I guess the first point that I want to make is that I really think that the focus of this TED talk is really more fitting as a commentary on the state of society rather than an analysis of tragedy. Sure, the analysis does go into tragedy a little bit, but I don't think that the analysis of tragedy is the point of the talk. Regardless, though, I really liked this TED talk, because it introduces a new way of thinking about why we put so much stock in our success, especially compared to how the societies before us lived. I think de Botton illustrates the reason quite well, and it does a good job of showing how that leads to people being unhappier when things don't go their way. The idea that the a person's future is 100% dependent on how good they are is constantly drilled into us, when in reality, there are a lot of factors that may be beyond their control. This emphasis of "it's your fault when you lose" can cause people to feel really crap about themselves, and it can lead to other people really judging them for their situation. That's where the talk derives its message of bringing along a kinder way of viewing success.
The link to tragedy is the idea that, in a tragedy, we are less judgmental about a person's shortcomings. The TED talk uses the point quite nicely, but I don't think that it provides a great analysis of what tragedy means. I mean, the purpose of the TED talk wasn't to analyze tragedy, so it's fine. But yeah, nice TED talk, but not in the "analysis in tragedy" aspect.
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