The danger of silence | Clint Smith | TED
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- čas přidán 14. 08. 2014
- "We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we rarely pay attention to the things they don't," says slam poet and teacher Clint Smith. A short, powerful piece from the heart, about finding the courage to speak up against ignorance and injustice.
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Mr. Smith!!!! He was my 10 grade English teacher! Definitely one of the most influential teachers I've ever had
I'd love to have a teacher like him!
what school did you go to because he mentioned new orleans and that’s where i’m from
@@chesneyaudrict5244 same
@@chesneyaudrict5244 do you think hes gonna respond ? The comment was 6 years ago
@@elijah1521 worth a try
"Silence is the residue of fear."
That was perfect.
No it is not. Some people just prefer silence
@@SansPeineIt definitely is. I think you may have missed his point. You’re talking about a different kind of silence; a sense of peace…not silent indifference towards the plight of others, as he’s speaking of.
He sounds like an amazing teacher and an amazing person
He absolutely is, I spent time with him in South Africa and we did a piece together titled "African American" which you can find here on youtube juxtaposing apartheid with slavery.
He also sound like if he's a rapper.
he should do rap
IIGytyII yah
He is btw
He isn’t
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."
-Desmond Tutu
Couldn't be more true.
I have had to escape abuse and neglected by my own family and dilling with sexual abuse by my uncle Robert kenndy and my rasist family so I spoke because my uncle might strike again and he has a license concealed weapons
"Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, but, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander." Yehuda Bauer
Yes.
Not true
"I gave up speaking. Figured the most valuable thing I could sacrifice was my own voice, but it was like I hadn't realized that I had given that up a long time ago" Read critically. Write consciously. Speak clearly. Tell your truth. Areas that I need to improve on everyday for me to reach that next stage in my life.
Very nice!
📝📝📝📝📝
deep
We all need to improve in these.
Listening is important too
So proud! Honestly, his classes made me feel so "safe" (0:57) that I would walk out into the hallways after class thinking "these kids in the hallway have no idea how much I just went through in the last hour." Poetry unlocked so many emotions in the classroom, it was stupefying. He helped me express my voice more than I had realized, back then.
Thanks Clint!
Good for you man
Français
I was surprised my teacher played us for this during English. It was an amazing video and once we were done with it our teacher let us sit in silence for a second and then and spoke she said. “Do you want to know how I know you understood this video? Because when I looked around, every single one of you had your eyes glued to the screen, and some were even shaking their head along with the speech.” I think it’s a part of school I’ll never forget.
"In the end we would remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends." I feel that
I try to listen to this video at least once a week.... It's not about the words you do speak but about words you don't. Speak not what you think people want to hear... Speak your truth....Just be you. Not what you think others want to see
I wish more people would understand how much damage their silence paves the way for. Fear of conflict and fear of feeling uncomfortabel feelings, gives space to they who seek conflict, dictatorship and war to take over, especially if they are a violent minority. Watch this please, and ask yourself if you belong to the silent majority.
Excellent. Silence is golden, righteous words are divine. Knowing when to speak and when not to is a great treasure.
“Silence is the residue of fear”
I got chills.
This guy would be an awesome rapper. A poet with a message, love it.
Who else got this for their classes- 😭🤚
edit: for the answers, I dont rlly know, but the
chatting he does helps, just focus on the words
n stuff lol, hope it helped! :D
dude same
Yowwwww
AAHAAAHAAAA girl please stop exposing us.
Y'all, i need answers. Help me out😗👉🏻👈🏻
@@zimzalabim2029 depending on the level of your class, your speech not even be like this. I just needed an idea of how to start 🥴
This is spot on - students need voice in all capacities and especially in light of the injustice that has happened recently. As a teacher educator, I thank you Mr. Smith.
i dont know why i cried so much watching this. this was so eloquently spoken and well compromised. so so powerful, thank you clint.
Beautiful, This moves me every time I watch. Goosebumps, tears, hope...
Goosebumps and chills hearing this Man speak. So motivating and inspiring.. Wow!
You are awesome my Son! This truth brought me to tears! I am so proud of YOU! Thank you for having the courage to use your voice a tool for liberation.
the way he speaks is just ... powerful.
Such a powerful speech. If he said that he the worst man, then I am the lowest scumbag. So many times i mute my voice instead of speaking up against injustice.
Just heard him present last week. This young man is moving, articulate and very worth hearing and reading.
Thank you so much. I have been silenced for so long. Fear will no longer silence me!!
