Ortiz1

Ataliah Ortiz

Prof. Rosenberg

Eng. 101/101W

3 May 2016

Overcoming Your Biases

I have chosen the theme stereotype and how it can lead to prejudice and racism to write

about over the course. This essay is based on a video (TedTalk), on overcoming your biases. I

chose this theme because it is something I can relate to, and it’s an issue that is going on in

today’s society. I decided to go with this particular video because, I feel it brings awareness to

the nation and world about being so one sided, and people judging other people on what they

hear and see, not what they actually know. In this essay, I will talk about what motivated the

author to create the video, the larger conversation and message of the video, and how the video

demonstrates ethos, pathos, and logos.

Verna Myers, an African American female, who is the founder and president of Verna

Myers Consulting Group, LLC in Baltimore, Maryland, is a nationally recognized expert on

diversity and inclusion in law firms. Ms. Myers has been acknowledged for many different

reasons and has received many awards. Verna Myers graduated Harvard Law School, and

received a Bachelor's of Arts, magna cum laude, from Barnard College. Myers recently did a

TedTalk in Feb. 2015, on “overcoming your biases.” Because Myers is so knowledgeable about

diversity, her TedTalk focuses on the idea that people should go out of their comfort zone and

stop being so one sided based on what they think they know, as opposed to what they actually

know.
 Ortiz2

I believe what motivated Myers to do this TedTalk was to get people to stop stereotyping.

They should stop believing what they hear and actually find out for themselves. The purpose of

Verna Myers TedTalk was to bring awareness to the public that we stereotype and create biases

without even realizing it. The author’s audience, and who the message is for, are those people

that are one sided and close minded. It is for the people that do not take the time to actually get to

know about something or someone, but instead judge others from what they have been taught.

In today's society stereotyping and racism are no surprise at all. Most people would rather

judge others based on what the media portrays than actually get to know a person, or culture.

Society is so caught up in judging an individual on where they come from, or the color of their

skin, that they overlook the character of a person. The big issue that might have promoted Myers

to create this video was to bring attention to society and the media that we need to stop thinking

we know a person or culture based on what we hear on the news and what we see in the media.

Instead, people should go out and find the truth about a culture or individual. They should stop

thinking someone is different from them or they are better than others because they look

different, come from another place, or have different beliefs.

Ethos is shown in the video because Verna Myers represents herself in a positive manner

as well as appearing to be very well educated. I trust Myers, and feel that she is credible because

of her degrees, and her corporation. Myers knows what she is talking about and has prior

knowledge regarding the topic. I believe that Verna Myers demonstrates pathos and tries to get

an emotional response from the audience. The tone in her voice when she make her points,

varies. It is sometimes is very aggressive and other times very soft. However, I do not believe

Verna is trying to make anyone feel bad or upset, just bring the issues to their attention. I do

think she is trying to get them to change their biases and get out of their comfort zone. Verna is
 Ortiz3

trying to get the “if you see something, say something.” message across. For example, if you

hear Uncle Bob making racist remarks at the dinner table, let him know that it's not okay to talk

like that. Last but not least, the author applied logos to the video with facts, charts and graphs.

She (Verna Myers) even showed how a white woman was afraid to be in what she called the

“hood,” or to ask an African American man for help.

Overall, the style and tone of this video was very formal and academically presented. I

believe Myers portrayed herself in a way that everyone can understand, without taking away the

meaning of what she was trying to say. When I first watched the video I thought “Wow this is

amazing!” I said that because, Verna Myers really captured my attention with her word choice as

well as her attitude towards the topic. I could tell she was angry, upset, or even sad at some point

because the topic was so close to her heart. The video was effective to me that is because Myers

made me think back on my life and how I sometimes stereotype others without even realizing it.

Although I was not offended by the video she created, I believe that for some it may be too

harsh. There are other ways to go about the situation that may attract those that are very biased or

who stereotypes every day.

In conclusion, the author uses rhetoric effectively to communicate the message of

overcoming your biases to her audience. Myers lets the viewer’s know exactly what she is going

to be discussing in her TedTalk. Along with that, she demonstrates ethos, pathos, and logos in a

way that the viewers will understand. Verna Myers brought awareness to a topic that seems to go

unnoticed by so many people, including myself. I feel that Myers did a great job of explaining

what it is that we as a nation are doing wrong, and how it affects us.

Work Cited

TEDTalk Director. "Verna Myers: How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly toward

Them." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.