News & Politics

The radical act of choosing common ground | Nisha Anand

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. To achieve lasting change sometimes requires the hard, even radical, choice of partnering with people you’d least expect. Justice reform advocate Nisha Anand shares her story of working with her ideological opposite to make history and save lives —…

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To achieve lasting change sometimes requires the hard, even radical, choice of partnering with people you’d least expect. Justice reform advocate Nisha Anand shares her story of working with her ideological opposite to make history and save lives — and urges us all to widen our circles in order to make progress with purpose.

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69 Comments

  1. niccolom

    November 2, 2020 at 11:45 pm

    If there is common ground, that’s all nice and great.

    But common ground does not always exist. Compromise is a lose-lose situation.

    • somedeveloperblokey

      November 2, 2020 at 11:58 pm

      Diplomats across the world thank for not attempting to enter their profession, which relies upon compromise to function, produce results and oil national relations.

    • niccolom

      November 3, 2020 at 12:54 am

      @somedeveloperblokey
      Wrong. The ability to walk away from the meeting room with no deal is what makes a diplomat a great diplomat.

      As I said, compromise is a lose-lose situation. If you compromise for the sake of compromise, you’re actually doing a disservice to your country because you would be giving a way too much to gain too little.

  2. Neneng's Life In The Province Vlog

    November 2, 2020 at 11:47 pm

    hello good morning listening here

  3. mugflub

    November 2, 2020 at 11:48 pm

    “I hAvE nO coMmOn GroUnD wiTh fascists/communists.” Congrats. You’re part of the problem.

  4. Wayne P

    November 2, 2020 at 11:48 pm

    Beautiful sentiment, debate and find common ground, meeting in the middle on issues is how our whole u.s. system is supposed to work, unfortunately it hasn’t happened much but this lefty seeing the point is beautiful and gives hope

  5. VMAXBX

    November 2, 2020 at 11:49 pm

    More TED leftist propaganda.
    TRUMP 2020!!!

  6. Олег Овчиников

    November 2, 2020 at 11:50 pm

    0:46
    awesome-girls24.online

  7. onti CarmeCarm

    November 3, 2020 at 12:00 am

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  8. Bob Frog

    November 3, 2020 at 12:02 am

    TED, more childish every day.

  9. Rat Splatigan

    November 3, 2020 at 12:03 am

    Holy crap a Ted talk where someone admitted Trump had an accomplishment. You must really think Biden has it in the bag.

  10. Steve Martino

    November 3, 2020 at 12:21 am

    ‘very fine people on both sides’ foh

  11. A Person

    November 3, 2020 at 12:31 am

    Moving

  12. Anna _

    November 3, 2020 at 12:32 am

    Who else is thinking of the election?

  13. Punnarooth Srimongkolsilp

    November 3, 2020 at 12:35 am

    Thank you so much for teaching me. ขอบพระคุณมากครับ

  14. Captain Junayd Riyadh-Al-Hasnayn

    November 3, 2020 at 12:35 am

    Aishwarya Rai promotes a soap, people buy it…!

    Shilpa Shetty promotes a breakfast cereal people buy it…!

    Hrithik Roshan promotes a Deo and people want it…!

    Apple releases a new phone and people stand in line for it…!

    Deepika Padukone weight loss programs, folks jump on board.

    Some Justin Bieber has a concert, people spend thousand or even lakhs on a ticket…!

    But

    If a Friend or family member starts a new business/ service people are wary of buying it!

    “Got to research it !” and say Products/ services are “Too expensive !” “Judge you”, “Doubt your capability without even trying” , “confused and unsure”…..

    What’s wrong with this picture??

    Why are we so quick to support someone we don’t know, who has plenty of money already, but we have a million reasons not to support someone we know living a regular lifestyle like us?

    So next time you see a friend posting about their business give them a quick like, share or a comment, even if you don’t need or buy the product or service…! Encourage them. Their effort. Their dreams. Be a part of their journey.

    Promote your family & friends first.🙂🙏🏻

    Feel free to copy paste.

  15. Jade Choi - Million Dollar Challenge

    November 3, 2020 at 12:38 am

    Who ever is reading this will be successful in 2021👍

  16. Sunshine

    November 3, 2020 at 12:40 am

    Love that I see people speak on issues that really matter and that I find really important 💜

  17. Hatchepsut

    November 3, 2020 at 12:40 am

    clicked on video to see if she was hot then stayed to listen, then got bored after 3 seconds and closed the tab, then reopened the tab to leave this comment.

