Am I a Stereotype? | Ziad Ahmed | TEDxYouth@ISP
Summary
TLDRThe speaker challenges stereotypes about teenagers, arguing that society's expectations and labels limit their potential. They share personal experiences and those of Malala Yousafzai and Zendaya, showing how young people can make significant impacts on social justice. The speech calls for recognizing the multifaceted nature of youth and empowering them to use their voices for positive change.
Takeaways
- 🤔 The speaker grapples with the contradiction of being told that their generation holds the future while also being labeled as unfocused, lazy, and immoral.
- 👨🎓 As a teenager, the speaker feels the pressure of societal expectations that demand them to excel academically, perform in extracurriculars, and conform to various stereotypes.
- 🌐 The script discusses the pervasive stereotypes about millennials and the impact of technology on the perception of today's youth.
- 🌟 The speaker asserts that despite being labeled and stereotyped, they believe in their potential to make a difference, rejecting the idea of being inherently lesser due to their age.
- 📚 The script highlights the importance of not waiting for a 'later' to make an impact, urging that teenagers should engage in activism and social change now.
- 💬 The speaker criticizes the dismissive attitudes of adults who underestimate the intellectual capabilities of teenagers, suggesting that youth are often silenced in important conversations.
- 🌈 Three stories are shared to demonstrate the positive impact teenagers can have: Malala Yousufzai's fight for education, Zendaya's response to a racial slur, and the speaker's own activism through Redefine.
- 🏆 Malala's story is used to show that age is not a barrier to making a significant global impact and winning recognition, such as the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 🔍 Zendaya's response to a derogatory comment about her hair illustrates the power of using one's voice and social media platform to challenge stereotypes and promote cultural pride.
- 🌟 The speaker's personal story with Redefine emphasizes the collective power of teenagers to defy stereotypes and work towards social justice, gaining recognition from influential figures like President Barack Obama.
- 📖 The poem at the end of the script serves as a call to action, encouraging individuals to reject societal pressures to conform and to embrace their unique voices for change.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the speech?
-The main theme of the speech is challenging the stereotypes associated with teenagers and advocating for the recognition of their potential to effect change and contribute meaningfully to society.
How does the speaker describe the societal expectations placed on teenagers?
-The speaker describes societal expectations as contradictory and suffocating, where teenagers are told to achieve excellence in academics and extracurriculars while also being told that their views and opinions are not as valuable as those of adults.
What is the significance of the story of Malala Yousufzai in the speech?
-Malala Yousufzai's story is used to demonstrate the power and efficacy of a teenager's activism, showing that age does not limit one's ability to make a significant impact on the world.
How does the speaker address the issue of stereotypes and labels?
-The speaker addresses stereotypes and labels by sharing personal experiences of being belittled and marginalized, and by asserting the need to challenge these perceptions to achieve true self-expression and societal change.
What role does social media play in the speech?
-Social media is presented as a powerful tool that teenagers can use to share their opinions, challenge stereotypes, and mobilize for social justice, as exemplified by the stories of Malala Yousufzai and Zendaya.
Why does the speaker mention the story of Zendaya's locks at the Oscars?
-The story of Zendaya's locks is mentioned to highlight how teenagers can use their platform to challenge ignorance and stereotypes, and to promote positive representation of their culture and identity.
What personal story does the speaker share about their own activism?
-The speaker shares their own story of founding an organization called Redefine, which aims to defy stereotypes and promote acceptance, and their journey in using their voice for social justice despite facing challenges and prejudices.
How does the speaker feel about the potential of teenagers to bring about change?
-The speaker is optimistic and confident about the potential of teenagers to bring about change, emphasizing that age is not a barrier to activism or leadership.
What is the message conveyed by the poem recited at the end of the speech?
-The poem conveys a message of defiance against societal norms and expectations that suppress individuality and creativity, urging people to reject conformity and embrace their unique voices.