This was one of the best Ted talk I have ever heard, his emphasis on the right words and the storytelling was really thought provoking, it was just majestic almost like I was going through those paths with him especially the 3 incidents he mentioned about gay, beggar and fund raiser; it was an amazing experience.
"YOU DON'T NEED MORE WORDS TO EXPRESS YOUR THOUGHTS, THE RIGHT ONES WILL JUST BE ENOUGH"
Short but impactful, thank you, the best 5 minutes of my night.
Wow! This message inspires me to become an even better person in a world where silence is preferred over tolerance and respect for differences.
Holy crap. Not only is it quick and to the point, with virtually no minced words, but also tells a powerful point. People need to learn from this guy. If only the part about how to talk effectively and efficiently
I'd love to see a debate between him and a librarian.
Maybe, there would have been no debate. Maybe there would have been just a flow of words collaborating between two intelligent beings conducting themselves on a level above the antagonistic animals that feed off of hatred rather than love and harmony.
how do you know hes not a librarian?
@@chancemoore6062 He's a teacher
His words were brilliantly spoken we heard the story of truth spoken in a noisy and evil world. I understood the story and now I can no longer sit quietly allow evil people to continue to take the advantage of me I will tell the story and the truth will unfold all it holds. A person should not feel the pain of in justice. We were promised we could receive the benefits of obtaining some of the American Dream. I will no longer silently by while the truth remains hidden within my domain. God tell us not to worry and fear and if we stand firmly believing our heavenly Father will act on our voice to him.
The way he spoke conveyed his message so well, i didn't expect to burst into tears when i was watching this
This is very good for an introvert like me
"silence is the residue of fear" ! I love it
Wow! He lays it on perfectly- more power to him & his voice: OUR VOICES
The Clint Smith video is one of the most powerful videos I have every seen. It reminds me of my daughter Brianna and the journey she is about to embark on.
sounds like he was rapping
It’s poetry
Poetry is rapping
That's the beauty of spoken word.
Slam poetry always sounds like that
Welcome to the spoken word
The speaker was clearly relaying a very concise and meaningful message. There are a lot people nowadays who are terrified to speak out and express there true and honest opinions. We are not designed by God to remain silent in all ways of life but we must become true to ourselves and be mindful of our own ways to manifest our own beliefs and genuine opinions.
Powerful! And every word needed to be said, thank you for no longer being silent!
This was nothing short of beautiful. It's really allowed me to step back and observe my addiction of silence, and it has given me the urge to speak out. Thank you for the motivation!
This inspired me to stop beinging silente and speak my mind about how i Really feel so thankyou for this
"Silence is the residue of fear."
It's so beautifully put.
Never in my life had 4 minutes felt so long. This was so good!
Hello Mr. Smith!
I believe that you successfully inspire the audiences that we should express our voice more than be silent in every situation. Silence is dangerous because it separates individuals from each other. I wish to be one of your students to listen to your inspired talks every day in class.
Thank you for such an inspirational talk!
Anthony
This video actually encouraged me to do something about a problem I had, to get back what was mine. Nice speech. Thank you.
this was powerful. Amazing how some videos go viral and the ones that should don't. This needs to go viral.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s quote on remembering the silence of friends, not enemies, sets the stage for a compelling exploration of silence's consequences by Clint Smith. As a student, I admire Smith's efforts to create a safe space for students to share their truths.
Smith's commitment to using his voice to confront ignorance and uplift others is truly inspiring. His resolution to live each day with a metaphorical microphone under his tongue serves as a compelling call to action. In summary, Clint Smith's talk is a moving reflection on the danger of silence, and I thank him for sharing his truth.
Grat talk. I love how he twists his sentences so that one word gets a completely different meaning! (For example the one about the apple... just great!)
Only the second Ted talk ever that made me want to cry. I have silenced my voice trying to.keep peace and nearly destroyed myself. A blessed talk and not one word wasted. What is more powerful?
the way he was talking sounded almost like a poem and it was beautiful
Wow this was truly powerful, I am astonished at the in depth messaging that was provided in this video! Great Work Mr. Smith!
This is one of my favorite TED talks. Such a wonderful and inspiring message I share whenever I get a chance:)
I've watched this multiple times and everytime I am moved by it
What a dude! Powerful, heartfelt and brave - aspire to speak like this!
Such a powerful message in so short a time.
the power of good speech...
Look at Clint man... so inspirational
Wow only when I finished the video did I realize this man was reciting a poem. A poem he made to deliver a strong message, just like he said he was teaching his students. That was a powerful move.
