Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.
What drives someone to commit politically motivated violence? The unsettling answer lies in daily habits. Behavioral historian Christiane-Marie Abu Sarah shares startling insights into how seemingly mundane choices can breed polarization that lead to extreme, even deadly, actions — and explains how to identify and bypass these behaviors in order to rediscover common ground.
The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.
TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at
mihdd
September 18, 2020 at 9:43 pm
In her example its not the joy of paining the other team but the desperation of people who get their land stolen, being deprived, dewatered and harassed by a violent occupier of their homeland making them incapable of living in a normal way.
cbjakob Diesel
September 19, 2020 at 12:45 am
Hmm, but religious equally doesn’t mean anything to you? Lmao the United States was founded by religious pushed out of Europe. Lmao plenty Latino, and black Americans died in all wars, and killed natives. Lmao maybe listen again to this video. And realize Spain, uk, middle east ,and aisa are shaped the way they are because of colonialism. If you wanna ask who colonized the most? The uk.
your hate for white people stops you from living a normal life? Wow talk about racist . You definitely need to listen to this video again !you are missing the entire point !
cbjakob Diesel
September 19, 2020 at 12:47 am
I will not be responding to any comments for a while. On my way to work! From a black man to you, have a good day
cbjakob Diesel
September 19, 2020 at 12:49 am
Oh yeah, and you painting a picture of hate toward your country puts every minoritys soul who died for their country to vein.
Dark Star
September 18, 2020 at 9:48 pm
Strange then why is it a fact that if you are American + White + Male + Star Trek Fan + Republican that you have a higher statistical chance of being a pedophile and/or misogynist than other American demographics?
Bizarre
Punished Luxibelle
September 18, 2020 at 9:48 pm
Remember, media is prompting you to become angry. The angrier you become, the more you read. If you become so angry that you crack and go postal, you become the next Headline.
Gutenberg was a mistake.
Zak Gault
September 18, 2020 at 11:28 pm
AMEM. The current political leader that incites hatred through his biased privileged inheritance is vile. Especially when he says that it is hard earned. That truly upsets me.
Rebecca Leeman
September 18, 2020 at 9:50 pm
How do daily habits of ignoring the actual content in TED videos lead to cultural ignorance and echo chambers of bigots ?
Rebecca Leeman
September 18, 2020 at 10:00 pm
Racists, homophobes, haters and the violent prone have all
been emotionally hijacked .
Shain Henson
September 18, 2020 at 9:57 pm
Mentally ill people don’t want to find common ground. So if the narrative is to have mentally ill peoples lifestyle the higher virtue? Where is the common ground they can be met?
CMDR After Hours
September 18, 2020 at 10:04 pm
By believing in scientism and occult esoteric secret society new world agenda propaganda. Next question please.
Kandi Cane
September 18, 2020 at 10:12 pm
A feel good speech and agree on some points. The ugly truth of it is governments divide us on purpose to keep us divided so we are easier to control. They have lied to us about everything. They have hidden humans past history. America is breaking free from this so soon we will know and it is startling. The Bible calls it the great Awakening! Hold tight the world is waking up thanks to President Trump and his allies. Trust me.
Sarah Bearheart
September 18, 2020 at 11:36 pm
‘the world is waking up thanks to President Trump ‘ — Yep, we’ve realised how deeply troubled and unstable you are. When your saviour becomes one of the most narcissistically self-serving, willfully ignorant, recklessly mendacious, nakedly corrupt and pitifully insecure people to ever be elected to POTUS, youre in big, big trouble my friend.
Karen Ness
September 18, 2020 at 10:28 pm
Excellent.
Matthew Morton
September 18, 2020 at 10:29 pm
Wow, that’s so fascinating
…is what I’d say if I was in preschool….
Zak Gault
September 18, 2020 at 10:56 pm
Yet still you seem to have a somewhat immature approach to daily life. Maybe if you had a relatively basic understanding of psychology and social psychology you would learn something.
Jon
September 18, 2020 at 10:48 pm
People make a conscious choice to be violent. You are responsible for your own actions and accountable for them. Makes no difference how you rationalise it in your head. There is a clear line between action and inaction there is no grey area here.
Zak Gault
September 18, 2020 at 10:59 pm
Then you must have no knowledge of the science that has saved MILLIONS of people. The social psychology behind the video is so true, maybe you should study the topic through an intellectual lense before preaching rubbish.
Jon
September 18, 2020 at 11:16 pm
@Zak Gault you’ve never experience a violent society and how it changes. I grew up surrounded by paramilitary violence. I’m preaching from real life experience.
Care to quote the science you talk about?