How does the speaker suggest teenagers can overcome the challenges they face?
-The speaker suggests that teenagers can overcome challenges by using their voices, engaging in activism, leveraging social media, and refusing to be limited by societal stereotypes or expectations.
Outlines
📱 The Struggle with Teenage Stereotypes
The speaker begins by questioning whether they fit the stereotype of a technology-obsessed, unfocused, and immoral teenager. They express the internal conflict between societal expectations and personal aspirations, highlighting the pressures of adolescence. The speaker challenges the notion of being defined by stereotypes such as being a millennial or a Muslim American teenager. They discuss the unrealistic expectations placed on teenagers, such as excelling academically, participating in extracurriculars, and maintaining a balance in social and personal life. The speaker asserts their belief in their capabilities despite the pervasive stereotypes and societal judgments, emphasizing the need to break free from these constraints and not let age dictate potential.
🌟 Malala's Activism and the Power of Youth
The second paragraph narrates the story of Malala Yousufzai, a young Pakistani activist who advocated for female education and became a global symbol of courage. Despite being shot by the Taliban for her activism, Malala continued her fight for education after recovery. Her story is used to illustrate the impact a teenager can have, regardless of age. Malala's activism led her to address the United Nations and win the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17. The speaker emphasizes how social media, with its predominantly young user base, can be a powerful tool for change, as seen with the #IAmMalala campaign that spread widely among youth.
🤔 Challenging Stereotypes: The Power of Social Media
In this paragraph, the speaker recounts the experience of Zendaya, a young actress and activist, who faced a racially insensitive comment about her hair during the Oscars. Zendaya's response, which highlighted the ignorance and offensiveness of the comment, went viral, demonstrating the power of social media to challenge stereotypes and promote positive discourse. The speaker points out that Zendaya's activism, which includes speaking out against cultural appropriation and promoting self-love, has significantly influenced public perception and discourse, showing that teenagers can use their platforms to advance social justice.
🌍 Teen Activism and Global Impact
The final paragraph is a personal narrative by the speaker, who introduces themselves as a 14-year-old activist named Odd Ahmed. They discuss their journey with Redefine, an organization that challenges stereotypes and promotes acceptance. The speaker emphasizes that age should not be a barrier to activism and that teenagers have a unique perspective and skills to influence change. They share their experiences, including a meeting with President Barack Obama, to inspire others to engage in activism. The speaker concludes with a poem that reflects on societal expectations and the importance of individuality and authenticity over conformity.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Stereotype
💡Adolescence
💡Activism
💡Social Media
💡Generational Labels
💡Self-Belief
💡Societal Expectations
💡Discrimination
💡Global Change
💡Hashtag Activism
💡Personal Validation
Highlights
The speaker challenges stereotypes about teenagers being unfocused and immoral.
The contradiction of being told that the future is in the hands of the youth while also being labeled as lazy and immoral.
The struggle with societal expectations and the pressure to conform to labels.
The idea that teenagers are belittled and labeled, leading to self-doubt and a clouded judgment of oneself and others.
The assertion that nobody has the right to tell a teenager they cannot do something because of their age.
The pervasiveness of stereotypes and their detrimental effects on the psyche of the youth.
The story of Malala Yousufzai, a teenager who stood up for education and became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The power of social media in amplifying the voices of teenagers and creating change, as demonstrated by Malala's hashtag.
The story of Zendaya, who used her platform to challenge stereotypes and promote self-love and acceptance.
The importance of not fitting into stereotypes and the power of using one's voice for social justice.
The speaker's personal story of founding an organization to defy stereotypes and promote acceptance.
The recognition of the speaker's work by influential figures, including President Barack Obama.
The poem that encapsulates the theme of not conforming to societal expectations and the power of individuality.
The call to action for teenagers to use their unique skills and perspectives to influence global change.
The reminder that world issues affect teenagers and that they have the power to advocate and make a difference now.
