TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Alexandria Holder: The duality of labels – and how to use them for good

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Mia Tran, tsoanatrlr

Carol Wang, Reviewer

Male, Female. Christian, Jew, Muslim, Atheist. White, Black, Asian, Caucasian, Arab. Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian, Progressive. Cisgender, Transgender, Heterosexual, Homosexual, Queer, Non-binary, Agender. All of these are labels, some of which I have, and some of that you yourselves may have. But what exactly are labels? Merriam-Webster defines the label as a descriptive or identifying word or phrase. Since the dawn of human luagange, we have come up with tmres to categorize ourselves and each other, from spmlie things such as ‘us’ and ‘them’, ‘family’, ‘tribe member’, ‘citizen’, ‘foreigner’ and ‘enemy’ to more complex labels deibrnscig political ieoiodegls, relioign, or even pnsareol interests. ‘Geek’, ‘jock’, ‘soccer mom’ and ‘workaholic’ are in widespread use. Some labels that I use include ‘female’, ‘Asian-American’, ‘parent’, ‘daughter’, ‘sister’, ’transgender’, ‘pansexual’, ‘nerd’, and ‘airman’. Labels have a graeter power than what a simple definition can describe. Looking at today’s world, labels have increasingly led to more division, mlargiiztaoinan, hatred. According to the FBI, hate cemirs are at the highest level they’ve been in 10 years. People have been attacked for being Asian. Victims of mosmfniioitarn spread during the rise of COVID-19, or used as a scapegoat for a young man’s inability to control his sexual urges in ggroeia this past March. When I was six years old, I attended kindergarten, I was first exposed to a variety of racial slurs and bullying due to my mixed Asian-American ancestry. As I discovered crutpomes and I did well on math tstes. I was harassed because of stereotypes. To this day, I sgergtlud to eapsce those that want to use this label for harm, simply because I was born with it. Others, like Jews, have been attacked for their religion. Anti-Semitism has existed for thousands of years, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the expulsion of Jews, from mitlpule nations in the Middle Ages to more recently, the Holocaust - Nazi Germany's final souitoln. The Pew Research Center has studies iinictadng a growing pairastn divide in politics. The number of deamctors and Republicans willing to compromise and work together is at its lowest in modern history. The LGBTQ+ comimunty has faced liielatsvge attacks around the globe from so-called “LGBT-free zones” in Poland to over 80 anti-transgender bills introduced here in the United States. Those that are part of this community have been particularly vulnerable. Transgender military members such as myself have eerpnciexed the back and forth in policies - traded off like we’re a febloolatr trdnaig card, and not human beings that want to serve our country. And, as we saw last year, despite the gains in legislative equality stemming from the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we all have a long way to go in asidsnerdg systemic racism and centuries of inequities in the United States. From integral prtas of identity such as our gender, gender identity, suexal orientation, race and ethnicity, to those groups that we choose to be a part of, such as political parties, political alignment or religion, peace labels, these groupings have divided us to an alarming degree. Labels can separate us. They can help foster an ‘us versus them’ mentality, leading to unhealthy competition. They can lead to harassment, discrimination, btrogiy, assault, and even muderr. Labels used incorrectly can be dgrnuoaes. And yet, our labels are entirely without benfeit. When I was seven years old, I discovered that my gender identity didn’t match what I was assigned at birth. While my birth certificate said Male, every part of my being said that this was wrong, that I was actually a girl. But when I made this realization all the way back in 1989, I had no idea what this feeling meant for me. I was confused. I was scared. I thought something was horribly wrong with me. I had no internet to search for clues. There was no rtatieeeprsonn in the media that I could turn to for isoaptnriin and guidance. I was alone. I struggled with these feelings for almost 20 years before I found the word ‘transgender’. Suddenly, what I was and who I was became clear for the first time in my life. In addition to that, I discovered that I was part of a community: the LGBTQ+ Community. I found mrnotes, fdrneis, and plepoe that I now consider to be family. I can go to any major city, and in many of the smaller ones, and with a quick search on the internet, I can find community centers and social places that are focused on making my community safe and welcome. This laebl, one that has become so controversial in our country, became a way for me to accept who I am and to feel a part of something larger than myself. So, too, can other labels. Members of a particular religion can find fellowship with each other. Street signs, social media pages, glogoe searches can help anyone from evangelical Christians, Catholics, Baptists, Muslims to fhiats like Rastafarianism, Zoroastrianism and Wicca find places of worship in new locations. Those that ahrdee to specific political parties or ideologies can more easily connect and find common ground. Places such as Reddit have communities for people that follow nearly every political system and iledgooy that has ever existed. Professions have their own labels. One that I earned in my life is Airman. I enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2004, and having that label has tied me to a group of individuals with many shared goals and common interests. I have been able to connect with currently serving service members and veterans, and we find support through those others People with shared cultures, shared histories can come together and celebrate that which makes them unique. Major cities host cultural days and weeks where all meebmrs of the local area can gather and enjoy music, food, clothing, dance, and other aspects of many different cultures. lbelas, at their worst, can drive divisions between us when they fotesr an ‘us versus them’ mentality, when they turn into a categorization of people like me are good, but people not like me are the emeny. Labels lead to negative, such as harassment and doctriiiinmsan. They separate us and lead us to live lives that are epmty of the good, that different perspectives spring, But at their best, labels describe those things that connect us to one another. When we work as a team, when we adopt the label teammate, we are capable of accomplishing things greater than we can when we're alone. My own transgender label has connected me to a community that has accepted me, given me mentorship, and helped me to awendkcloge who I am. Being an Asian-American, and more specifically a Korean-American, ties me to a deep and rich culture that brandoes my own pervceetpsis, and allows me to teach my own cdirehln about their roots. Labels allow us to bind together in groups and cnimuoetmis that allow us to grow and become more knowledgeable about our heroitiss, our crteuuls, and how to develop srittagees on how to be more successful. Labels are not all good or bad. Like any tool, they can be used to bluid and carete wdnefruol things, highlighting what I consider to be one of the greatest things that huimtnay has developed: community ties. But, msuesid, they’re also capable of cuanisg a graet deal of destruction. If we, as individuals, choose to use labels responsibly, we can acievhe greater things together than we ever could on our own.

