Kazu+K’s+Final+AmEx+2014+Speech

=Shut up, but never stop communicating=

Art is defined as "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power." So by technical definition, this would be considered "art"

*take selfie*

Isn't this what being human is all about? Expressing who you are? Whether it be appropriate at the time, I know that a true selfie takes a human subconscious to execute, not some artificial intelligence. If you aren’t expressing yourself, then what the hell are doing?

I believe the most essential aspect of being human, besides eating drinking and breathing is communication. Welcome to 2014, where you can talk face to face with someone across the globe, yet we barely do it truthfully with the people right next to us. We choose to keep quiet, hold back what we really think only for those who matter to us. This is detrimental, I think, because we as humans are designed to rely on not just self approval but the approval of others. However I believe like it or not, we have come to the point where our confidence comes from our over reliance to technology rather than our own opinion, our own voice. Google is our savior, Sparknotes is your best friend, Wikipedia is basically your college degree. If we aren’t careful, technology will be all that is left of human nature; a consumer consumed.

Whether you know it or not, you may have the urgency to take out your phone right now and use it as I am presenting my speech or you already are because “who cares what Kazu has to say!” That’s ok, honestly I don’t really care, just know that you are choosing a virtual world over reality.

Our first words as humans were a huge stepping stones in our lives. You may not realize this but you have a responsibility in this society to speak YOUR mind, not other peoples. Remember when you were in elementary school and you had show and tell? Where you brought something you liked and showed the class and you told them about it? Guess what you were learning to express your opinions and talk about what you thought about what other people “showed”. It’s may sound stupid but voicing your opinion is crucial to essentially living in this society. I’m not sure if elementary schools still do this but that seemingly useless skill in the real world was actually a building block to speaking in public; not being afraid that your voice means nothing.

The future is inevitable, thus change is inevitable and the evolution of technology is inevitable. Now more than ever, technology is changing the way we communicate but I would argue that technology is also changing the way we “Don't” communicate. Admit it, you totally have used your phone in the bathroom because you know you’ll be in there for a while, or while your eating, or just to avoid an awkward conversation with someone you don’t necessarily know. I believe that technology is already on it’s way to ultimately manipilating us. Smartphones are called “smart” phones for a reason, because to be honest, they’re smarter than us. We rely on them and we rely on them too much. My parents always tell me that using Siri for driving directions isn’t always accurate and that I should learn how to read a map, and yes siri has taken me through some sketchy ghetto places but it was convenient not having to think about names of streets but rather just say where I wanted to go and be navigated. I feel this is our problem.

Technology is too convenient and we are too comfortable. Hell im using autocorrect instead of my brain to fix all the misspelled words for this speech. Technology isn’t stupid. Technology has the potential to “navigate” us towards what it thinks is a “utopian government” but really is just 1984. Humans were not programed to just sit still and shut up for days, but interact and be imperfect; be human. We read books and watch movies about dystopian societies where those with “knowledge” seemingly procreate a utopian government which we all know is an inhumane society of artificial people, but to people from 50 years ago, we are probably living in their dystopia; invididuals, constantly relying on artificial intelligence over human nature. If you’ve watched Wall-E, you may have noticed the fat ass people with basically no conscience whatsoever left because technology and robots have replaced their conscience. If “free-thinking” and knowledge are replaced with artificial intelligence, ignorance could potentially initiate the government to pursue a “utopia”. I think I’d rather live in a society where everyone constantly took selfies than a world filled with artificial people because at least a true selfie requires you to consciously be aware of how self centered you look. As Daniel Zager, a fictional character from a fictional game once said, “I used to get angry ‘cause I thought my government wasn’t listening to me. Now I’m angry ‘cause I know they are.” I’m not saying technology is bad. Technology is what innovates our lives and keeps humanity moving forward. But as we move away from the past, which by the way just passed, we must learn to adapt to change, but not let it tell us what to do and how to think. We as humans have a responsibility to be a voice, to differentiate good from bad, and open up to the complexities of life which technology should never touch. As technology advances and becomes more and more convenient, we must voice our opinions about them, before technology voices it’s opinion about us.

In the America I wish to grow old in, I want people to take the time to look up from their bright screens and look up to reality once in a while, and be conscience of who they are, what makes them human, what's happening around them and let their voices be heard. If you're happy, be happy. If you’re sad, be sad. If you’re pissed, be pissed. If you’re embarassed, be embarrassed. If you thought my speech was shitty, tell me it was shitty. That's the art of being human; communicating and letting YOUR voice, not something elses be heard. This is mine.

=Cite Your Sources= mah brain