Can you stand up for what you believe in without participating in politics? Anti-career coach Danielle Roberts and political rule breaker Katie Paris discuss how to rethink power, work and civic life on your own terms. They explore how rest, community and meaningful participation can help you stay engaged in the issues shaping your life. (This conversation is part of “Idea Knock Down,” a series where two people with different perspectives take on big questions — one block at a time.) (Recorded on June 12, 2026)
Join us in person at a TED conference:
Become a TED Member to support our mission:
Subscribe to a TED newsletter:
Follow TED!
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:
Facebook:
X:
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) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations.
TED 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 the TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), submit a request at
#TED #TEDTalks #Democracy
@cp37373
July 14, 2026 at 11:07 am
100% incorrect. Just because your system is screwed up and I choose not to participate in a rigged game, that does not mean that I’m failing in my duty as a citizen. Also, you cannot affect your local politics at all because they are already put in place. That’s why all across the country AI data banks are being approved while the citizens say no we don’t want this. The system has failed.
@agentsnorlson7913
July 14, 2026 at 6:37 pm
Amen. Theoretically, political engagement is important. In reality, you aren’t changing anything without the influence either family connections or an at least 8 figure net worth brings.
Thinking otherwise is pure delusion.
@explorerofmind
July 14, 2026 at 11:10 am
2 twelves or 3 tens is the perfect work-life balance.
@MrTranzformer1
July 14, 2026 at 11:22 am
@explorerofmind so is the grocery store Only gonna be open 2-3 days a week?
@explorerofmind
July 14, 2026 at 11:28 am
@MrTranzformer1, Is your grocery store only opened 5 days a week for 8 hours?
@TrainerAshNZ
July 14, 2026 at 6:20 pm
@MrTranzformer1 who goes to the grocery store any more?
@dontimberman5493
July 14, 2026 at 11:21 am
3 day work week? Let’s start with 4 and then talk about it.
@n.chabot1217
July 14, 2026 at 11:45 am
Living your life without paying attention to politics is like driving with your eyes closed. It’s gonna affect you whether you pay attention or not, so pay attention.
@agentsnorlson7913
July 14, 2026 at 6:39 pm
It’s more like driving with a car in motion that you cannot steer or otherwise significantly influence. If the edge of the cliff is coming, it comes whether you look or not.
@gr637
July 14, 2026 at 7:45 pm
Philosopher
@ThomasThomas-tx5yj
July 14, 2026 at 9:17 pm
I don’t think the car analogy holds true with politics. One person steering doesn’t mean much. It’s the collective steering that matters.
@xsystem1013
July 14, 2026 at 11:56 am
I don’t think we talk about enough that opting in doesn’t necessarily mean speaking out publicly. You can take a side on political views and make changes covertly in your community, by voting, etc. You can be anonymous or nearly. You don’t have to be loud to make an impact.
@pyramidpinhead
July 15, 2026 at 8:51 am
the problem is when people that don’t want to vote is forced to vote. Those people don’t choose to learn about their options, instead of that they vote on what they see on tv: if they see stuff about some leftist doing bad things they would probably vote for non-leftist people for example, and that’s how democracy dies, the tv shows the worst of society and MANY politics use that for obtaining new votes. My point is, if we don’t talk about it, it really clears the way for the worst people to be in charge of all of us, having a conversation with different perspectives is really a way of change things.
@xsystem1013
July 15, 2026 at 10:05 am
@pyramidpinheadI agree, but some people have such severe social anxiety or other mental or emotional issues that make discussions about tough topics that could get heated difficult. And some people get very obsessed to the point that it’s unhealthy, which is another sign of mental health decline. Some people don’t know how to balance, and it’s not their fault. Taking care of your mental health takes care of others as much as yourself. Everyone just has different limits.
@ChaosSpectra
July 14, 2026 at 12:02 pm
That’s Benga !!
@tavdy79
July 14, 2026 at 12:12 pm
Re. opting out of politics, that is also something you can do only if you have privilege due to race, gender, income, etc. For most minorities, our existence has been made political against our will, so opting out of politics isn’t an option for us.
People who say they are “fed up with identity politics”, and vote for parties that demonise us, are either ignoring or ignorant of the fact that we are way, WAY more fed up of identity politics than they could ever be; that their choice to ignore or remain ignorant of the consequences for us is an act of incredible selfishness; and that voting to make our lives harder is only going to make identity politics even more of an issue for longer because we have no other choice.
____
Re. Joy as a form of resistance to oppression – this is why the queer community has Pride Month. The goal of homophobic and transphobic bigots has always been to force queer people to live in fear and shame, and be seen by others as less than, as other, as evil or sinful. As the antithesis of shame, Pride is both an open rebellion against oppression, and a cause for hope and joy.
