish them from other white ethnic groups like the dutch, irish, etc.

[@mochifoo]

on a minor factual note, yes, Italians were placed in internment camps during WWII, albeit in lesser numbers than Japanese Americans

[@CalebMcFarland]

Also the Germans hadn't just launched a massive surprise attack on our own shores, and very near the mainland, after having just signed a peace treaty with us. They did that to Europe but not the U.S.

[@7momofmany]

Assimilation was not meant for Blacks, Hispanics or Asians...www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-about-02.htm

[@ataricook]

❤ I felt this x

[@arcadealchemist]

"YOUR SOUL IS MINE!"

[@poolnoodle8782]

Really beautiful

[@dinomoonkathuria4952]

Beautiful! His voice, expression and ideas just soothed my soul. But this is an incomplete talk, we must never forget that certain cults' main motto is to kill/convert others. Though this shouldn't hamper anyone from following what he says, but, don't do that mindlessly, study the person carefully or you are in for a fall.

[@stephenbuchanan1714]

stunning

[@eritreagreatgezavideos7683]

That is the most powerful speech the stereotype it hits home , I live in the predominantly white negberhood when we first move in they weren't happy as we make the negberhood look bad may be too colorful😀😀 so we invite the negberhood to know them & to give them chance to know as we open our house but they never try to know as or get close b/c we look different, we have acents (African) even though we work hard made it like them live in the same area , the sad truth about majority people in America is just judging people by their color of skin, religion , sex & where they come from with out knowing who really they are as a person or just as a human being , the other sad thing is it is not only white people they have prejudice if you are black you get discrmented everywhere the worst is in middle east they don't even think black people as humans or matter their lives, at least in America there is good amazing white people stand up for humanright & against injustics I call them color blind beautiful human beings 😤😤😤😤

[@paperdino8358]

change da world my final message goodbye

[@missbliss4life]

Yes !!!!

[@kutyakeksz]

I understand you, Lee Mun Wah. I'm living in Europe, but I have spent 1,5 years in New York. I am sure we have to say we have to cooperate much better each other then at any time in the history, because we all are slavers. We have to think about what we can do for each other to be free forewer. Must see: Mr. Gregg Bradon: Divine Matrix and Deep Truth and David Icke: The Lion no sliping more. First we have to watch these videos on You-tube and we have to invate to each other to our home. Thank you for reading my comment.

[@robinn9951]

the question is what's the motive behind all these divisions and distractions, and take it from there; perhaps it's a shortcut to reach something that once was or maybe its just an experiment?

[@notadoctora7956]

Walk each other home. I wish our leaders could think like this. Unfortunately, we are too busy collecting narcissist and populous to run. Our countries and behind them are the corporations and maybe if the people started walking people home. things could change

[@ImBABYJANEHUDSON]

Wow!

[@Flanowa]

I did not laugh. This is Beautiful!

[@shubethune5748]

"Secrets" is in my book title.

[@carmelorosario155]

He's right but he's missing something. People won't allow these different cultures to integrate if they don't accept them. So in order for people to enjoy these things we have to make them understand that they are important, special, and just as good as their cultures equivalent. Understanding that is what this country needs. It sounds simple, and it is, but when is the last time you tried to understand why people like something you didn't? Well to change these feelings of opposition, you have to understand them as well to change them. This is hard for many and most and that is why we can't change the world. Because everybody has something they oppose, and we can't fix all of them. So try to understand other and yourself and from there on you have contributed a small but very necessary and valuable change.

[@jenniecarrillo2929]

Look through someone else’s eyes and try to understand why they talk, look, act that way. Just try.

[@d007ization]

Audiences laugh early on in a talk because they're nervous. I smirked when he told me of his American-approved name because the fact that immigrants feel the need to do such things to fit in makes me fear that we'll never be able to reconcile the people in the world with the most prominent lines of sand between them. We will have to change the way our society is structured and stop fearing the people we've kept lower class and stop ignoring our neighbours. But we won't. But on a different note that isn't cheery either, Lee Mun Wah is aware that the sort of teaching he describes is rare and exceedingly difficult, right? I am impressed that he is capable of it but I fear his good heart might be blinding him of his capabilities there.