The conclusion that age does not limit activism and that teenagers can and should be at the forefront of change.
Transcripts
am i a stereotype am I just another kid
entranced by technology and oblivious to
all else or his got just what society
expects of me the thing is as a teenager
I've been told that my generation has
the future in our hands and
simultaneously that we are unfocused
lazy and immoral I've struggled the
contradiction a lot as I navigate my way
to the purgatory that is adolescence I
grew up believing in myself a younger
sea otter have stood before you today
and asserted that you be the next
president United States of America would
change the world and was good enough but
that is not this yog you see before you
and it begs the question why not it goes
back to the idea of what it means to be
a teenager and the stereotype of it what
it means to be a so-called millennial
and what it means to be connected to the
world to the increasingly complicated
medium of Technology it comes down to
the fact that I've been belittled enough
times through those stereotypes that
sometimes I start to believe that I'm a
16 year old Muslim American Bangladeshi
teenager and I've been labeled enough
times that he considered a GMO and the
thing is that's true for almost any
teenager we live in a world we were
suffocated by societal expectations our
childhood was get dressed eat your
breakfast go to school play have fun
our teenage years are choked back the
tears laugh at the right times achieve
excellence in all areas of academics
perform on the field sexualized yourself
and maintain your modesty flirt but not
too much think but don't challenge prey
but don't be religious be yourself
but conform to every label that this
earth can conjure upon your existence I
sleep less than five hours a night I do
more extracurriculars than I can count
on my hands and lord knows I'm not
equipped to do arithmetic without a
calculator I feel as if my life is
spinning faster than the free fall of
the earth around the Sun but yet I stand
here before you believe in that I do too
much and not enough
all at once I think I believe that
because I've been told too many times I
need to focus on my studies now and my
time to be somebody will be later I
believe that because in one sentence
I've been told that I need to get out
more and that these four years will
define the rest of my life I believe
that because my efficacy is continually
scrutinized by those use ageist
attitudes to demean my passion the
stereotypes have clouded my judgment of
myself my peers and Society for far too
long
and I've gotten to a place in my life
where I'm ready to unapologetically
declare that nobody has the right to
tell me I cannot do something simply
because of my age the idea that the
number of the years I the number of
years I've lived on this earth somehow
it makes me inherently lesser than is
inherently ludicrous these stereotypes
having just called in my judgment though
they're pervasive throughout global
culture the language used to describe my
generation has created a psyche amongst
a lot of youth that is been extremely
detrimental if you log on to any social
media platform you will see kids with
in-depth formulate and educated opinions
on all the world's greatest problems but
at school we are told that conversations
are for adults and at home we are shot
into the basement while our parents
engage in political discourse over wine
and cheese this continued the little men
of teenage intellectual thought has led
to a mindset amongst a lot of you that
is about parties relationships and
grades but just like all human beings we
are multifaceted it cannot continue to
be put into this
box we have voices and I've personally
seen the good positivity and power they
can inspire I would now like to offer
three story that I think demonstrate
this positivity perfectly the first is
at the pan the second is of locks and
the third is of a mirror I think this
first story is one that many of you
might be familiar with but when it never
ceases to amaze me on October 9th of
2012 a bowl a girl's boarded her school
bus in the Swat Valley of Pakistan and
it was met by bullet to her face at the
hands of the Taliban that girl is Malala
yousufzai born into a household that
valued her education she began to speak
out as early as at the age of 12
asserting that battalion had no right to
take the right of education away from
her she began to blog anonymously for
BBC or ado chronicling the atrocities
committed by the Taliban including the
including the clothes in her burying
school in 2009 and their subsequent
bombings of over a hundred girls schools
the schools eventually reopened in the
blog ended her activism was only
starting after the New York Times leased
a documentary about her she began to
receive attention from international
media winning a host of extremely
prestigious awards she continued to
speak out despite the fact that it made
