Coleman Hughes gave a thoughtful talk on color blindness at TED, but TED has been reluctant to let its viewers see the talk. Coleman describes the problem at The Free Press. Here’s an excerpt:
Like any young writer, I am well aware that an invitation to speak at TED can be a career-changing opportunity. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I was invited to appear at this year’s annual conference. What I could not have imagined from an organization whose tagline is “ideas worth spreading” is that it would attempt to suppress my own.
As an independent podcaster and author, I count myself among the lucky few who can make a living doing what they truly love to do. Nothing about my experience with TED could change that. The reason this story matters is not because I was treated poorly, but because it helps explain how organizations can be captured by an ideological minority that bends even the people at the very top to its will. In that, the story of TED is the story of so many crucial and once-trustworthy institutions in American life.
Related . . . “Progress” at the New York Times:
[Supplement of Sept 27, 2023]
Adam Grant and Chris Anderson Respond to Coleman Hughes
Letters from the prominent social scientist and the head of TED.
Anderson also posted his response on X (Twitter), which provoked a vigorous thread including the following comments:
[Added Oct 4, 2023]
TED’s ostensible mission: “TED is on a mission to discover and spread ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility and catalyze impact. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.”
To summarize the controversy: Coleman Hughes gives a TED talk that advocates for a color blind society. TED shadow bans the TED presentation. TED gets caught and doesn’t apologize for its woke-motivated actions. And in fact, Chris Anderson, head of TED appears to be afraid to assert control over considerable numbers of TED staffers who aren’t into seriously discussing controversial issues. Coleman brings us to the present with this excellent response that reveals that TED is miserably failing in its core mission.