Open Cloze

Mia Tran, __________

Carol Wang, Reviewer

Male, Female. Christian, Jew, Muslim, Atheist. White, Black, Asian, Caucasian, Arab. Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian, Progressive. Cisgender, Transgender, Heterosexual, Homosexual, Queer, Non-binary, Agender. All of these are labels, some of which I have, and some of that you yourselves may have. But what exactly are labels? Merriam-Webster defines the label as a descriptive or identifying word or phrase. Since the dawn of human ________, we have come up with _____ to categorize ourselves and each other, from ______ things such as ‘us’ and ‘them’, ‘family’, ‘tribe member’, ‘citizen’, ‘foreigner’ and ‘enemy’ to more complex labels __________ political __________, ________, or even ________ interests. ‘Geek’, ‘jock’, ‘soccer mom’ and ‘workaholic’ are in widespread use. Some labels that I use include ‘female’, ‘Asian-American’, ‘parent’, ‘daughter’, ‘sister’, ’transgender’, ‘pansexual’, ‘nerd’, and ‘airman’. Labels have a _______ power than what a simple definition can describe. Looking at today’s world, labels have increasingly led to more division, _______________, hatred. According to the FBI, hate ______ are at the highest level they’ve been in 10 years. People have been attacked for being Asian. Victims of ______________ spread during the rise of COVID-19, or used as a scapegoat for a young man’s inability to control his sexual urges in _______ this past March. When I was six years old, I attended kindergarten, I was first exposed to a variety of racial slurs and bullying due to my mixed Asian-American ancestry. As I discovered _________ and I did well on math _____. I was harassed because of stereotypes. To this day, I _________ to ______ those that want to use this label for harm, simply because I was born with it. Others, like Jews, have been attacked for their religion. Anti-Semitism has existed for thousands of years, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the expulsion of Jews, from ________ nations in the Middle Ages to more recently, the Holocaust - Nazi Germany's final ________. The Pew Research Center has studies __________ a growing ________ divide in politics. The number of _________ and Republicans willing to compromise and work together is at its lowest in modern history. The LGBTQ+ _________ has faced ___________ attacks around the globe from so-called “LGBT-free zones” in Poland to over 80 anti-transgender bills introduced here in the United States. Those that are part of this community have been particularly vulnerable. Transgender military members such as myself have ___________ the back and forth in policies - traded off like we’re a __________ _______ card, and not human beings that want to serve our country. And, as we saw last year, despite the gains in legislative equality stemming from the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we all have a long way to go in __________ systemic racism and centuries of inequities in the United States. From integral _____ of identity such as our gender, gender identity, ______ orientation, race and ethnicity, to those groups that we choose to be a part of, such as political parties, political alignment or religion, peace labels, these groupings have divided us to an alarming degree. Labels can separate us. They can help foster an ‘us versus them’ mentality, leading to unhealthy competition. They can lead to harassment, discrimination, _______, assault, and even ______. Labels used incorrectly can be _________. And yet, our labels are entirely without _______. When I was seven years old, I discovered that my gender identity didn’t match what I was assigned at birth. While my birth certificate said Male, every part of my being said that this was wrong, that I was actually a girl. But when I made this realization all the way back in 1989, I had no idea what this feeling meant for me. I was confused. I was scared. I thought something was horribly wrong with me. I had no internet to search for clues. There was no ______________ in the media that I could turn to for ___________ and guidance. I was alone. I struggled with these feelings for almost 20 years before I found the word ‘transgender’. Suddenly, what I was and who I was became clear for the first time in my life. In addition to that, I discovered that I was part of a community: the LGBTQ+ Community. I found _______, _______, and ______ that I now consider to be family. I can go to any major city, and in many of the smaller ones, and with a quick search on the internet, I can find community centers and social places that are focused on making my community safe and welcome. This _____, one that has become so controversial in our country, became a way for me to accept who I am and to feel a part of something larger than myself. So, too, can other labels. Members of a particular religion can find fellowship with each other. Street signs, social media pages, ______ searches can help anyone from evangelical Christians, Catholics, Baptists, Muslims to ______ like Rastafarianism, Zoroastrianism and Wicca find places of worship in new locations. Those that ______ to specific political parties or ideologies can more easily connect and find common ground. Places such as Reddit have communities for people that follow nearly every political system and ________ that has ever existed. Professions have their own labels. One that I earned in my life is Airman. I enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2004, and having that label has tied me to a group of individuals with many shared goals and common interests. I have been able to connect with currently serving service members and veterans, and we find support through those others People with shared cultures, shared histories can come together and celebrate that which makes them unique. Major cities host cultural days and weeks where all _______ of the local area can gather and enjoy music, food, clothing, dance, and other aspects of many different cultures. ______, at their worst, can drive divisions between us when they ______ an ‘us versus them’ mentality, when they turn into a categorization of people like me are good, but people not like me are the _____. Labels lead to negative, such as harassment and ______________. They separate us and lead us to live lives that are _____ of the good, that different perspectives spring, But at their best, labels describe those things that connect us to one another. When we work as a team, when we adopt the label teammate, we are capable of accomplishing things greater than we can when we're alone. My own transgender label has connected me to a community that has accepted me, given me mentorship, and helped me to ___________ who I am. Being an Asian-American, and more specifically a Korean-American, ties me to a deep and rich culture that ________ my own ____________, and allows me to teach my own ________ about their roots. Labels allow us to bind together in groups and ___________ that allow us to grow and become more knowledgeable about our _________, our ________, and how to develop __________ on how to be more successful. Labels are not all good or bad. Like any tool, they can be used to _____ and ______ _________ things, highlighting what I consider to be one of the greatest things that ________ has developed: community ties. But, _______, they’re also capable of _______ a _____ deal of destruction. If we, as individuals, choose to use labels responsibly, we can _______ greater things together than we ever could on our own.

