Episode 395: TED Talks and the History of Public Speaking

Past Present

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the rise – and fall? – of the TED Talk.

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Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

· The writer Coleman Hughes gave a TED Talk on race earlier this year, and caused a stir when he advocated for “colorblindness” – and then accused TED of depressing the online circulation of his talk. Natalia cited this essay at The Drift, as well as this Atlantic article. Niki and Neil both drew on this Huffington Post history of TED, while Niki also referenced this New York Times profile of Chris Anderson, the head of TED. Neil commented on this New York Times article likening TED Talks to a religious event.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

· Natalia invited scholars and writers to submit pitches for the series on physical culture that she is guest-editing for Nursing Clio.

· Neil shared about John Riley’s Metro Weekly article, “California Republicans Reject Platform Change on Gay Marriage.”

· Niki recommended the new special issue of the Journal of African American History, on the “Black 1980s.”