Zak Gault
September 18, 2020 at 11:23 pm
@Jon please. I grew up in a black family as the strange white guy. Can you logically deny that the life saving medications that save MILLIONS of USA lives a year were not scientific advances?
SiriSat Yoga
September 18, 2020 at 11:12 pm
Governments and politicians should watch this video of an idealistic society. Who were the real terrorists of 911? Who has written the history books, and who pays the mainstream media? When those who lead, lead by the example of truth, humanitarism and transparency, the 99% could decide “how” to behave without being manipulated.
Kelli Hicks
September 18, 2020 at 11:13 pm
Such a fantastic talk, and interesting topic.
Verena Satriani
September 18, 2020 at 11:22 pm
If everyone put love as the their first language, how peaceful this world can be?
M
September 18, 2020 at 11:31 pm
If citizens turned the television off & didn’t watch propaganda then there wouldn’t be political violence as they would get on with their lives.
Gerard Pereira
September 18, 2020 at 11:51 pm
Resonates with my vision of “Divide and Serve to Unite and Rule” for the common good of All.
cbjakob Diesel
September 19, 2020 at 12:34 am
🤣🤣🤣 bruh not even what she was saying smh.
SuperProkaznik
September 18, 2020 at 11:53 pm
Greetings *TED!*
Why, i can’t translate subtitles, at “Ru” or “By” language? (YouTube: “You cannot translate subtitles and metadata in the video you have selected.”)
Honest Person
September 19, 2020 at 12:07 am
“That is not biologically fixed, that is learned behaviour” – what is the evidence for this statement?
Sapolski has pointed out that flashing images of different faces at 50 mSec (i.e. outside of conscious awareness) results in amygdala activation when an outgroup face is briefly shown.
Playn Hardball
September 19, 2020 at 12:10 am
Good points but when the blue team starts pushing their laws and restrictions on the red team it’s time for violence once the talking stops. Some things are worth fighting for… and right now the blue team is bankrupting the United States, pushing violence and trying to make America Communist.
All about American English
September 19, 2020 at 12:35 am
🔴Stop❌ saying I’m sorry 😥😅 replace it with 25 ways 🔥🤩↗️💐
اني آسف 😂😂
All about American English
September 19, 2020 at 12:35 am
🔴Stop❌ saying I’m sorry 😥😅 replace it with 25 ways 🔥🤩↗️💐
Nathan Lunday
September 19, 2020 at 12:58 am
This is great
mix
September 19, 2020 at 1:02 am
8:38 thank you for saying that, although I’m incapable of feeling sympathy for people I have no connection with, it makes me happy that you are trying to spread awareness of this issue.
Mark C
September 19, 2020 at 1:05 am
I want her to knock on my door….so here goes…. potatoes potatoes potatoes…tell me about potatoes
Startup Funding Event Global
September 19, 2020 at 1:18 am
Butterfly effect?
Optional Scum
September 19, 2020 at 11:13 am
Ah yes white lady. Thank you for enlightening me. Please tell me more.
Ryan Pearce
September 19, 2020 at 12:37 pm
You’ve been radicalised, seek help.
Aylbdr Madison
September 19, 2020 at 6:17 pm
If you think white people are less capable, then you are a racist. We need to end the madness of racism, especially for minority groups, and you’re not helping by being a racist also.
Be Good
September 19, 2020 at 11:43 am
So if you’re white you WILL feel more sympathy for other white people…if you’re any other colour you PROBABLY will too…was the study only done on white people? or did she slip up and expose her own bias? Almost kept it nice and neutral.
Thangamari Vel
September 19, 2020 at 12:13 pm
..
Byron Foster
September 19, 2020 at 12:19 pm
Love yourself so you can love others♥️
Lisa Love Ministries
September 19, 2020 at 12:38 pm
Seek God daily.
John 3:16
Romans 10:9
Ryan Pearce
September 19, 2020 at 12:49 pm
This is exactly what is going on in the violent far left today.
林毅旻
September 19, 2020 at 1:36 pm
Political Correctness (O
Dennis Walker
September 19, 2020 at 2:06 pm
Basically she said to integrate into a cohesive society and culture , instead of keeping multitudes of different cultures segregated and relishing the differences . In other words multiculturalism is not the great benefit to having a successful cohesive society .
Aylbdr Madison
September 19, 2020 at 5:33 pm
I grew up in one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world and have also lived in suburbia and now I live in a very rural county where the only city is population 10,000. Sorry, but you’re simply wrong.
That’s not what she said either, that’s just another delusion you’re using in an ever more frantic attempt to prop up the delusion of racism. The danger is, if left unchecked, so many delusions piled up can lead to insanity.
