This presentation, by entrepreneur Nick Hanauer, is surrounded by controversy because after it was recorded, it was passed over for publication by TED. Stating that allegations of censorship are false, and that TED merely favored better presentations over Hanauer’s when deciding what to publish to their hugely popular website, TED publicly released the talk after suspicions were raised.
Discussing the idea of income equality and the forces behind job creation, Hanauer challenges the advantages the wealthy are given in society, and points out the social class system we have. His ideas are simple and clear, yet many people feel that this talk was intentionally censored by TED because of the threat these notions put to the existing pecking order in our world.
It seems unlikely that TED could possibly have anything to gain by shelving this 5 minute discourse, but, either way, the controversy exists, and Hanauer’s presentation certainly does challenge one of the establishment’s sacred cows of the economy. That the middle class is dependent on the wealthy for job creation.
Should Nick Hanauer’s non-partisan talk about the merits of taxing/not-taxing the rich be given equal weight in the arena of popular ideas?