Daniel Zeman

Activist, Entrepreneur, Producer, Project manager, Student, Technologist

An idea worth spreading is that polarization in modern-day politics is harmful to society. Nowadays Politics has become a completely black-and-white zone where it should be an area for open conversations and the discovery of opposing views. Today, people become close-minded to other opinions and views and refuse to listen to new ideas. This creates an environment of one-sided opinions where individuals are unable to openly converse about important current topics. The polarization of politics has caused people new to this topic to feel unable to give their own opinions on political topics for fear of being rejected. Instead, we only hear the beliefs of people who have a louder voice, not because they speak louder, but because they drown out the voices of others. The individuals we do happen to hear may be misguided by the opinions of others on social media and their surrounding environments. This creates a country where only the loudest and sometimes misguided voices are heard. People feel unable to express their own opinions and feel that they can only be accepted into either the black or white zone of politics.

Growing up, my family and I always loved coming together to watch TED Talks. It was a total win-win: I got to watch something (even if it wasn’t the flashiest new teen show), I learned about all sorts of fascinating ideas, and my parents were thrilled that it was both inspiring and educational. Later on, whenever I had a free moment in my teens, I’d binge-watch TED Talks on my own. In 2023, I had the incredible opportunity to serve as Emcee and Executive Producer for TEDxWest Park HS, which sparked my passion for sharing “ideas worth spreading” with my community. The following year, I became Director and Licensee of TEDxWoodcreek HS—my home school—where we’re now in our second year of hosting this event. Three years into organizing TEDx events, I’m more excited than ever to champion new perspectives and inspire others to do the same.