Solution

bigotry
multiple
perspectives
mentors
friends
people
terms
google
personal
addressing
benefit
language
children
religion
broadens
strategies
cultures
escape
adhere
solution
legislative
histories
ideologies
enemy
crimes
faiths
wonderful
causing
foster
struggled
representation
indicating
describing
democrats
tests
empty
build
create
partisan
experienced
achieve
misinformation
inspiration
trading
dangerous
acknowledge
simple
misused
great
murder
community
parts
translator
ideology
marginalization
humanity
members
label
labels
greater
georgia
sexual
communities
footballer
computers
discrimination

Original Text

Mia Tran, Translator

Carol Wang, Reviewer

Male, Female. Christian, Jew, Muslim, Atheist. White, Black, Asian, Caucasian, Arab. Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian, Progressive. Cisgender, Transgender, Heterosexual, Homosexual, Queer, Non-binary, Agender. All of these are labels, some of which I have, and some of that you yourselves may have. But what exactly are labels? Merriam-Webster defines the label as a descriptive or identifying word or phrase. Since the dawn of human language, we have come up with terms to categorize ourselves and each other, from simple things such as ‘us’ and ‘them’, ‘family’, ‘tribe member’, ‘citizen’, ‘foreigner’ and ‘enemy’ to more complex labels describing political ideologies, religion, or even personal interests. ‘Geek’, ‘jock’, ‘soccer mom’ and ‘workaholic’ are in widespread use. Some labels that I use include ‘female’, ‘Asian-American’, ‘parent’, ‘daughter’, ‘sister’, ’transgender’, ‘pansexual’, ‘nerd’, and ‘airman’. Labels have a greater power than what a simple definition can describe. Looking at today’s world, labels have increasingly led to more division, marginalization, hatred. According to the FBI, hate crimes are at the highest level they’ve been in 10 years. People have been attacked for being Asian. Victims of misinformation spread during the rise of COVID-19, or used as a scapegoat for a young man’s inability to control his sexual urges in Georgia this past March. When I was six years old, I attended kindergarten, I was first exposed to a variety of racial slurs and bullying due to my mixed Asian-American ancestry. As I discovered computers and I did well on math tests. I was harassed because of stereotypes. To this day, I struggled to escape those that want to use this label for harm, simply because I was born with it. Others, like Jews, have been attacked for their religion. Anti-Semitism has existed for thousands of years, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the expulsion of Jews, from multiple nations in the Middle Ages to more recently, the Holocaust - Nazi Germany's final solution. The Pew Research Center has studies indicating a growing partisan divide in politics. The number of Democrats and Republicans willing to compromise and work together is at its lowest in modern history. The LGBTQ+ community has faced legislative attacks around the globe from so-called “LGBT-free zones” in Poland to over 80 anti-transgender bills introduced here in the United States. Those that are part of this community have been particularly vulnerable. Transgender military members such as myself have experienced the back and forth in policies - traded off like we’re a footballer trading card, and not human beings that want to serve our country. And, as we saw last year, despite the gains in legislative equality stemming from the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we all have a long way to go in addressing systemic racism and centuries of inequities in the United States. From integral parts of identity such as our gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, to those groups that we choose to be a part of, such as political parties, political alignment or religion, peace labels, these groupings have divided us to an alarming degree. Labels can separate us. They can help foster an ‘us versus them’ mentality, leading to unhealthy competition. They can lead to harassment, discrimination, bigotry, assault, and even murder. Labels used incorrectly