her life in danger Malala was shot in
the face on that fateful day because of
the power of her activism and after a
long medical rehabilitation process she
continued to trail blades in a truly
unprecedented way bringing her before
the United Nations to state that I am
not against anyone neither am i here in
terms of personal revenge against the
Taliban or any terrorist group I am here
to stand up for the right of education
for every child I wanted to catch into
the sons and daughters of attalia bond
and any terrorist at any other terrorist
or extremist group at the age of 17
Malala became the youngest Nobel Laura
but in the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Malala
and her pen are heroes
the demonstrate the efficacy one can
have irrespective of one's age hashtag I
am Malala has insured over 1 million
times in social media her story has
largely been shared as a result of tea
and eating moved by her story and a blue
ding her narrative using their cloud on
social media a study of IB of our
reports it's 74 percent of Twitter users
are between the age of 15 and 25 Malala
is emblematic of the efficacy a teenager
can have and her rise to prominence is
indicative of the power connectors wield
with the hashtag in our Arsenal the
second story I would now like to share
is one of some of you might be familiar
with and it is a flocks last spring a
versatile accomplished and talented
teenager walked the Oscar red carpet
it's putting a new hairstyle gorgeous
Brown locks her fans social media and
many gushed over the way her beautiful
hair complemented her white gown
however giuliana rancic who was then
part of east fashion please wasn't so
kind stating that is India's locks made
her feel like Cynthia smelled like weed
the dyers founded eloquently with a
statement attached to a tweet that reads
there is a fine line between what is
funny
and disrespectful someone said something
about my hair at the Oscars that left me
in awe not because I was relishing the
rave outfit reviews but because I was
hit with pura d'Or suspect and in an
ignorant slurs to say that an eighteen
year old woman with locs must not like
Petrucci oil or weed is not only a large
theater but also outrageously offensive
i don't usually feel the need to respond
to negative things but certain remarks
cannot go unchecked she then continued
by declaring that many of her family
members of combat individuals and
historical figures all have lots in
common none of which smell like
marijuana she concluded by saying
there is already a harsh criticism of
african-american hair and society
without the help of ignorant individuals
who choose to judge people based on the
coral of their hair my wearing of hair
and lox the Oscars was to showcase them
in a positive light and to remind people
of color that our hair is good enough to
me
LOX are a symbol of strength and beauty
almost like a lion's mane finishing by
suggesting that people not judged so
quickly her words have been shared over
80,000 times drunk widespread a
widespread attention inspiring pride or
in support of many she demonstrated to
the world the beauty of black culture
and that raises ignorance cannot go
unchallenged
she flawlessly demonstrated that she did
not have to fit a stereotype to be
perceived seem or feel beautiful she is
furthered that same commitment to social
justice - recently speaking out on the
difference between cultural
appropriation and appreciation and
famously recently calling out modernized
magazine for publishing a retouched
image of her with a post on Instagram
that reads this is what makes women feel
self-conscious the create the
unrealistic ideals of beauty that we
have anyone who knows me knows that I
stand for honest and pure self-love
motto lies the magazine men took down
the retouched image and replaced that
with the original her bravery has
transformed public perception discourse
and activism in a truly positive way
Cynthia is only 19 years old the change
either been able to impact on society is
truly remarkable she has proven the
power one can have by using social media
to advance the cause of justice she's
over 15 million followers on Instagram
and over 6 million followers on Twitter
many of which are teenagers and she used
that for positivity a study by the Pew
Research Center found that 71 percent of
teenagers are active on more than one
social media site and men's adaiah
influentially capitalized on
that fact to make this world a better
place the last story I will now share is
one that isn't at global in its impact
nor is the one that many of you be
familiar with but it's one that
definitely hits close to home I will now
share my story my name is the odd Ahmed
and I stand before you today because of
my passion for social justice a 14 years
old moved by the injustice I saw around
me I found that an organization for
teens called redefine with our mission
being to defy stereotypes redefine
perspectives positively embrace
