TED Talks

How to recover from activism burnout | Yana Buhrer Tavanier

When you’re feeling burned out as an activist, what’s the best way to bounce back? TED Senior Fellow Yana Buhrer Tavanier explores the power of “playtivism” — the incorporation of play and creativity into movements for social change. See how this versatile approach can spark new ideas, propel action and melt fear. Get TED Talks…

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When you’re feeling burned out as an activist, what’s the best way to bounce back? TED Senior Fellow Yana Buhrer Tavanier explores the power of “playtivism” — the incorporation of play and creativity into movements for social change. See how this versatile approach can spark new ideas, propel action and melt fear.

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63 Comments

  1. Thanks for all that

    May 22, 2019 at 8:49 pm

    I have nightmare.

    A reoccurring dream of pong.
    IT never ends.
    I just watch the ball going back and forth, not enjoying the sleep.
    Wake up in a cold sweat.

    I Hate PONG.
    Even now, when awake.
    It fills me with dread of going to sleep

  2. empireofpeaches

    May 22, 2019 at 8:55 pm

    The title about burnout is quite misleading.
    It is, however, a great talk on generating public engagement with an issue. Fascinating to see how creative people can be.

    • Jo Bob Swanson

      May 22, 2019 at 9:08 pm

      Blerf

  3. Jo Bob Swanson

    May 22, 2019 at 9:01 pm

    Here’s a tip, have an honest conversation with yourself about what issues you fully understand and you’re really passionate about and then do your best. That’s all you can really do and virtue signaling on dozens of topics because you want to feel good about yourself accomplishes nothing.

  4. lamcho00

    May 22, 2019 at 9:12 pm

    Actually right in the center of Sofia there is a monument of a woman St. Sofia. It’s one of the largest statues in the city, if not the largest and it was erected almost 20 years ago.

  5. Bzkxtt

    May 22, 2019 at 9:18 pm

    Stop running around with a sign.

    • synaísthēsis

      May 23, 2019 at 6:40 am

      No.

  6. AequitasVeritas

    May 22, 2019 at 9:20 pm

    Just don’t be a stupid sjw in the first place and then everything will be fine.

    • Someone Somewhere

      May 23, 2019 at 6:02 pm

      What’s wrong with social justice? It’s what gave us civil rights.

  7. Jim Morrison

    May 22, 2019 at 10:45 pm

    What to do after you’ve been diagnosed with TDS!

  8. Jim Morrison

    May 22, 2019 at 10:49 pm

    Start by turning off the TV and step away from the brainwashing box! The world is actually really beautiful of you unplug

  9. HOTBALLZ

    May 22, 2019 at 11:12 pm

    Women are so cute when they try to make valid points.

  10. Descendant Travels

    May 22, 2019 at 11:20 pm

    You recover by not being a fake trend seeking hollow fake privileged white woman.

  11. Kevin Charlson

    May 22, 2019 at 11:26 pm

    This is great, and I love the message. However, overplay leads to a lack of self care.

  12. just your average guy

    May 23, 2019 at 12:02 am

    Why do i feel like feminism is going to eat me?

    • Piano Will

      May 23, 2019 at 12:03 am

      ?

    • Red pill Education

      May 23, 2019 at 12:06 am

      Its a hangry movement i guess

    • Someone Somewhere

      May 23, 2019 at 6:22 pm

      It was appropriated and commodified by capitalism so that it now only serves the capitalist class to further alienate workers.

    • Juliana Silva

      May 24, 2019 at 11:16 am

      Why do you think feminists would have such bad taste? Food poisoning is not what we aim for.

    • Zac Hunter

      May 24, 2019 at 11:23 am

      +Juliana Silva • Men pay 97% of Alimony.
      • Men make 94% of work suicides.
      • Men make up 93% of work fatalities.
      • Men make up 81% of all war deaths.
      • Men lose custody in 84% of divorces.
      • 80% of all suicides are men.
      • 77% of homicide victims are men.
      • 89% of men will be the victim of at least one violent crime.
      • Men are over twice as victimised by strangers as women.
      • Men are 165% more likely to be convicted than women.
      • Men get 63% longer sentences than women for the same crime.
      • Court bias against men is at least 6 times bigger than racial bias.
      • Males are discriminated against in school and University.
      • Boys face vastly more corporal punishment than girls.
      • 60-80% of the homeless are men.
      • Women’s Cancers receive 15 times more funding than men’s.
      • At least 10% of fathers are victims of paternity fraud, (believe their kid is their kid but its not).
      • One third of all fathers in the USA have lost custody of children, most are expected to pay for this.
      • 40-70% of domestic violence is against men however less than 1% of domestic violence shelter spaces are for men.
      • Men pay over 70% of income tax but the vast majority of public spending is on services for women.
      • There is more money spent on breast cancer than lung cancer and prostate cancer combined, despite the fact that lung cancer alone has 3-4 times more fatalities than breast cancer. A man’s chance of getting cancer is 44% and 23% of men will die from cancer, 38% of women get cancer and 19% die. Yet there is vastly more money spent on cancer for women, this is lethal discrimination.
      • Men expected to pay on dates
      • Men expected to be brave enough to get something e.g. a if both a man and women are scared of a spider, the man will be ridiculed and be told they’re not a man.
      • If a man and women are in a house when it’s on fire and only one person has time to be saved, it will always be the women that is saved.
      • Mental health councillors are about talking about feelings. This is only a good answer for women. Men’s brain chemistry is different than women’s. Therefore, a new method needs to be made, as it only helps women (See Mike Thalassitis death).
      • Men are expected to approached women yet if ugly they’re often seen as intimidating and sexual predator.
      • Men don’t want to become a primary school teacher as they’ll be seen as a ‘paedophile’.