Dennis Walker
September 19, 2020 at 5:37 pm
@Aylbdr Madison
Speech by Woodrow Wilson .
There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all … The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans, Italian-Americans , Mexican-Americans, African-Americans, Latin-Americans each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans or Africans or Latin America than with the other citizens of the American Republic … There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.
Linet Nganga
September 19, 2020 at 2:33 pm
To be honest, when I saw the pins next to those hands…. I was already feeling some type of pain. I guess I’m over sympathetic lol.
Dori C
September 19, 2020 at 4:11 pm
hello, fellow empath. lol
Motiversity Motiversity
September 19, 2020 at 2:59 pm
Hello
I hope you will support my motivational channel in English, translated into Arabic, so much useful to listen and wonderful
And God reward you with good
HARINA Cello
September 19, 2020 at 3:49 pm
interesting! it is a great lecture
Anton Wereta
September 19, 2020 at 3:52 pm
Watching perpetual media spin is not good for you, it’s absolutely nothing but. No matter how ridiculous.
Nory-Chan
September 19, 2020 at 4:12 pm
Idaho be like :
Potatoes , North American Nature that makes you wanna have a cabin & Nazis.
David Hughes
September 19, 2020 at 4:30 pm
I love other people!!
Just Sophia
September 19, 2020 at 4:38 pm
Thank you for sharing what’s been suggested by your research; very informative.
Thank You
September 19, 2020 at 4:50 pm
Have you studied the lies about covid and the vaccines and the people behind these lies? Have tiu studied the corruption and the powers of the world that intend on genocide? You may want to study them, then you will find real answers.
Aylbdr Madison
September 19, 2020 at 6:12 pm
White genocide is just another one of the many delusions created in an attempt to prop up the delusion of racism. If left un-checked, these delusions start to pile up and can lead to full on insanity.
Also, trump himself admits he lied about how dangerous convid19 is, therefore proving even trump agrees it’s deadly. If you had studied any of this, you’d have found real answers.
Frankie Cuellar
September 19, 2020 at 6:11 pm
CUBA!👍 Nice 🇨🇺
Dark Soul
September 19, 2020 at 6:25 pm
😪😴
Marcus Wilson
September 19, 2020 at 6:32 pm
Lol she was going to put an accent on “Vietnam”
helen durow
September 19, 2020 at 6:52 pm
You made me think Long and Hard about our thought processes in our situation in South Africa. Thank you ❤❤❤
Cool 2019
September 19, 2020 at 7:01 pm
For intellectuals
Ken Belangel
September 19, 2020 at 8:29 pm
Instead of bringing each other down we should be pulling each of us up to be lifted higher. Maybe it’s harder to come up with ideas to lift people higher than to bring people down
Buddy Love
September 21, 2020 at 12:08 am
Duhh. Lol
And its up to the individual to pull himself up. We shouldnt rely on other people to pull us out certain hardship.
Ken Belangel
September 21, 2020 at 1:14 am
@Buddy Love I can assure you most people aren’t relying on these helpful group of people. And it’s not really a duh thing because how come in politics there’s mostly statements to bring down the other party and no mention of what each party will do?
LMarie
September 19, 2020 at 11:35 pm
I wonder if it occurs differently. When there isn’t an understood societal remedy, critiques are produced that function as deconstruction and a process-of-elimination act which unconsciously holds the space of both maintenance and everything but the remedy, to produce the remedy. Yet during this time, varied self maintenance acts from the critiques, produce grown us/them societal gridlock, which produces provoking the battle via weaponized characterization. You then can’t merely force people to selectively represent isolated groups when others don’t. Then this can produce bubbles of self deception when overtime more accurate portrayals have become obstructed and not acclimated to. Then people acclimate to partial information & assumptions.
Minkyong Choi
September 19, 2020 at 11:57 pm
한국인 찾아여
Minkyong Choi
September 19, 2020 at 11:57 pm
ㅎㅎ
Alex Lopez
September 20, 2020 at 4:00 am
I feel she didn’t give us enough context for the firsr woman, but really went in depth into the context relating to the second woman. Besides that, excellent talk
Chicago Boy
September 20, 2020 at 4:16 am
Unfortunately, a lot of Americans have been brainwashed with Stalinist Communism Ideology and they act with violence, have the same opinion about everything, and want everyone to live in a communist regime. It’s very scary!!!
Wendy Mookie
September 20, 2020 at 5:19 am
We are all human 💚 thank you
Mehmet
September 20, 2020 at 6:05 am
Thank you for sharing this
Karla Silva
September 20, 2020 at 9:13 am
#semblanza2020 uniting the world through folk & culture
Malcolm Jones
September 20, 2020 at 12:00 pm
Need to show this vid to the violent political rioters. People need to accept voters democratic outcomes that is the basis of a democracy, the alternative is to return to a tribal system.
