Pedagogy of the Decolonizing | Quetzala Carson | TEDxUAlberta

“Panic is not prayerful”, notes Quetzala Carson, while speaking on the challenging nature of the dialogue surrounding colonial violence; colonial violence is difficult to engage, because it often involves dialogues on questioning narratives that we’ve known to be normal. Quetzala explains the tenets of colonialism, how our normative narratives are built, and also shares some strategies on how to engage and combat colonial violence with compassion. Quetzala Carson is Mestizx from Mana ahuac, Nicaragua. The child of two special needs educators, pe spent per summers in Managua and winters in Amiskwaciwâskahikan. A professional musician from age 13, pe's current solo project is FRYZZ LYFE. For Quetzala, music is a platform from which to communally discuss and transmute trauma. Pe released an album this year titled Mecayotl Tlazohcamati Axcammochipa (thank you kin into perpetuity) availably at FRYZZLYFE.com

[andrewsteele]

Amazing that TED actually publishes this stuff under their name. What a fall from grace.

[tiagoreiser]

Hahaha that is the best stand up comedy i watched in years.

[FiremarshalM]

Who's here because of Dave Rubin?

[crankin]

The fact a teacher is stating 'weaponises her class" should be disturbing to the point beyond alarm & actually demand action that's nothing less of being fired.

[KentuckyPatriot]

Just saw a clip of this on a podcast. I truly feel sorry for these people that think of themselves as enlightened. If they truly believe what they preach then they must hate their own existence. We can’t change the past and no amount of self loathing is going to either.

[tnycnde]

“Uncomfortability.” And she said it multiple times. And she is a teacher.

[CaptainPhilosophical]

"Who's platform is this?"
"Ted's."
"Who's Ted?"
"Ted's dead baby. Ted's dead."

[kayakuprising]

Ted Talks have been going DOWNHILL for some time now. This woman is embarrassing and she doesn't represent my culture and I hope that makes HER uncomfortable to know that a large majority of indigenous people do not support her.

[Illhostility]

For those of you that took the under of 5.5 seconds before she is out of breath, you won.

[AndrewJFO]

Why does everyone feel the need to view everything in their lives from the most mundane of interactions to the most significant through the lens of power dynamics. Is it really necessary to subscribe to the cult of postmodernism so intensely that it subverts and undermines everything in one's existence to the extent that it extracts all joy out of life, while at the same time grandfathering in a new variety of original sin (in this case colonial heritage, but pick your poison), one that must be continually apologised for and can never be forgiven. This isn't healthy, it's not progressive (actually it's the converse), it doesn't bring different peoples together, it doesn't carefully and accurately discuss any real history, only perceived and altered history (in the Orwellian sense) framing certain people as inherently wrong and others as laudable based on nothing more than perceived modern dynamics of power. It is blind to truths of historical tribalism, it fails to realise that its Edenic visions of the past for indigenous peoples all over the world aren't anywhere near the historical truth.

One of the few things that can be said of human life is that it is hard, it always has been, but it's not as hard today thanks to advances made by various spearheading cultures in the past such as the Akkadians, the Sumer, Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Hittites, the Greeks, the Romans, the ancient Chinese, the Aryans, the Indus peoples, and the early Islamic world. Later the monolith that Western Europe has been simplified into took its advances (and its germs) to the rest of the planet, repeating a pattern of expansion older than civilization. Now, drunk on a life made unbelievably easier (by comparison) by modern advances in science, technology and medicine, we cast aspersions on the actions of people long dead before we were born for doing things that we wouldn't contemplate doing because "we would never"; don't be so high-minded, it's more likely you would have supported mainstream views than been divergent, you have the benefit of hindsight and a different, more enlightened worldview thanks to the advances made by society in the intervening time.

I would be the first to agree that the past should be acknowledged, but not in eternal self flagellation. I don't think this type of activist postmodernist scholarship belongs in a classroom where children are taught, where they are once again segregated by inalienable traits. This isn't progress, this is how civilizations commit suicide.

[BS-vxdg]

I belong to an obscure cult which practices self-flagellation. I whip myself every night with an 8-inch leather discipline (not including the handle) because we believe we all deserve to suffer. But last night I was in a hotel room when I realized I had forgotten my leather instrument at home. This was a major, major problem, because without daily punishment, I cannot feel worthy of sleep. So I watched this video, from beginning to end.

I was going to see if I could purchase a new discipline downtown during the day today, but, remembering the video, I feel like I've probably suffered enough to last me through the rest of this trip.

[praevasc]

That's not a talk, it's just someone spewing vile hatred. Also a great example of the "it's not happening but it's good that it's happening" style of activism they do. When we say they are weaponizing children, they say it's just a conspiracy theory, but at the same time they are openly proud of doing so.

[okobojishenanigans]

TED has fallen so far. Can't tell if this is TED: word salads worth spreading.

[tomnaughadie]

I'm surprised TED didn't take this one down.
I'm very glad they didn't.

[mrhyperbolic]

This woman is at least 1/2 crazy. The other 1/2 needs to be forgotten.

[AR-zyiu]

I could listen to this with only audio and I would be able to draw her exactly from my imagination.

[Choralosophy]

One place to start with communicating these ideas in a loving way would be to not use the word "violence" when describing things that are non-violent. That choice of concept creep is emotionally charged and will cause defensiveness. Someone who has been insensitive to someone's cultural background has not been "violent." Sitting in those chairs and being comfortable is not "violent." The Conflict Theory is on full display here, and then we wonder why their is so much conflict.

[seankyle]

So Coleman Hughes's "A Case for Color Blindness" almost got retracted from Ted but these types drivel is allowed. Says a lot.

[CertifiedSkank]

Who’s here from the multitudes of videos talking about how ridiculous this particular TED talk is? 😊😂😂❤

[johnby]

"Colonial violence is sitting in these chairs and feeling uncomfortable; colonial violence is the control of the elements that we have, and being warm in this room."
- feel free to end your support for colonial violence by not being in rooms in which the elements are controlled.