  18. Mutant Buzzard

    November 3, 2020 at 12:51 am

    There is no such thing as “common ground” with people who, like liberals, want to kill you

  19. WALTER

    November 3, 2020 at 12:58 am

    What is the trajectory of your fart

  20. tom lu

    November 3, 2020 at 12:59 am

    Yeah…
    Britain…
    Oh no…
    Yes…
    Great, yes the people will now start rioting on the British monarchy…

  21. PoisonDart

    November 3, 2020 at 1:04 am

    Very inspiring story.

  22. TraditionalAnglican

    November 3, 2020 at 1:05 am

    She forgot that the Crime Bill was written by Sen. Joe Biden who didn’t participate in the crafting of the First Step Act.

  23. Stevo1361

    November 3, 2020 at 1:11 am

    Wow what a revelation!!!! Hughmungus sarcasm intended.

  24. Cinders

    November 3, 2020 at 1:14 am

    She thicc

  25. Generation Yme?

    November 3, 2020 at 1:31 pm

    I love this SO MUCH! PArt of my work is in showing everyone how similar we all are, the projection effect theorizes that we only observe something in a way we too are actually doing it, just in an individualized way. This is eloquently crafted and well done.❤

  26. Prophetess/Evangelist Precious

    November 3, 2020 at 2:59 pm

    my entire family has voted include my son in military it is time to make a change in the white house, it has been too much violence across the country this need to stop, ( stop violence ) it is time for a change JOE BIDEN WILL WIN BE NEXT PRESIDENT 2020 , America need to be number one again { GO VOTE } ]//

    • Fight MMA

      November 4, 2020 at 5:06 am

      Trump 2020. Drain the swamp 😎💪🇺🇸

  27. Sarath Kumar

    November 3, 2020 at 3:07 pm

    We don’t have CC?

  28. Emordnilap

    November 3, 2020 at 3:41 pm

    Down here in the comments is like “the commons”, the town square. But we all come to it with reactions, just like everywhere we go in our day-to-day lives. People don’t care enough about strangers, or themselves for that matter. If we all cared about ourselves and each other, we would have common ground. I watched this video because Nisha Anand is hot, but then I learned something.

  29. Shane Lee

    November 3, 2020 at 3:52 pm

    Do you really think upholding the law is radical? Do you really think that not having a death penalty will detour people from killing someone? 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 the future is going to be great!!!

  30. onti PatriPatr

    November 3, 2020 at 3:53 pm

    I need boyfriend 💋💋💋💋💋💞💞💞💞

  31. Lisa Love Ministries

    November 3, 2020 at 4:23 pm

    Seek a personal fellowship with God through Christ daily.💞
    1 John 1:9
    Romans 10:9

  32. Sandcastle •

    November 3, 2020 at 4:40 pm

    -So what middle ground are you after?
    -well I’d like people who don’t deny science and aren’t racists…
    -well we have the left, though they cry if you mention biological facts, or if you don’t like that we have the right who cry over almost any scientific fact…
    -O. K. Well how about free racism?
    -its identity politics or nothing.

  33. Riva Noah Noah

    November 3, 2020 at 4:42 pm

    Very nice 😍💋 💝💖♥️❤️

  34. Balaji Chiluveru

    November 3, 2020 at 4:47 pm

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    November 3, 2020 at 5:30 pm

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    November 3, 2020 at 6:19 pm

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  37. izzo ErminErmi

    November 3, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    Awesome 😍💋 💝💖♥️❤️

  38. Kiran Kumar S

    November 3, 2020 at 7:10 pm

    British were there when partition happened.

  39. sou atain

    November 3, 2020 at 7:16 pm

    canceld sho and klllllld forrrens immgrats traash break yor face

  40. Duke_ Orsino

    November 3, 2020 at 7:21 pm

    I would like to say that with finding common ground it the parties involved could still see it as a loss and just try to have it all their way.
    But who am I when I’m just an person typing on yt

  41. rina DimitDimi

    November 3, 2020 at 7:58 pm

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    November 3, 2020 at 9:37 pm

    Love you 💋💋😘😘❤️💯

  43. Michal Szlachta

    November 3, 2020 at 10:02 pm

    I’d like wider audience to see and understand it.

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    November 3, 2020 at 10:26 pm

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  45. Alan Welsh

    November 3, 2020 at 10:49 pm

    Yes, when they move right, we move right with them. We must find common ground!

    • Tina Curran

      November 3, 2020 at 11:11 pm

      That’s why lemmings run right off a cliff.
      When you see deception & terrorism springing up from those moving right, you make a hard left before they take you into another world war & genocide.

    • Alan Welsh

      November 3, 2020 at 11:19 pm

      @Tina Curran Genocide of whom?