acceptance in part and to embrace
acceptance and to raise acceptance and
tolerance and to create an active
community my activism is rooted in my
belief that all and justices are one
injustice and I and I advocate for
equality because I recognize the fact
that we cannot selectively advocate for
equality because by definition it is for
all far too many people are being
marginalized belittled and ostracized I
use my voice to advance the cause of
justice whether it be in speeches like
this on Twitter or at school I do not
believe I'm limited by my age in any way
shape or form and I am tired of the
perception from an activism political
engagement or social changes for later
Brida Phi has grown to a team of nearly
a hundred 50 students from 10 different
countries to amass Oh Tomas over in two
thousand likes on Facebook and nearly 40
thousand hits on our website our work
has been commanded by PBS MTV and even
President Barack Obama personally last
summer
in the face of malicious bigotry hateful
ignorance and heartbreaking prejudice
I've questioned my legitimacy efficacy
and integrity but when I look in the
mirror I am proud of how far I've come
and a change that I've been able to
influence when I look in the mirror I
pray that people see me not for my
pigment my body type or any of my
arbitrary idiosyncrasies
but for Who I am and I pray that I can
be part of the solution that ensures
that reality for all I would be foolish
to believe that redefine successes all
things to mean or that my work is
remotely over so I aspire to be better
to think smarter to dream bigger to
advocate louder because of the people
I've met the story that's even moved by
because the role models I have because
of the support I've been blessed to
receive because of the reality I've
chosen to confront i sat at a table
across and the President of the United
States of America Barack Obama for
nearly two hours in disgust world
affairs ranging from education to
discrimination to foreign policy I had
the opportunity for him to validate my
existence by telling me he was proud of
me in a speech with chilling genuineness
I wish every day that every person every
teenager could experience that same
validation I am that much more motivated
to pursue my journey of activism
as a result of being never having dreamt
that read if I were taking anywhere let
alone legally I sit at that table but I
am here today to tell you that it can be
you but it could happen it happened to
me and I am so confident that if
everyone in this room takes the time to
initiate a positive change in this world
that all of you will experience a moment
of validation that precious I want to
say though that it's hard I've lost
friends I've been called names I've had
to miss out on all I've sacrificed
it's not easy to oppose the status quo
but it's essential the shift the
paradigms of society I think it's often
easy to forget but today's world issues
affect us teenagers as much as anyone
but more than that it's hard to remember
the not only do they affect us as much
as anyone but the begin of as much
advocacy in solving them as much as
anyone in so many different meaningful
ways whether it be globally or locally
our time can be called your adulthood
but it doesn't have to be poverty racism
discrimination homophobia disease all of
our world's greatest problems are
happening now and we can act now and
make a real difference look at sandhaya
Malala or even me and don't view us as
the exception but see yourself our age
does not limit our activism we have the
hashtag our perspectives and unique
skills that position us to influence
global change and to not only sit at the
table but to be at the head I now want
to leave you with a poem that I wrote in
August 2014 that I think perfectly sums
up a lot of the issues I've talked about
today
we used to play that game Simon Says the
leader tells you what to do and you
imitate exactly or you were our Simon
Says Simon Says Simon Says the words
almost never end the name of the game
was to copy to conform to instructor
because originality was a childhood
felony society says and if we don't
follow our we out no because laymen's
that I gave me despite what some might
say no one is our but society says and
we follow or we feel that we were out
winning has so quickly become equated
with the idea of imitating the best
instead of being the best being yourself
maybe that ironic foreshadowing of the
silly games the lesson that we elected
to teach our kids by the force that is
society maybe we've systematically
taught that you do not oppose that Simon
Says from what society says goes maybe
there was our fatal flaw for what
society says doesn't just go maybe what
we say goes who we are goes he wanted so
much to win to stay in that stupid
little game because Society says Society
says Society screams but I say no I
never liked Simon anyway
[Applause]
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