@tvuser9529
July 14, 2026 at 12:24 pm
If you don’t take part in politics you deserve the politicians you get, for letting other people decide for you. If you try but fail to get your politics through, well, at least you’ve done what you can. Try again next election.
The population of a democracy, as a whole, deserves whatever politicians they get whether they use their vote or not, because not voting is just another form of voting, a choice to let others chose for you.
@Rithmy
July 15, 2026 at 7:37 am
Thats exactly the thinking that got us into this problem. Democracy is not only about voting every few years. WHat matters is what you do in those years. I firmly believe that my vote doesnt even matter. All around the world the concrete political parties do not even matter much. What matters is the public opinion on topic. ANd currently that opinon is heavily manipulated by money.
@tvuser9529
July 16, 2026 at 6:08 am
@Rithmy I certainly agree it’s not just about voting, but that’s the bare minimum. Getting more directly involved in politics or politics-adjacent work is great. Public opinion goes both ways, it influences and gets influenced by what people do. The rich and the powerful have more influence, sure.
@Rithmy
July 16, 2026 at 7:41 am
@tvuser9529 What i see in my country is the voting participation noticeably going up, while political “extremist” (as in “far away from the mainstream”) partys gain huge popularity.
Problem is, that i see far right parties as being apathetic towards human rights. We should be able to hold a certain bare minimum about morality. As a collective we no longer have material problems. Our production is so strong that we can easily ensure a good and satisfying living standard for everyone. We dont need growth and competition anymore. And while i acknowledge that competion and cruelty is part of reality, i would rather work to do things that reduce cruelty, or at least dont increase it. Returning to politics that have shown to be authoritarian is suicidal with the level of technology we already have.
@TheZombie1984
July 14, 2026 at 12:25 pm
I think the only we can have a democracy is if EVERY POLITICIAN is limited to 40k a year salary and outlaw paid lobbying as well as PACS. Learn to live without money, learn that money should be a means to an end in politics and not the goal, THEN you can be allowed to lead.
@jorgep19651
July 14, 2026 at 2:02 pm
@TheZombie1984 that’s perfect. Especially since most only appear with the public during elections and disappear after they win or loose
@agentsnorlson7913
July 15, 2026 at 1:33 am
You’ll get bottom of the barrel representation because those who can make more than that crappy pay will do anything else.
And yeah, it CAN get worse than we have now.
@Jasonxbr
July 14, 2026 at 12:31 pm
Yes just ops out of any political media- social media- family or friends that imply no conversations about it- and especially dont participate in any elections and let the whole political establishment 😈🤡💀👻🗑🕳💩🚚🔥
@pt_goat
July 14, 2026 at 12:49 pm
The actual Greek origin of the word ‘idiot’ is specifically a citizen who refused to engage in public life or politics.
@gr637
July 14, 2026 at 7:46 pm
Someone paid attention to history too.
@ofirarg
July 14, 2026 at 12:56 pm
Its a mental health choice
@pyramidpinhead
July 15, 2026 at 8:43 am
depends on the media, if we use regular tv news or tik tok as the only way of getting news from we would all get high stress levels. Instead, it’s better to hear/read independent media, not the poison stuff that the tv wants us to get contaminated from.
@vortbio
July 14, 2026 at 12:59 pm
Could you not, with the Jenga?
@LaurenWeiner-us8sx
July 14, 2026 at 2:53 pm
Love this rapid-fire set up, and the conversation between two incredibly smart women making real change in the world. Brava.
@TrainerAshNZ
July 14, 2026 at 6:20 pm
100% All work places should have dogs
@TheNinjadelivery
July 14, 2026 at 7:24 pm
No, you can’t when every decsion being married effects an individuals living situation and how hard they struggle. Not opting into politics and becoming an informed voter is how we needed up in this mess to start with.
@gr637
July 14, 2026 at 7:44 pm
Life is too short to engage in politics, as it has become a total waste of time. Active disengagement is my choice. I am a much happier person.
@pyramidpinhead
July 15, 2026 at 8:34 am
yeah well, ignoring things is a way of finding happiness but at the cost of being ignorant. You don’t need to “engage in politics”, just not ignore it, it will affect you and your children’s children, Being this uninterested is just like many people in politics want you to be, specially the most crazy politics, otherwise nobody would vote for them.
@lucasgmolina
July 14, 2026 at 8:11 pm
Whatever you want broette. It’s your life. It’s my life. We live it as we want, we only get one anyway.