  46. Tina Curran

    November 3, 2020 at 11:10 pm

    Yeah, I’m not going to find “common ground” with one party that’s using deception & murder to force everyone to follow its agenda – be it muslims or democrats.

  47. Tina Curran

    November 3, 2020 at 11:14 pm

    This is why there isn’t common ground in the US today:
    “The press should be not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses.” – Vladimir Lenin

    “We must be ready to employ trickery, deceit, law-breaking, withholding and concealing truth… We can and must write in a language which sows among the masses hate, revulsion, and scorn toward those who disagree with us.” — Vladimir Lenin

    Socialism is resentment disguised as compassion, enforced by tyranny disguised as tolerance.

    “One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power.”
    ― George Orwell, 1984

    “Socialism itself can hope to exist only for brief periods here and there, and then only through the exercise of the extremest terrorism.
    For this reason it is secretly preparing itself for rule through fear and is driving the word “justice” into the heads of the half-educated
    masses like a nail so as to rob them of their reason… and to create in them a good conscience for the evil game they are to play.” ― Friedrich
    Nietzsche

    “Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.”
    Anthony Malcolm Daniels AKA Theodore Dalrymple

    “Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.” ― William F. Buckley Jr.

    “The problem isn’t that Johnny can’t read. The problem isn’t even that Johnny can’t think. The problem is that Johnny doesn’t know what thinking is; he confuses it with feeling.” ― Thomas Sowell

  48. nati CelesCele

    November 3, 2020 at 11:16 pm

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  49. Faheem Naqvi

    November 4, 2020 at 12:06 am

    This is a great learning platform.

  50. Melissa

    November 4, 2020 at 3:44 am

    Well said!

  51. KRISHNA FF

    November 4, 2020 at 5:04 am

    Who will win
    Donald Trump subscribe
    Jo. Biden like the comment
    ❤️ Trump
    💙 Biden

  52. Iniobong Uto-Uko

    November 4, 2020 at 9:08 am

    Do I sit down with a racist? Do I sit down with a person that doesn’t want me in this country? Or doesn’t want to sit down with me?

    • Dmitri Zaslavski

      November 5, 2020 at 3:21 pm

      Well, racism is not so big thing today. If you don’t want to sit down with racist more likely than not you are the same. As you both have some values raised in you and you both don’t want to compromise.
      I know occasions where people hated Arabs in general, but give some points of interest to connect they were able to build some connection.
      People rarely hate only on basis of skin, religion etc, but what it entails. So if you hate someone only because he has bias, then you are the same.

    • birthd wt

      November 6, 2020 at 3:35 am

      Always be willing to sit down, it’s not always possible or safe, but when it is you should do it.

  53. AlexandraAndrea

    November 4, 2020 at 9:13 am

    Wait. She was born in the late 70s? Even if it was in ’79, it means she’s around 40!! She is goergous, doesn’t look a day past 30

    • Us and Them

      November 4, 2020 at 9:00 pm

      She’s 44.

  54. Anand Godara

    November 4, 2020 at 9:31 am

    I am also Anand

  55. somedeveloperblokey

    November 4, 2020 at 3:13 pm

    Righto – now it is official, approximately 50% of American adults should under no circumstances whatsoever, be listened to by anything more intelligent than a rock. This hypothesis is entirely based upon how they have represented themselves in their election. They have proven themselves to be hate filled, racist, barely educated at all and xenophobic, valuing money over human life.

    These are not human characteristics that render worthwhile voices or opinions.

    I would imagine the other 50% of American adults are mortified by their fellow countrymen’s heinous viewpoint – those people have my utmost sympathy.

    From now on, I, for one, will be regarding all and any American voice with deep suspicion.

    Well done America.
    Well. Done.

  56. Megan Madigan

    November 4, 2020 at 6:25 pm

    I have friends and family on both sides of the aisle and I so challenging to talk about this idea of common ground with both those on the left and the right. I wish everyone could watch this with an open mind and open heart.

  57. Kathryn Walker

    November 5, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    Thanks for your clear message!!! I am an idealist. Our great Criminal industrial complex is a sad system. It should never be a private, profit based system. Let’s work together.

  58. Jopsy Varghese

    November 6, 2020 at 8:28 am

    Feeling proud

  59. Freia C

    November 6, 2020 at 9:47 pm

    Great talk!

  60. PRODUCT Development

    November 8, 2020 at 11:34 pm

    This girl had been over sexualized by the internet obviously.

    If it wasn’t for social media she would be a nerd.
    Her words mean nothing

  61. Michael Winger

    November 9, 2020 at 12:22 am

    Underrated talk.

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