Every now and then, I would come back and watch this!!!! Love this !!!
Same
This should have way more views.
That was powerful! Well said sir
in the 1968 speech where he reflects upon the civil rights movement, states in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends. As a teacher, I have internalized this message. Every day, all around us, we see the consequences of silence manifest themselves in the form of discrimination, violence, genocide and war. In the classroom, I challenge my students to explore the silence in their own lives through poetry. We work together to fill those spaces, to recognized them, to name them, to understand that they don't have to be sources of shame. In an effort to create a culture within my classroom where students feel safe sharing the intimacies of their own silences, I have four core principles posted on the board that sit in the front of my class, which every student signs at the begging of the year:
read critically, write consciously, speak clearly, tell you truth. and I find myself thinking a lot about that last point. tell your truth and I realize that if I was going to ask my students to speak up. I was going to have to tell my true and be honest with them about the times where I failed to do so. So I tell them that growing up as a kid in a Catholic family in New Orleans during that I was always taught that the most meaningful thing one could do was to give something up or sacrifice something you typically indulge in to prove to God you understand the sanctity I have given up soda, McDonald's, french fries, French kisses and everything in between. But one year I gave up speaking. Figure the most valuable thing I could sacrifice with my own voice, but it was like I hadn't realized that I had given that up a long time ago.
I spent so much of my life telling people the things they wanted to hear instead of the things they needed to told myself I wasn't meant to be anyone's conscience because I still had to figure out being my own so sometimes I just wouldn't say anything, appeasing ignorance with my silence, unaware that validation doesn't need words to endorse its existence. When Christian was beat up for being gay, I put my hand in my pocket and walked with my head down as if I didn't even notice. couldn't use my locker for weeks because the boat on the lock reminded me of the one I put on my lips on the homeless man on the corner looked at me with eyes up merely searching for an affirmation that he was worth seeing. I was more concerned with touching the screen on my Apple and actually feeding him one. When the woman at the fundraising gala so I'm so proud of you. It must be so hard teaching those poor, unintelligent kids. I bit my lip, because apparently we needed her money more than my students needed their dignity. We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we really pay attention to the things they don't.
Silence is the residue of fear. It is feeling your flaws gut- wrench your tongue. It is the air retreating from your chest because it doesn't feel safe in your lungs. Silence is Rwandan genocide. Silence is Katrina. It is what you hear when there aren’t enough body bags left. It is the sound after the news is already tied. It is charring. It is chains. It is privilege. It is pain. there is no time to pick your battles when your battles have already picked you I will not let silence wrap itself around my indecision. I will tell Christian that he is a lion a sanctuary of bravery and brilliance. I will ask that homeless man what his name is and how his day was because sometimes all people want to be is human. I will tell that woman that my students can talk about transcendentalism like their last name was the Thoreau, it just because you watch one episode of the wire doesn't mean you know anything about my kids. so this year instead of giving something up, I will live every day as if they were microphone tucked under my tongue, a stage on the underside of my inhibition. Because who has to have a soapbox When all you've ever needed is your voice
thank youu
The power of words is stronger than we could ever imagine
LOVED every word!! Thank you for the inspiration.
I love the speech. we don’t have to worry about what people said, just talk to the right person about your problem.
i adore this way of speaking
This is one of the shortest, and most needed Ted Talks.
This is like spoken word poetry. Love it
The best voice I’ve ever heard
For a channel whose purpose is to promote "ideas worth spreading,"
The lack of understanding and reasoning in some of these comments greatly disappoints me. For those that do understand, I commend you.
For those that still do not, allow me to enlighten you in the following:
1) The color of his skin does not justify your assertion that he was "rapping." He's speaking on a beat. This is a form of speaking called SPOKEN WORD PROSE AND POETRY. This shows his skill as an orator with his ability to emphasize on each and every word so that it becomes memorable - a skill that only, I would say, only half of these TEDTalks orators possess.
2) Giving things up - THIS IS BECAUSE HE IS A CHRISTIAN AND HAS AN EVENT CALLED "LENT." It is part of his faith to give something up during this time - and thus sparks the transition of his realization that he's been saying what people want to hear rather than what they need to hear.
3) Clint Smith was chosen - like every other Orator, because he has an idea worth spreading and the experiences to back it up. The color of his skin has nothing to do with his authority on the subject. He states that he is a teacher, a position that some people would consider to be one of the most stressful jobs in the world. He has had first hand experience with this subject, and uses it as evidence to support his oratory.