Insanity Diecast Customs
September 20, 2020 at 2:56 pm
In the US, the left is the party calling action to violence. I can only speak for me as a conservative. We are generally peaceful even in the climate we find today. But be warned, we all have the point of breaking.
David A
September 20, 2020 at 4:41 pm
Thank You!! This approach needs to be heard more.
Jack
September 20, 2020 at 4:41 pm
Meh
Chethan N
September 20, 2020 at 4:50 pm
Explains really great philosophy in good and simple way
VARLEN CHANIAGO
September 20, 2020 at 5:20 pm
To the ted officer i Want to be speaker on this forum im hiv+ i living about 6 years with +
frack john
September 20, 2020 at 8:28 pm
I hope americans will know from this lecture how wrong they were when they invaded Iraq or even when they raged war against Afghanistan.
Buddy Love
September 21, 2020 at 12:15 am
Some middle eastern folks are pretty decent people. But the majority of them have been born, breed, and brainwashed through war and hatred towards infidels. And so they learn a certain way to think about the rest of the world is bad, so thats when they begin to hate and become violent.
frack john
September 21, 2020 at 5:50 am
@Buddy Love I think your comment shows who is brainwashed. “the majority”!!!! From where you got this statistic? Ro have you live in middle east country for awhile
Dimitria Silveria
September 20, 2020 at 9:23 pm
Amazing!
tingting januraharja
September 20, 2020 at 10:44 pm
👍👍👍
A Philosopher's Bakery
September 20, 2020 at 11:07 pm
Ronald Caliva
September 20, 2020 at 11:23 pm
She should have also included her lovelife in her speech,what she wants in a guy ,sure enough there must be a lot of guys out there who want to ask her for a date.
Card & Code
September 21, 2020 at 12:56 am
“Underlying the most arguments against free market is the lack of belief in freedom itself” – Milton Friedman
Buddy Love
September 21, 2020 at 1:09 am
Those people are insane, so you’re kinda saying that when someone sends their 9 year old child straped to their body into a group of soldiers and blow themselves up that its because the rest of the world is provoking them into doing such a thing. Your way off. They are the one’s that need to stop fighting, they have been fighting amongst themselves for a thousand years, basically over land, religion and past/current affairs that they cant settle like normal people so they blow each other up and kill innocent people.
Sunshine Denney
September 21, 2020 at 1:37 am
💙❤💙❤
Lawrence Carter
September 21, 2020 at 1:41 am
this is wrong….anything from government is fake news…people gotta see for themselves..most attacks are revenge…I was jilted 10 years ago by an government employee flexing on me..nothing changed..only time..no news will change my mind ..fake or real but I will take revenge on this person when OPPORTUNITY arises..I’m sure it’s same for most of these attacks..
Lawrence Carter
September 21, 2020 at 1:47 am
many sides don’t want common ground…take religion stupid as it is,,if u don’t subscribe to their religion u are an infidel, ,now how dumb are people who think like that…I want no common ground with those kinda people…
this works if all sides work together..like most learn college courses that deal with people…only work if everyone on same page…she trying to generalize all situations….
Licht Julius
September 21, 2020 at 2:49 am
amazing its very tough to speak without an audience very nice!
Vera Bernie
September 21, 2020 at 2:53 am
Hey, guys! If you want to download videos or playlist from this channel, you can use VideoHunter! It can even enable you to download them as audio.
Adi Adi
September 21, 2020 at 8:33 am
Frumos! Va recomand din suflet si eu acest canal cu foarte multe carti audio pentru dezvoltare personala, financiara si spirituala
:
Dezvoltare Spirituala
September 21, 2020 at 8:33 am
Frumos! Va recomand din suflet si eu acest canal cu foarte multe carti audio pentru dezvoltare personala, financiara si spirituala
:
Harriett Banish
September 21, 2020 at 10:03 am
I really liked it! I feel like this ted talk contributed to a better understanding of the world that we live in and I feel like this is what it’s all about.
Harriett Banish
September 21, 2020 at 10:05 am
Also it is very important on a human-level to see what he have in common with other people rather than what is it that makes us different from them.
naeem iqbal
September 21, 2020 at 3:19 pm
She was heart-touching speaking. During the entire lecture, she kept smiling and laughing but in the end she got emotionally sad. This thing grabbed the attention.
