Transcript TED Talk with Aaron Huey

TED Talk
with Aaron Huey
America’s Native Prisoners of War (15:24)
Aaron Huey: America’s Native Prisoners of War
From TED.com - Aaron Huey's effort to photograph poverty in America led
him to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where the struggle of the native
Lakota people — appalling, and largely ignored — compelled him to
refocus. Five years of work later, his haunting photos intertwine with a
shocking history lesson in this bold, courageous talk.
Photographer Aaron Huey headed to the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation in South Dakota to record images of people living
in poverty. There, a shocking 90% of residents live below the
poverty line and life expectancy for men is just 47 years. As
Huey says in his powerful TED Talk, the photo project soon
became much more — an effort to understand the history of
the native Lakota people, “a time-line of treaties made,
treaties broken.”
TED Talk Clip
http://www.ted.com/talks/aaron_huey?la
nguage=en#t-9416
10:44 - 13:00
Analysis of TED Talk
a.More informative than entertaining – human suffering is not entertaining
b.Makes us realize the consequences of actions & how little we actually
know. “The one who takes the best part of the meat.” It makes us consider
our role in all situations, not just those relating to poverty.
c.Photos - uncomfortable to see but make a powerful point; make his words
real; visual evidence of what he reads; harder to ignore than words
d.Facts & timeline - provide evidence so we can see the progression of the
unfairness and suffering; the details force us to see the injustice
e.Comparisons to white population - we start to see ourselves in the
statistics
f.Asks Question –Is this our responsibility? What can we do? Call to Action
- Involves the audience
Connections to PTI
•
Poverty on the rez – lack of food – crystals & water for breakfast p.70,
no money to help Oscar p.10, no money for gas p.70
a.What the White person takes – Reardan wins all the sports games –
how does it makes Junior and Rowdy feel? p. 50
b. Mr. P tells Junior how teachers were told to“kill the Indian to save the
child” p.35
c.His photos = Junior’s cartoons – helps them to express their ideas in
a way that is universal
Discussion Questions
•
Is there anything meaningful that we can do to stop poverty?
1.What could make one group of people feel that they have the right to
determine anything about another group?
2.At school, where do you see examples of people who “take the best part
of the meat?”
Conclusion
•
Aaron Huey’s TED Talk reminds us that poverty and suffering are a
direct result of human choices. While we may not live on a reservation
or know any Native people, our actions, words and choices do impact
other people every day. Perhaps in order to bring an end to injustice,
we need to consider what our contribution to it has been.