4) T.E.D. - Technology, Education, Development. Not all of these TED Talks focus on all three aspects. Although we do not see much focus on Technology, Smith places high emphasis on Education and Development. TED was right to post this as a Talk.
5) Why is this shorter? If this speech was given out in a "regular" style of talking instead of his fast paced Spoken Word, this would time out to roughly seven to eight minutes. Take it from a Speech and Debate captain whose main event falls under Original Prose and Poetry - the pace you go at, greatly determines how long it is. This may have been "short," but the fact remains that it was powerful, it gets you hooked in, and it leaves you with an amazing message.
tl;dr: This is justified as an amazing speech, and you - the audience - cannot deny it. Just because it is said in a different way, does not overshadow the true meaning and message behind this oratory. Would you say the same things about Shane Koyczan's "To This Day" TEDTalk?
That, my friends, isn't just a TED talk. It's poetry.
What a WORD-SMITH! Beautiful.
i Clapped at this.
he is a brave man and has done a great job.
This was extraordinarily brilliant.
Thank you so much for this beautiful speech 🙏
Powerful Message! Encourage people by your voice!
Soul touching. And heart uplifting. Thank you
Deep, yet so true. Touching....
Thats real talk. Stand to be seen, speak to be heard, and sit to be appreciated.
Elder Winston Dawthard
I will not stay quiet for anyone’s comfort. They were indiscriminate when they slandered, I’m equally as indiscriminate when I address and expose actions. 🙏
I luv listening to this. Very inspirational, educational, & empowering.
The most inspirational talk that i’ve heard since subscribing...
woww this video really slapped my face so hard. I've always chosen to be silent and only speak when it's absolutely necessary. I didn't realize that with silence, we wouldn't change anything. But our silence may have a bad impact on others and also ourselves. I always hesitate to express my opinion and spend my time just thinking, is my opinion acceptable and matter to others? And whether what I’m gonna say is right? Just like what the speaker said, i just wouldn't say anything, and appeasing ignorance with my silence.
The “silence is the residue of fear” was blown my mind and made me realize that it's feeling my flaws. From now, I will not let silence wrap itself around my indecision again. I will be braver to say what I think is right.
Wow. So powerful.
This was beautiful. I was so glad to hear it today.
The greatest video I have ever watched. 4mins of my time surely it doesn't take much of your time.
Wow, he wanted to be heard....and I listend in awe!
THE most inspiring 4 minutes on the internet!
Silence can destroy families, communities and the discriminate against the weak an vunerable. so speak your truth and help others. Thank you for your inspiration Clint Smith
Beautiful, powerful -- Ah, goosebumps.
that was simply amazing... it made me reconsider my situation again.
It's perhaps important to note, also, that silencing people who disagree with you in your efforts to speak out is probably not what this guy is recommending (I'm looking at you, social justice warriors).
Your comment gave me PTSD.
I'm a social justice warrior and you're silencing me!!! GIVE ME ATTENTION!!!! :p
You mean gamergaters or mra. Those are the only people systematically silencing anyone and then threatening to rape and kill anyone that disagrees. I see you haters still travel in packs wherever you go....too insecure and fragile deal with intelligent people, that see through your crap, all by yourself.
Bryna Loewer I don't agree with MRAs, I think they're annoying, but I am irritated by anybody that tries to push their beliefs of social justice onto other people. Especially when it's by means of law, which is very extreme.
If you really think that people arguing against feminists are the _only people_ who systematically silence anyone, then you clearly haven't been paying much attention to the feminist movement (or really any popular movement, for that matter).
sjw's aren't the only silencers around
Sounds poetic. Beautiful.
“sometimes all people want to be is human”
this TED was amazing 🤍
In my opinion, "Tell your Truth" is the most important out of the four.
That's why it was the last thing on the list because the last thing that is said tends to be the most important
I know I could not be a person like him and do all the things he says but I will try to be better. Thank you.
Clint Smith was my 10th grade teacher and he is not lying when he says that he has his students sign to do these 4 things in the beginning of the year. He was the best teacher and I’m happy to see him still in slam.
thats dope
Wonderful speaker. It was like poetry to be dragged along by his words. Makes me want to think more before I open my mouth, or not.
Just had this audio sample for my english examination and i was really moved.
Same, it's very moving speech
Amazing speech. Wish it was longer.
But let's not forget. *It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it”
One of the best talks ever
I loves the way he stan for his student melt my heart and the way he speaks fullfill with confidence and spirit are the best part. Thanks for the speech sir! 🙂
Clint Smith gets it... I just love him so much... his words go straight to the heart and soul and pierces it with truth.
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