Aubrey Ladan
September 21, 2020 at 3:39 pm
God I wished more people in today’s political discourse paid attention to this and these patterns
Adam T
September 29, 2020 at 12:57 am
They do and that’s why we’re as split as we are. Candidates are always saying they want a unified city or state or Nation but what gets them elected is convincing people there’s an enemy The other side notably the Republicans or the Democrats that need to be defeated. If you can pit enough of one against the other you have a good chance of winning an election as the champion of one side or the other.
Joe
October 6, 2020 at 12:48 am
That’s what democracy does to you. Create a difference and attack and sell you are better
Melissa Rains
September 21, 2020 at 4:12 pm
Very timely!!!
Noah Aubrey Linus Sorensen
September 21, 2020 at 4:28 pm
why noone was shocked when Idaho voted for Trump
Za Az
September 21, 2020 at 5:47 pm
Very good talk. I recognized a lot of what she spoke on. Especially the toilet paper hung on the hanger the wrong way. j/k
I see Us vs Them is the primary driver … we see that in politics now in the US more than ever. We don’t get enough calls for an astronauts perspective. And yet, for us to rise to the worldwide challenges we face, we must.
preslav jankov
September 21, 2020 at 7:55 pm
Like hand not like individual expressed like that.stop racism we are all people and animals feel too much as you
Brijendra Chaudhary
September 21, 2020 at 8:31 pm
Video like these leads to downfall of TED
G. Warren
September 21, 2020 at 11:30 pm
She said trump supporters without saying it! They are Terrorists!
Vicki B
September 22, 2020 at 4:06 am
UN International Day of Peace
peacechannel.com
Ludvig Bergström
September 22, 2020 at 11:58 am
An educational and amazing talk that should receive way more attention.
OD PRODUCTIONS
September 22, 2020 at 2:24 pm
O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you
The Quran 49:13
The Quran states that Allah (God) created all people from Adam and Eve and made them in different cultures, races, and faiths to compete and cooperate together for the mankind prosperity and not to fight.
All mankind is from Adam and Eve
“ All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab; a white has no superiority over a black, nor does a black have any superiority over a white; except by piety and good action. “
quoted from The last sermon of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
…
( Have you not seen that Allah sends down water from the sky? With it We produce fruits of various colors. And in the mountains are streaks of white and red — varying in their hue — and pitch-black. Likewise, human beings, animals, and livestock come in various colors. From among His servants, the learned fear Allah. Allah is Almighty, Oft-Forgiving )
The Quran 35:27–28
All languages are a blessing from God and he has dispersed his creation throughout the planet by equipping them with the use of varying tongues :
( of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your languages and colors )
The Quran 30:22
Ricky Iestyn
September 22, 2020 at 2:26 pm
Its in our genes to fight. Accept it.
Faizi
September 22, 2020 at 3:39 pm
wow, its such a good content well explanation examples and research ❤❤
Steve Steele
September 24, 2020 at 1:27 am
Feeling pain in your similar hand is why straight dudes watch videos with guys and girls in them.
Andrew Bayliff
September 26, 2020 at 6:11 am
This is so important right now. Everything is so polarized.
Bubber Cakes
September 26, 2020 at 2:10 pm
There is no difference between the Nazis and the Islamic extremists. Hate is hate. We are all literally related. That person you might despise is your family.
Byron Foster
September 28, 2020 at 3:32 am
Unfortunately you’re spot on
ITouchTheSky 8GladysWorld8
September 26, 2020 at 5:04 pm
Thank you so much for talking about this delicate topic.
Captain Codebook
September 27, 2020 at 3:01 am
So this is what is going on? This explains Antifa, the recent statement by Kamila, the media allowing it….I couldn’t figure out why the left suddenly became violent. They are being slowly cued by media. Not cool.
Vikas Sharma
September 28, 2020 at 10:31 am
How beautifully she explains about Political Violence’s, that we are the reasons for that.
Evolved Copper
September 29, 2020 at 12:00 am
I would like to ask about the potatoes. I’ll be waiting, dear speaker 🤐
Ann Enatoh
October 1, 2020 at 10:26 am
i want potatoes i asked come and find me
dr rex
October 7, 2020 at 1:34 pm
NOW THINK ABOUT ALL THOSE WEARING FACEMASKS ARE TEACHING THEMSELVES THAT THE WORLD IS KILLER … THE OUTSIDE AIR IS POISON , THE SKY IS FALLING DOWN …. STOP WATCHING TV AND LISTEN TO CLASSICAL MUSIC WITHOUT NEWS FAKE NEWS CSB BBC CNN ECT
Sabrina Shukor
October 8, 2020 at 3:56 pm
So inspiring and it’s really related to nowadays politics.