[@Zer0o11]

That struggling shot at 8.50 to try and accentuate that the room is multicultured.

[@camisetarota134]

Who cried? I did.

[@teodorvb]

By the way even in actual China people don't really wear gee in everyday life. Some people don't realise that China has modern culture as well. People only talk about traditional art

[@cottage4145]

Teodor Boyadzhiev maybe he wants to reminisce the time before western influences. I can relate.

[@teodorvb]

Every culture is influenced by something else. There was time when western culture was inspired by Muslim culture. Modern chinese culture is not just western culture replacing traditional chinese culture. It still has the traditional culture, however it is modified by contemporary thinking and also influenced by the west. There is nothing wrong in that. There are many western artists inspired by chinese culture as well. But modern chinese culture is definitely not western. Even if you take taiwan and the mainland there are already differences. Unfortunately the mainland still faces some restrictions from the political system. I would be very interested how the mainland would evolve culturally when it becomes democratic.

[@cottage4145]

Teodor Boyadzhiev I know it's not just western culture. but they portrayed a huge part..right? lol I would also like to see how their political system will change.

[@JJJ-ns8zz]

This guy mixes up reality and what sells

[@jasminrabensteiner9720]

You’re conscious of racism. What do you think about speciesism?

[@timbowman254]

Like that

[@RavynSkye617]

OMFG as a linguist this hurt to listen to. It isn't racism, it's neurological linguistic development. My husband is Chinese/Vietnamese. Family name is Ga Lung Truong. English name is Garland Truong. 1) They laughed because you presented that with typically comedic timing. And they can't pronounce it, because Chinese (both Mandarin and Cantonese) are tonal languages, and English speakers from infancy literally CAN'T HEAR tones as adults. Retraining their brains to learn to speak good Chinese is more difficult than learning to speak other European languages, because they come from different root linguistic families. Proto-European languages have things in common we pick up on. Sino-family languages don't have those same things in common. Aside from the training of the tongue muscles to make the sounds (which is difficult enough, and related to accent), all people's linguistics processing centers cement our phonemes in place starting from birth, and they're set in place around 12 months, and this malleability of the linguistic processing center - ESPECIALLY for being able to properly hear the differences in the 4 tones of Mandarin or the 9 tones of Cantonese - ends around age 5... for non-tonal languages this period extends to around 7, but for TONAL languages it's not as long. No one hated your name because it was Chinese, or because YOU were Chinese. They didn't think it was 'as beautiful' because their linguistic processing center was confused by the sounds they were hearing, because it didn't have even close to the same phoneme sets, and it sounded like NOISE to them. This isn't a hatred of the language, it's a function of the way we acquire language from the day we are born.

[@punatulkku]

interesting points, thanks for sharing.

[@7roach]

I'm trained in sociolinguistics and it hurts that you're missing so many layers and facets of meaning he is conveying through that story. I'm striving to understand how empathy is built and how we sometimes (all too often) lack it.

[@leahcrossley3673]

"it's amazing that you can't hear the message because you're so focused on your own script" says the person who named them self "Center of Universal Light" ...

[@w2385-i2s]

He was born with the name Gary. He using his Chinese name and wearing Chinese clothes because he is embracing his ethnicity. He is not ashamed of his identity anymore.

[@RavynSkye617]

@@w2385-i2s And he is free to do that. But that doesn't mean that his entire rant about how people laughed at his name (which was due to his own comedic timing) and how upset he is about Chinese languages not being seen as beautiful, and being unpronounceable to Westerners is any more valid.

[@KB-zq9ny]

Can I pretend not to be white and will everyone agree, please?