      When typing in domestic violence for men the first webpage that comes up is “You may also be visiting this site because you think you may be an abuser. It takes strength to admit that you are abusing your partner. If you really want to change, you can.”, but no mention of this on any of women’s site. However, the figures suggest men are equally likely to experience domestic violence they just don’t report.
      Womens rights are far greater than mens in the developed world

  13. mmisbach

    May 23, 2019 at 12:11 am

    The opposite of play is not work, it’s depression. Creative Action and Play is answer to burnout from activism. She call this playism. Play is often interpreted as negligence. Playing is living! To win, play together. #TEDTalk

  14. thateffin guy

    May 23, 2019 at 1:47 am

    But they won’t even mention the muslim world and how they slaughter their DAUGHTERS for talking to a male but its just crickets

    • Someone Somewhere

      May 23, 2019 at 6:21 pm

      Because it wasn’t the topic of the video? Also, you can’t really do that much for those women when you’re somewhere in the U.S. or Europe. What are you gonna do: Fly there and tell them to stop? No. People will try change things wherever they are. It’s the same as me telling U.S. republicans why are they concerned with abortion laws in their country when abortion is legal in Europe. It doesn’t make any sense.

    • Juliana Silva

      May 24, 2019 at 11:18 am

      Muslims will first behead you and all males, and throw your heads to pigs. Your daughters will watch and enjoy it. I can’t wait.

  15. neo8378

    May 23, 2019 at 2:13 am

    Get a real JOB and move out of your parents basement!

  16. SanAntonioSlim

    May 23, 2019 at 4:16 am

    Weed…lots and lots of weed. Or…get a freakin’ truly productive job. This is what the advocacy degree at Berkley gets you. Burned out like your old college bong bowl from all the screaming…ahem…I mean advocating.

  17. Eman Name

    May 23, 2019 at 4:39 am

    Most people are lemmings and far too socially conditioned.

  18. IvanAndreevich

    May 23, 2019 at 5:10 am

    What she calls “play” we call trolling 🙂

  19. NeoFighterX

    May 23, 2019 at 5:28 am

    just don’t know what happened to TED

    • moody 709

      May 23, 2019 at 6:16 am

      ?

    • walperstyle

      May 23, 2019 at 7:09 am

      Don’t need science, just complaining and how to deal with when you complain too much.

    • NeoFighterX

      May 23, 2019 at 12:28 pm

      I legit did not subscribe to an opinion piece, but rather a way for artists and scientists to be avant garde and engaging

    • Deep Saha

      May 23, 2019 at 2:09 pm

      +NeoFighterX ted should taste the words before sharing it. Now, it feels more like a social platform 🙁

  20. Genevieve

    May 23, 2019 at 5:38 am

    Right-wingers really live their life doing nothing to improve society and laugh and mock at left-wingers for trying to, huh? And the funny thing is… you’re all admitting to it in the comments thinking it makes you superior. The lack of critical thinking from the right is astounding.

    • Rumplefrumple

      May 23, 2019 at 6:58 am

      the world is rapidly becoming a better place and its not because of college kids.

    • Down and out in Paradise Panama living.

      May 23, 2019 at 3:42 pm

      No, “right wingers” live their lives by enjoying life, not by hysterically protesting against it. We are happier than you because we accept reality, whereas the left acts as if they desire something strongly enough then reality will conform to them.
      Let’s face it, leftists are all petty tyrants and control freaks at heart, and in reality If given half a chance.

    • NPC #76

      May 24, 2019 at 3:24 am

      Genevieve working in stem fields isn’t improving society, but holding a sign screaming white men are rapists is, got ya

  21. tigerlily

    May 23, 2019 at 8:03 am

    Just start a revolution already

    • uriituw

      May 23, 2019 at 1:56 pm

      Why?

