TED talk: It's the middle class consumers, not the rich who create jobs

[Ziploc Surprise]

TED talk: It's the middle class consumers, not the rich who create jobs

Sometimes I post stories that I don't really have a fully formed opinion about. this is one of them.

What are you're thoughts on this?


http://www.upworthy.com/breaking-you-kno...?g=4&c=rb4

[Annik]

This TED talk is controversial for being too partisan.

[Autumnlicious]

This TED talk is controversial for being too partisan.

Bullshit. If partisan was a qualifier, then many of TED's other videos, up to and including Climate Change, is partisan.

Call it as it is -- he made the audience and the TED upper echelons uncomfortable. They decided to hide it and tell the speaker about it (their first mistake as an organization).

The speaker did not like that.

Notice how TED does not cite sections and specify WHERE and WHAT is partisan and "unacceptable."

We discussed internally and ultimately told the speaker we did not plan to post. He did not react well. He had hired a PR firm to promote the talk to MoveOn and others, and the PR firm warned us that unless we posted he would go to the press and accuse us of censoring him. We again declined and this time I wrote him and tried gently to explain in detail why I thought his talk was flawed.

Really? Your first action is to "hire a PR firm"? What are you? British Petroleum?

"Gently"? This is complete and utter shite designed to frame the speaker in the worst possible light. A speaker, might I add, whom is trying to work with them.

So he forwarded portions of the private emails to a reporter and the National Journal duly bit on the story. And it was picked up by various other outlets.
[Note -- now the author of this TED response is making the speaker look like he's indulging in a conspiracy to frenzy the press]
And a non-story about a talk not being chosen, because we believed we had better ones, somehow got turned into a scandal about censorship. Which is like saying that if I call the New York Times and they turn down my request to publish an op-ed by me, they're censoring me.
[Note -- now we've gone into belittling the issue and assassinating the speaker's 'cause' to feel upset]

....

One takeaway for us is that we're considering at some point posting the full archive from future conferences (somewhere away from the home page). Perhaps this would draw the sting from the accusations of censorship. Here, for starters, is the talk concerned. You can judge for yourself...
[Note -- this is a "shut up and take it". Judge for yourself my ass. The talk was on youtube well before TED decided to waffle about. The act of "judging" was already possible and in action. This is a non-statement]

This is my favorite part:

No doubt it will now, ironically, get stupendous viewing numbers and spark a magnificent debate, and then the conspiracy theorists will say the whole thing was a set-up!

Isn't that what TED is all about? Sparking a debate? My gods, it is like you're TRYING to avoid talking about this.

Yeah, I'd expect such from an organization whose first act is to hire PR when something doesn't go your way.

[kılıç_mehmet]

Well, the "rich", do not really concern themselves with the creation of jobs. They seek to minimize employees, if they can. If they wish to expand, they take in employees according to their need. The middle-class, on the other hand is there to be employed, or to employ people in the name of their own superiors, according to need.

[Polaris]

I still stand by the assertion that the jobs being created have only helped the 1% consolidate more of the wealth in this country. I have yet to see any improvements in the economy though many have made claims stating how well the economy has done the last few years. I have only seen the economy further slip into decline...the state of the economy is better in 2012 only because it is compared to how awful 2011 was...

Even in industries where the middle class consumer is helping to promote job growth to be their demand, the 1% benefits and the 99% is screwed over yet again.

[Anomalocaris]

The middle class consumers may sustain the viability of bulk of existing jobs, but those who create new job opportunities by following through with various innovations do seem to have a high probability of getting very rich.

So being rich in itself doesn't make the rich create jobs. But those who genuinely create jobs do tend to be amongst the rich.

So one could quibble and say the rich create jobs. But that's because sizeable fraction got rich by creating jobs. They don't create jobs by being rich, much less by being richer.

[Ziploc Surprise]

Well, the "rich", do not really concern themselves with the creation of jobs. They seek to minimize employees, if they can. If they wish to expand, they take in employees according to their need. The middle-class, on the other hand is there to be employed, or to employ people in the name of their own superiors, according to need.

Ok, the business and finance world is not something I know much about but here's overly simplistic take on the situation. If it helps, imagine that I am writing this in crayon. This year when we did our tax return many of the deductions that had been available to us in the past were not available to us this time because they nixed these deductions. Had we had that money we would have spent it, thus creating more demand. I am one person with a very small home business. There are many many more people like me. Most of us would have spent the money that the government took from us this year. Collectively that's a lot. and it's just a tiny example in a sea of many such examples. Perhaps the speaker has it right. I don't know though.

[kılıç_mehmet]

Well, the "rich", do not really concern themselves with the creation of jobs. They seek to minimize employees, if they can. If they wish to expand, they take in employees according to their need. The middle-class, on the other hand is there to be employed, or to employ people in the name of their own superiors, according to need.

Ok, the business and finance world is not something I know much about but here's overly simplistic take on the situation. If it helps, imagine that I am writing this in crayon. This year when we did our tax return many of the deductions that had been available to us in the past were not available to us this time because they nixed these deductions. Had we had that money we would have spent it, thus creating more demand. I am one person with a very small home business. There are many many more people like me. Most of us would have spent the money that the government took from us this year. Collectively that's a lot. and it's just a tiny example in a sea of many such examples. Perhaps the speaker has it right. I don't know though.

You never think of hoarding your money? Like putting it in a bank for future use? You have immidiate need to spend it?

[Anomalocaris]

If Americans were astute enough to save, then we wouldn't owe the Chinese 5 times our annual defence budget. As it stands, we fought two wars on credit, the Chinese collects 30 billion dollars a year on the interest.

[kılıç_mehmet]

Maybe you should sheathe your sword than. Why don't we go around and attack countries at will?
Why do we save our money? It's best to think of hard times when counting your money. As an old Turkish saying goes, "The white(earned) akcha(money) is for dark days." My family, for example has lived on our earnings from Germany and during the days when my father still fared through international sea trade, where he earned well, and we have saved and saved. We spend wisely, and do not buy too many luxury items, but we have never cut off out of our food(save for eating less meat, but whatever we eat, we eat of the best quality).
Sure, we do not have a HD TV, or even a DVD player, but do we really need one?
For example, I know of Americans, who have told me that they have to work nightshifts in jobs that could be considered jobs for less qualified people, but own a Wii. Why buy luxury items if you cannot feed yourself properly, or live in a good apartment? If you can't send your children to a proper university? Won't they ask you how you have spent the money wildly, while leaving them with nothing?