What If You Were An Immigrant? | Ben Huh | TEDxPortland

In this moving TEDxPortland Talk, Ben discusses what it means to be an immigrant and the importance around policy and awareness of who we are letting in and why.

Ben Huh is the founder and CEO of the Cheezburger Network. He's been credited with pioneering Internet culture as entertainment, crowd sourcing and mainstreaming Internet memes. His media company includes more than 50 online humor sites, receives 400 million page views monthly, has spawned two New York Times Best Sellers and inspired a TV series. He's a cofounder of Circa, an online journalism start-up reimagining the way we consume news. Huh holds a BSJ from Northwestern University and lives in Seattle with his wife, Emily.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[lourdessalinas]

Very touching. I am also an immigrant. Thank you for taking the time to educate the public.

[mashaivanova]

As an immigrant, this breaks my heart. Because I remember everything, the struggle, the fear, the pain. Thank you for making this video. You help me remember what it was like, but also, what I can do in this new country.

[memorieswithmichelle]

My parents are immigrants and have made a wonderful life here for my family and I. Definitely worth the watch and will be sharing in the future. Very touching! Thank you, Mr. Ben Huh.

[dineshpoudyal]

So touched !! I am doing my PhD on immigrants and integration, in the Uk. I myself a struggling migrant in here.

[PS-xbhc]

Thank you for educating people. As an immigrant just telling you the struggle is more than real at times. What is appalling is to see immigrants that forget their roots and have a lack of empathy towards their own people.

[jackelinerodriguez]

As a child of immigrant parents, this was quite relatable and touching. When I was born, my family (parents and 2 brothers) had to move put of their shabby apartment and moved to a small trailer home. There, my 3 brothers and I shared the same room. My mom and dad shared the other, however, my little brother would occasionally sleep with them. I remember our bedroom being so cramped. I remember counting coins to pay the bills. They took long hours and double jobs. Years later, we live in a house with enough bedrooms and we're going to university. My parents have taken us a long way. And I'm sincerely proud and grateful for that.

[roseonofre]

An utter fascinating speech! Thank you for this!

[jodiedwardswright]

Yesterday, we finished an immigration process for my husband and my son that took over two years to complete. For the past three months, my husband was held back in country while his son migrated with me to the United States. They had been waiting over seven years to be reunited. Even though the visas for both had been approved six months ago, our government chose to keep them separated for another three months, a heartbreaking experience, which I proud to say is finally over. We are living testimony that it is easier to ship a box of ANYTHING to the US than it is to reunite a parent with their child.

[JuhlMedia]

Happy July 4th. 7 years ago, you already have said these words. How remarkable! Are we better? Are we worse? Are we improving? Thank you for present the talk.

[jenniefall]

as a second generation Vietnamese I wish I had ask my parents more often about how they immigrated, all the cities they lived in before settling down and having me. At 25 I just learned one or two of the cities they were in or the fact a wonderful Lutheran Church sponsored my mother from a refugee camp in Malaysia. I don't even know how long she was on the boat before that. I am forever grateful of my mother and father who left their families to give me and my brothers a better life.

[AB-vjnr]

Empathy is not difficult. What if you lost one of your hands?
What if your wife died?
What if everyone you loved disappeared on a sailing trip. What if you never had a father?
You can learn to become more empathetic. You can understand others suffering. This is the point of most stories. To understand something that did not happen to you. I have suffered in ways most haven't. That fact does not put me below or above anyone else. It kept me down as long as I let it. The power of suffering can be eliminated through effort, will and connecting with others. Live Life. Love Life.

[danle]

All immigrants can relate to this experience. Its real and relevant

[AdrielSjahfiedin]

Every interesting. I am an immigrant from Indonesia and I can relate to his speech.

[fa]

It's sad and irony that as an immigrant to the US I got this video when I searched for "anger and depression"

[explorerx]

I have developed my engineering skills, even earning a master's degree in electromagnetics from Ohio State. I am dedicated to emigrating to Russia, Western Europe, Canada, or any country where a highly skilled U.S. citizen has a chance to start a career in engineering. Why does it have to be so hard for the productive and talented people in this country to find a nation where they can apply themselves?

[wewinhomes]

Excellent speech and very inspired by Ben, I work with immigrant entrepreneurs and will be sharing this with my people!

[adamm]

As a fellow immigrant in Sweden, I can certainly empathize with your experiences.

[johnterry]

The most I have struggled with after 15 years here is the dead silence of judgment from 'real' Americans (not all though) right after they recognize that you have an accent. Takes 2 seconds. I guess people are naturally thrown off by the hint of different culture if they are not open. This creates a lot of unconscious bias, especially at workplace where we are essentially all trying to climb up the hierarchy and claim resources, which further creates divides among the immigrants themselves who are all trying to fit in. Unless you are accepted by the society, you can never call it your country by heart. Well! Hopefully our children won't judge the new immigrants in future but they will because they will have forgotten about the struggles of their parents or great grandparents.

[yolandael]

In every nation people need to learn get along and stop the conflicts and wars. learn to get along with your brothers and sisters. learn to love and not to hate. Stop forcing their people from their land. Everyone may not always agree, but be able to listen to the other person, and come to a conclusion and agreement.

[pebblepod]

The majority of people don't have a problem with legal immigration, they have an issue with Forced Entry & Settlement & the justifications for it.

I think that makes sense based on Principles like creating Order, Consent (both bridges & boundaries), Sustainability (being able to be indefinitely continued, rather than changed when it gets too bad).

And I believe that Love of Self & Others means one first attempts & is concerned to create order & the conditions for flourishing INSIDE one's Boundaries before doing it OUTSIDE.

I also believe it makes sense based on other Principles too, like it being a Gift, not something to expect & demand.

None of that means not giving Refugee Status to those who don't force Entry & Settlement.

Btw I'm not from the US.
I am an Immigrant. My father was an illegal immigrant & got caught & deported.