can be dangerous. And yet, our labels are entirely without benefit. When I was seven years old, I discovered that my gender identity didn’t match what I was assigned at birth. While my birth certificate said Male, every part of my being said that this was wrong, that I was actually a girl. But when I made this realization all the way back in 1989, I had no idea what this feeling meant for me. I was confused. I was scared. I thought something was horribly wrong with me. I had no internet to search for clues. There was no representation in the media that I could turn to for inspiration and guidance. I was alone. I struggled with these feelings for almost 20 years before I found the word ‘transgender’. Suddenly, what I was and who I was became clear for the first time in my life. In addition to that, I discovered that I was part of a community: the LGBTQ+ Community. I found mentors, friends, and people that I now consider to be family. I can go to any major city, and in many of the smaller ones, and with a quick search on the internet, I can find community centers and social places that are focused on making my community safe and welcome. This label, one that has become so controversial in our country, became a way for me to accept who I am and to feel a part of something larger than myself. So, too, can other labels. Members of a particular religion can find fellowship with each other. Street signs, social media pages, google searches can help anyone from evangelical Christians, Catholics, Baptists, Muslims to faiths like Rastafarianism, Zoroastrianism and Wicca find places of worship in new locations. Those that adhere to specific political parties or ideologies can more easily connect and find common ground. Places such as Reddit have communities for people that follow nearly every political system and ideology that has ever existed. Professions have their own labels. One that I earned in my life is Airman. I enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2004, and having that label has tied me to a group of individuals with many shared goals and common interests. I have been able to connect with currently serving service members and veterans, and we find support through those others People with shared cultures, shared histories can come together and celebrate that which makes them unique. Major cities host cultural days and weeks where all members of the local area can gather and enjoy music, food, clothing, dance, and other aspects of many different cultures. Labels, at their worst, can drive divisions between us when they foster an ‘us versus them’ mentality, when they turn into a categorization of people like me are good, but people not like me are the enemy. Labels lead to negative, such as harassment and discrimination. They separate us and lead us to live lives that are empty of the good, that different perspectives spring, But at their best, labels describe those things that connect us to one another. When we work as a team, when we adopt the label teammate, we are capable of accomplishing things greater than we can when we're alone. My own transgender label has connected me to a community that has accepted me, given me mentorship, and helped me to acknowledge who I am. Being an Asian-American, and more specifically a Korean-American, ties me to a deep and rich culture that broadens my own perspectives, and allows me to teach my own children about their roots. Labels allow us to bind together in groups and communities that allow us to grow and become more knowledgeable about our histories, our cultures, and how to develop strategies on how to be more successful. Labels are not all good or bad. Like any tool, they can be used to build and create wonderful things, highlighting what I consider to be one of the greatest things that humanity has developed: community ties. But, misused, they’re also capable of causing a great deal of destruction. If we, as individuals, choose to use labels responsibly, we can achieve greater things together than we ever could on our own.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
united states	3

