Blog Post #1: Summary of Anne Hallward’s Ted Talk

In this Ted Talk, Hallward discusses the effects of shame and telling our silenced stories in order to achieve widespread social change. Throughout the presentation, Hallward repeats the same idea of “[W]hen we speak of what is most personal, it’s the most universal” meaning that people are able to connect to those types of stories the most. But why is that the case? It all has to do with shame. As Hallward reiterates for the duration of the presentation, “[Shame is] possibly the most painful feeling that there is.” We keep our shame bottled up inside away from everybody else. And the reason we feel shame is because we tell ourselves that what we are hiding is bad. For example, somebody tells their story about dealing with mental illness. Society has placed such a negative label on mental illness there is no surprise that this person would feel ashamed. But after telling their story they feel better and the people around them start thinking, talking, and eventually sharing.As people begin talking, they start becoming more comfortable with the topic. They discuss it more freely and people no long feel like they need to hide from everybody else. This, Hallward emphasizes, is how widespread social change occurs.