I traffic in empathy. I try to be vulnerable with people so they can be vulnerable back. I've always been searching for empathy in other people. It's when I feel most not alone.
Jose Antonio VargasRead
Technology and the Internet are not just changing politics here in the U.S. It's also happening abroad. In the Philippines, where I grew up, grassroots organizers used text messaging to help overthrow a president.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Technology facilitates political change through grassroots movements.
In this quote, Jose Antonio Vargas highlights the transformative power of technology and the Internet in shaping political landscapes, both in the U.S. and globally. He emphasizes how grassroots organizers in his home country, the Philippines, leveraged text messaging as a tool for mobilization and activism, ultimately aiding in the downfall of a president, thereby illustrating the significant impact of modern communication methods on democratic processes.
Themes
TechnologyInternetPoliticsGrassrootsActivismCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech at a technology conference, one might use this quote to illustrate the role of technology in social movements.
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Kathy Dewar, my high-school English teacher, introduced me to journalism. From the moment I wrote my first article for the student paper, I convinced myself that having my name in print - writing in English, interviewing Americans - validated my presence here.
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I'm more than willing to go to places and talk to people who believe that I am an illegal alien who deserves to be jailed. I want to look them in the eye and say, 'What makes you think I'm any different from you?' I think for our generation, immigration rights is a civil rights issue.
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I'm a gay, undocumented immigrant; I have to be optimistic.
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There were many factors as to why I decided to come out as being undocumented. One of them is because I look the way that I look; I don't look like the 'stereotypical undocumented' person.
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