[@katiekat4457]

He sounds like he is bitter. I think the cause of his bitterness is because he lacked self confidence as a child.but I think he thinks he's bitter because American's are mean. On one hand he is saying he is mad that he is treated like an American and then on the other hand is mad because he is treated like he is Chinese. He set the audience up for laughing at the Gary joke and then made the audience feel bad. He did it intentionally. His dad gave him the name Gary. Not us. This man needs therapy bad. I would imagine knowing him if you were a white American, you would be walking on egg shells all the time and having to be careful what you said because he is so defensive. Plus he goes out of his way to make people feel bad. He takes life way too seriously and I can't imagine being like that. Getting a kick out of making people feel bad just because he's prejudice against white people and lies in wait for people to make a mistake. A mistake that wouldn't be a problem for anyone else with a sense of humor and a strong sense of self with confidence. What a shame.

[@ys7353]

" I would imagine knowing him if you were a white American, you would be walking on egg shells all the time and having to be careful what you said because he is so defensive" I'm not sure about defensive--he's sharing that it hurt. White Americans around him made him ashamed of how he looked, what he ate and other characteristics that made him different. Sure, they were children, but so was he. I don't necessarily feel the Gary reference was meant to get people to feel bad for laughing--I think he was sharing how such experiences shaped him. Since white Americans have not really experienced this, this was his share.

[@w2385-i2s]

You are bitter because the truth hurts.

[@CollapseN2murmur]

The word he forgot to use is assimilate! You move to another country you need to assimilate

[@SimoneBrown]

African Americans didn't "move" to North America

[@zappchance]

*Aboriginal or Native Austrailian, not Native Americans

[@danpt2000]

CollapseN2murmur the pilgrims didnt assimilate to Cherokee, to Iroquoi

[@jaypzl]

Assimilate to what, exactly? Name some examples please.

[@w2385-i2s]

He was born in the U.S. He is American as apple pie.

[@rosalio6062]

This guy is extremely covertly hostile. 😱

[@xis_behelit]

+Rosalio understandably so.

[@hanyakatz6238]

No he is not hostile, he is telling the bitter truths.

[@user-dn1tx6dj7y]

He’s speaking the truth of most coloured or ethnic peoples experiences, but i guess the truth makes some people ‘uncomfortable’. Understandably so, why would some ever question a system that benefits only a certain type of people

[@CptNemo-l3s]

Covert and unconscious racism is pretty hostile I'd say. Truth hurts doesn't it. Lights on but nobodies home.

[@francesbernard2445]

If that is for real true then I am unlike you thankful he wo'uld be willing to walk me home too.

[@sgclimb]

The audience in not laughing at your chinese name. They're laughing at the stark difference between Gary and Lee Mun Wah. You grew up in a different decade than I did, but stop playing the race card.

[@giesencreative]

I don't think he was implying that the audience was laughing at his Chinese name. I think his point was that while the stark difference might be funny to the audience, it's deeply personal to him. I got the impression that the name is very significant in his life, and he was trying to show the audience that it looks different from his perspective than from theirs.

[@merungafoundation8432]

Your white fragility was triggered.

[@sgoodney]

Indeed, @@WildWomanAdventurer , he just "played it" by completely dismissing this non-white man and what he is trying to say. Such is *still* the privilege of a young white man in America. They don't even realize how much they pull out their AmEx of Privilege.....race, ethnicity, gender, age......it just goes on and on.....

[@trinaryan10000]

I don't think he was reviling folks for laughing. It was more about perception. He didn't laugh because the issue was personal to him. The audience laughed because, at face value, it was humorous. But humor, like everything is based upon our personal experience. With that said, I think this wasn't the best way to start off the talk. The part about him throwing away his food was much more powerful and hard hitting, driving home his point with clarity.

[@pigvomit4730]

No, it's definitely funny that your dad named you "Gary." 😂Now go back to your Mortal Kombat event, bro.