Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Great speech

Hey guys, I just wanted to share a very powerful speech that was emailed to me. I hope you find it as powerful as I did.
Posted by at

8 comments:

  1. Norma ContrerasJuly 27, 2010 at 11:36 PM

    The speaker is certainly, and without a doubt speaking the truth. But unfortunately this is the kind of video and speech that listeners make a comment or thought like "Wow that girl is right, this really sucks. We should help...yeah we should. Oh my gosh someone IMed me!" and that thought just flies out the window. We hear it everyday on the news of different things that we could do if we just tried, but as I write this I'm refering to the movie "Hotel Rwanda." The main person named Paul Rusesabagina begs the media to go to Africa and film the way the Tutsi's were being treated and the media turns around and says "This is the kind of stuff people watch and say 'How horrible!' and go back to eating their dinners." That is sadly enough true, everyone can do something to make a difference but are so overcome with their own selfishness to care and do something.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 28, 2010 at 12:51 PM

    Wow, that speech moved me...so much. I completely agree with her that many of us who have excess amount of possessions would not dare to share them with anybody. Why? She believes that we are afraid to lose all of these possessions and become poor. I agree with her. However, another reason as to why many of us are greedy, in my opinion, is because we like being above other people. Many people enjoy being looked up upon and seeing others wish to be "like him or her."

    As new technologies continue to take over our society and blind us with materialistic goals, we forget and become indifferent about real problems our world is facing today. Just because many of these problems do not affect us directly, why should we bother? Many of us would simply say, "There's other people assigned to do that. It's not my responsibility so why should I worry?" This mentality that many of us have acquired have definitely hurt our society in the long run. We have become selfish. We have stopped caring about others and the world we live in. Our world is rapidly becoming a world where "everyone [is] for themselves."

    ReplyDelete
  3. AFletcherJuly 28, 2010 at 4:43 PM

    This video, if you can cite it properly -- context, content, speaker, audience -- would serve as evidence on an upcoming AP prompt, "The Singer Solution to World Poverty."

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anna FirpoJuly 28, 2010 at 8:19 PM

    I agree with Louise and Norma when they say people are moved only momentarily. It is disguising how much our society denies and ignores unpleasant things. One examples being the genocide occurring in Darfur, this very minute. Yes while you are doing homework on your $300 computer there are people being killed for no better reason then their heritage. Going along with what this speaker said, California alone grows enough wheat to feed the world! The whole world, but do we? Last summer I traveled to Tijuana Mexico with my older sister to volunteer. I witnessed first hand what the speaker explained. When asked what the kids wanted, they would respond with things like toothpaste or underwear or socks. If I asked ten teenagers at Mayfair what they wanted this second, I’m sure at least 5 would respond with something made by apple. We are just a selfish society. Lately some good has come along, Obama signed a carbon tax bill that will charge companies for their carbon admissions. We’re still learning and changing, but I do think with much encouragement we can help.

    ReplyDelete
  5. KylieZengJuly 29, 2010 at 12:55 AM

    I understand what you are all saying. It would be indeed very rare for normal people to take these words to heart and actually do something about it. But I do have to point out the examples of Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. These people were born into well off families and had better privileges than most. These people were inspired by a need for a better society and gave up their privileges to try to correct the circumstances that they were dissatisfied with.Both Gandhi and Mandela were ordinary people doing extraordinary deeds for society. Hopefully this video will continually act as an inspiration to at least one person because even one person can make a difference.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Melissa BravoJuly 29, 2010 at 11:04 AM

    Wow, I could not agree more. I think that for most people they see the world’s problems as an inconvenience, rather than a dire problem that needs to be solved immediately. They think, “Yeah, that’s really terrible, but it’s not directly affecting me, so I should not have to feel burdened with it.” I don’t think that we will be able to fully understand or want to change the problems with this world (starvation, war, the dying environment) until we are fully engulfed in them, and by then it will be to late.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AFletcherJuly 29, 2010 at 4:54 PM

    carbon emissions -- what we emit, put out

    ReplyDelete
  8. MadeleineG.August 3, 2010 at 2:06 PM

    It's fascinating how a speech by a young girl could move people so deeply. Her thoughts on everything from us not sharing our wealth with those who need it and how her own children will not get to experience certain animals because they have gone extinct. As Norma said, although her points are all valid, and so many people agree with her, that chances of something being done about anything she mentioned is not likely. People feel sadness and regret about the awful things going on in the world, but that quick second of emotion is drowned out by their own problems or worries.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)