Just watched an educator TEDx talk which was nice, had some value and yet... Like the TED formula which kinda promises "transformation" in 20 minute doses, I feel pacified rather than moved to real action. And tbh, I'm afraid that's actually the point. 1/

I realize that there are great TED talks which can fulfill a variety of purposes and TED is also an enormous brand sponsored by some very powerful (read, wealthy) people. @AnandWrites looks into this a bit in Winners Take All. 2/

I guess when it comes to education and I hear "innovation project" and I hear about what began as systems critique become more of an individualized feel-good/feel-better collection of stories, then I become skeptical. I pay closer attention to the idea *behind* the idea. 3/

So I watched all 14+ minutes. I appreciated the good intentions and I imagined how pacified everyone can go about their business afterwards. We're not troubled, we can think "awww" instead. That's a strategy. A particularly effective one in a consumer market, in fact. 4/

And that's the catch: we think we're going to be invited to think hard or think differently, when actually we're being coached to drink up this idea, taste this sentiment and keep it moving. A deeply capitalist notion. 5/

In this way, everything under the sun is worth a look but not made to stick or hold or to build on. This way the market stays open and our buffet of options is limitless. We can taste without ever needing to settle on one main course. 6/

These are my impressions. No, I haven't read 13 scholarly critiques of TED (although I'm sure they're out there) yet (but probably won't). My inner @doxtdatorb is saying I'm allowed to do this on Twitter. 7/7