@yuuthinasia
July 14, 2026 at 8:30 pm
That’s my aunt Danielle 🥹🥹🥹
@DanTheYoutubeAddict
July 14, 2026 at 9:55 pm
Here’s a good question: How do you get involved in politics if you see corruption and undemocratic forces everywhere and every politician from at least the state level and up as being undemocratic and either actively ignoring the will of their constituents or gerrymandering their district so much that anyone who disagrees with them is a token minority? Essentially, how do you have hope for our fake, sham of a democratic republic without it being false hope that involves willfully being ignorant of the truth about how the government ACTUALLY works?
@CR19-s6u
July 15, 2026 at 12:22 am
OPT KONCET
@Olibelus
July 15, 2026 at 1:58 am
Of course everyone has the freedom to opt out. But you should not complain if you are unhappy with the political system. Because you’re not doing anything to change it.
@CenturyWisdom-q5w
July 15, 2026 at 6:05 am
This video was a powerful wake-up call, reminding me that even choosing to step back from politics is an active decision. It hit home how necessary it is to engage with our communities to reclaim our power, rather than just drifting. It left me feeling both challenged and truly inspired.
@SmRituKhan
July 15, 2026 at 6:50 am
Everyone keeps mentioning their “type” from Vera Hart’s archetype quiz like I’m supposed to know what that means. Is there a list of all the archetypes somewhere? I feel left out now.
@AlusineThullah-n6s
July 15, 2026 at 6:51 am
The comments about Vera Hart’s archetype quiz are making me more curious than the quiz itself. Half of you feel personally attacked and the other half feel understood. What is happening 😭
@closedchill5243
July 15, 2026 at 9:57 am
Our system is failing and falling apart. Rule of law being disregarded at the highest levels. The wealthy are pulling in more wealth to themselves, with no end in sight. Climate is getting worse much faster than scientists predicted. Persistent warfare addiction by the worlds biggest governments. Election integrity constantly challenged. New pandemic plagues and attacks on vaccines making the threat stronger. Attacks on education making people more susceptible to propaganda and lies. Loneliness epidemic. Divorce rates up. High level politics reach down to the lowest levels of government so if you engage even at that level, you will get dirty. Engaging in politics is like trying to update your PC even though it’s infected with 10,000 viruses, the hard drive is corrupted, and someone stole the RAM. There are much more productive and healthy ways to spend your short time.
@ragemonkey3163
July 15, 2026 at 10:51 am
Politics? You have to be joking. I plan to move abroad within 2 years and start the process of renouncing US citizenship. America is the land of the free where you aren’t allowed to do anything.
@KURTKRALMURAT
July 15, 2026 at 12:32 pm
BENİM GİBİ PEYGAMBER OLUP SİYASET ÜSTLÜLÜĞÜMLE HEP SİYASET DIŞINDA AMA SİYASETTEN HEP SORUMLU OLARAK MEYDANDAYIM.. VATANDAŞ OLARAK SENDE SİYASETE HAYIR DİYEBİLİRSİN AMA 4 YILDA BİR OY KULLANMA ZORUNLULUĞUN VAR.. BİR KRAL İSE SİYASİ YAKLAŞIMLA SİYASETİ BİTİREBİLİR.. Siyasetten Uzak Durmak Neden Siyasi Bir Tercihtir? ÇÜNKÜ SİYASET YOLSUZLUKLARA BULAŞMIŞTIRDA ONDAN.. MEHDİ MURAT
@ExistentialWolf
July 15, 2026 at 2:16 pm
I think semantics is your biggest hurdle. Work has a specific developmental role. You may be more interested in foundational education, before you start your journey of life, for life is but a game – the waiting game. 🙂 🛠💅🗼
@cynthiagravett2419
July 15, 2026 at 9:41 pm
So at what point did America become a democracy when it was established as a Republic? I would really like to know.
@tauzN
July 16, 2026 at 12:35 am
I’m not opting out. I never opted in.
@jayjay-o9t7o
July 16, 2026 at 7:59 am
Dear TED Team,
I have a question regarding the use of the TED and TEDx brands.
I recently came across a Korean educational website that displays photos of well-known TED speakers (such as Bill Gates and others) alongside a statement that the instructor gave three TEDx talks.
As a consumer, I was unsure whether this presentation could cause people to confuse TED and TEDx. My understanding is that TED and TEDx are separate programs, and that TED encourages people to distinguish between them.
Could you please clarify whether this type of presentation is consistent with TED’s branding guidelines?
Thank you for your time.
@TED
July 16, 2026 at 10:32 am
Hi! Thanks so much asking! Can you please email us with more information at tedx@ted.com?
@jayjay-o9t7o
July 16, 2026 at 1:37 pm
@TED Sure. thank you !!!!!!
@Jade-j5o5q
July 16, 2026 at 10:40 am
I love both two❤