Parenting: Talk To Strangers
“The sad thing is,” says Kio Stark, “that in many parts of the world we are raised to believe that strangers are dangerous by DEfault, we can’t trust them, they might hurt us. But most strangers aren’t dangerous, we’re uneasy around them… we don’t know what their intentions are. So, instead of using our perceptions and making choices, we rely on this category of ‘STRANGER.'”
“I know that not every person on the street has the best intentions. It is good to be friendly and it’s good to learn when not to be; but, none of that means we have to be afraid.” And, in the long run WE LOOSE.
In this delightful talk about talking to strangers, Stark explores the overlooked benefits of pushing past our default discomfort when it comes to strangers and embracing those fleeting but profoundly beautiful moments of genuine connection. [Additional communication video]
Talk To Strangers
Most aren’t dangerous and if we don’t, we lose
Kio Stark has always talked to strangers. She started documenting her experiences when she realized that not everyone shares this predilection. She’s done extensive research into the emotional and political dimensions of stranger interactions and the complex dynamics how people relate to each other in public places.
She authored the TED Book When Strangers Meet, in which she argues for the pleasures and transformative possibilities of talking to people you don’t know.
Her novel Follow Me Down began as a series of true vignettes about strangers placed in the fictional context of a woman unraveling the eerie history of a lost letter misdelivered to her door. Additionally, she wrote Don’t Go Back to School, a handbook for independent learners.
She writes, teaches and speaks around the world about stranger interactions, independent learning and how people relate to technology. She also consults for startups and large companies helping them think about stranger interactions among their users and audiences.