Important Words

abolishing
accept
accepted
accomplishing
achieve
acknowledge
act
addition
addressing
adhere
adopt
agender
ages
air
airman
alarming
alignment
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ancient
arab
area
asian
aspects
assault
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atheist
attacked
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attended
bad
baptists
beings
benefit
bigotry
bills
bind
birth
black
born
broadens
build
bullying
capable
card
carol
categorization
categorize
catholics
caucasian
causing
celebrate
center
centers
centuries
certificate
children
choose
christian
christians
cisgender
cities
city
civil
clear
clothing
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common
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compromise
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create
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cultural
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dawn
day
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degree
democrats
describe
describing
descriptive
destruction
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drive
due
earned
easily
empty
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enjoy
enlisted
equality
escape
ethnicity
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experienced
exposed
expulsion
faced
faiths
family
fbi
feel
feeling
feelings
fellowship
female
final
find
focused
follow
food
footballer
force
foster
friends
gains
gather
gender
georgia
girl
globe
goals
good
google
great
greater
greatest
greeks
ground
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groups
grow
growing
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harassed
harassment
harm
hate
hatred
helped
heterosexual
highest
highlighting
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holocaust
homosexual
horribly
host
human
humanity
idea
identifying
identity
ideologies
ideology
inability
include
incorrectly
increasingly
indicating
individuals
inequities
inspiration
integral
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internet
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jew
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kindergarten
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leading
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level
liberal
libertarian
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members
mentality
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mia
middle
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misinformation
misused
mixed
modern
multiple
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nazi
negative
number
orientation
pages
part
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peace
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personal
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pew
phrase
places
poland
policies
political
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power
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queer
quick
race
racial
racism
rastafarianism
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reddit
religion
representation
republicans
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responsibly
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rich
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thought
thousands
tied
ties
time
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traded
trading
tran
transgender
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turn
unhealthy
unique
united
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victims
vulnerable
wang
weeks
white
wicca
widespread
wonderful
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work
world
worship
worst
wrong
year
years
young
zoroastrianism