    • NPC #76

      May 24, 2019 at 3:22 am

      And what good would that do?

    • tigerlily

      May 24, 2019 at 7:29 am

      NPC #76 Fun to satiate the pain of existence.

    • NPC #76

      May 24, 2019 at 12:35 pm

      tigerlily get a proper job, get a girlfriend, the 60 percent doing ok don’t want a revolution

  22. boson96

    May 23, 2019 at 8:38 am

    This is the most libtard title from TED that I’ve ever seen. Craptivists think that they provide some value to society other than displaying their infantilism.

  23. Paul met Debbie

    May 23, 2019 at 10:09 am

    You mean well, but you are all in the mind. Playing is good, but even your plays are serious, they have a message. You make an “ism” out of it. Stop preaching. Preaching is violence too. The best activism is leading by example, not by shouting at others or acting at consequences without adressing causes. The only solution to violence is not activism, it’s love. Love yourself and treat everything and everyone like that. Improve the world, start with yourself – and stop right there! Love is an internal power, it can’t be forced from outside in. It can be inspired. If you see violence, act. That is not activism, it’s acting in the moment without concept, plan, ethics, morals, mind or anything. It’s love applied. Then forget about it and get on with your life. That’s all you have to “do” . It will never cause a burnout.

  24. Daniel Carey

    May 23, 2019 at 11:32 am

    The flood of comments from RWNJs who are triggered by this is hilarious.

    • NPC #76

      May 24, 2019 at 3:22 am

      Daniel Carey yet your comment adds the least to the discussion out of all I’ve seen? Funny that

    • Daniel Carey

      May 24, 2019 at 2:04 pm

      +NPC #76 and… there’s ANOTHER one. ka-ching.

  25. mhtinla

    May 23, 2019 at 4:54 pm

    50% of the products made by colleges and universities today are ACTIVISTS. No wonder you burn out.

  26. tight line

    May 23, 2019 at 8:25 pm

    Weed and social benefits.. and then start over again. How most of the do it ?

  27. dan parish

    May 24, 2019 at 1:26 am

    She grew up in a communist society, became an activist and is now surrounded by activist peers with communist and Marxist leanings. I’d get burnt out too.

  28. dan parish

    May 24, 2019 at 1:59 am

    Social media has created the ability to monetize activism, people are now incentivized to lie, mislead and omit for the clicks. This lady probably doesn’t deserve the hate, but professional activism shouldn’t be a thing.

  29. chickpea

    May 24, 2019 at 10:48 am

    Does anyone know what the dictator boardgame she spoke about is called?

    • Artimis Fowl

      May 26, 2019 at 4:16 pm

      +

  30. ThisNameIsBanned

    May 24, 2019 at 2:38 pm

    The most important step would be to teach people to build most mental and physical resistance , so they can actually work their problems out, instead of falling for them.

    All the domestic violence is a symptom of people that are incapable to work their issues out, fail to communicate and just give up.

    Nobody has to depend on others to solve their problems.
    It starts with yourself.

  31. aman

    May 25, 2019 at 2:54 am

    how to recover from TED’s comment section

  32. Nemcoification

    May 25, 2019 at 4:55 pm

    Stop being angry at everything and let people who have different opinions than you be.

  33. Undisclosed Identity

    May 25, 2019 at 7:02 pm

    Stop being an activist for problems that have already been solved or don’t exist and you’ll Profit by being happier as a person

  34. Undisclosed Identity

    May 25, 2019 at 7:03 pm

    Activism has become about trying to control other people’s actions or views

    • Wanda Yonder

      May 28, 2019 at 4:02 pm

      In this case it was trying to reduce murders. What’s your problem with that?

  35. kirthguntaghl

    May 26, 2019 at 5:43 pm

    Forgive my comment, but I used to be 100% against domestic violence, but first it does happen both ways. Women are not the only victims. And second, I used to judge men who leave their families, or partners, until my Rumanian ex-girlfriend nearly cleaned my savings account and disappeared from the radar. Now my opinion is: “There must be a good reason for it. Who am I to judge other people whose circumstances are completely unknown to me? I doubt I will ever see my money again. That woman deserves at least a slap across the face.

    • Wanda Yonder

      May 28, 2019 at 4:01 pm

      You have to be trolling. You heard her say the woman was murdered didn’t you?

  36. Mai Ling

    May 28, 2019 at 3:32 am

    It seems the SocialistLiberals have taken over Ted talks. Not nearly as good as it was. They now seem to have an agenda they are pressing.

    • Wanda Yonder

      May 28, 2019 at 4:02 pm

      And what’s your agenda?

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