The Power to Handle Power | Lisa Asiimwe | TEDxAga Khan HS Kampala Youth
Lisa Asiimwe argues that the problem with power isn't power itself, but the motives behind how it's wielded. She illustrates how movements like feminism and anti-corruption campaigns have been misused by those who gain power, and proposes personal and social accountability as key principles for handling power responsibly.
Summary
In this TEDx talk, Lisa Asiimwe examines how people handle power through social movements and leadership. She begins by discussing how feminism, as a movement, successfully elevated women's rights and opportunities historically. However, she identifies a troubling trend where some feminists misuse this platform by promoting misandry—despising men and even advocating for gender-based abortion. She emphasizes that the issue isn't feminism itself, but the misuse of the platform it provides.
Asiimwe then shifts to examining leadership and corruption. She notes that anti-corruption campaigns dominate political discourse worldwide, yet leaders elected on anti-corruption platforms often become corrupt themselves once in power. She references a leader (Silva) who prominently campaigned against corruption but then engaged in the very practices he condemned—embezzlement, nepotistic appointments, and personal gain.
The speaker surveyed her classmates about what they would do with presidential power. While one student proposed planting trees (a positive motive), most others described various corrupt practices like building mansions and exploiting government resources. She highlights a concerning quote from one respondent: "Being corrupt isn't really being corrupt if no one catches you being corrupt."
Asiimwe concludes that the real issue is motive, not power itself. She proposes accountability as a solution, broken into two components: personal accountability (self-evaluation and adherence to principles) and social accountability (visibility and reputation in the community). She leaves the audience with a choice: be a burden and liar, or be a leader building the future with true motives. The power to handle power, she argues, lies in the hands of individuals.
Key Insights
- Asiimwe argues that platforms given to movements like feminism are being misused—the same undermining motive that men used against women is being brought back to life by women who now have power and the opportunity to weaponize it.
- The speaker claims that power itself isn't the issue; rather, motive is the critical factor. Power simply exposes true motives through increased visibility and exposure, making hidden intentions harder to conceal the higher one rises.
- Asiimwe found that most youth surveyed expressed desires to become corrupt when given power, demonstrating that personal gain is the dominant motive in the current generation of potential leaders.
- The speaker references Princeton research showing that people with temporary or permanent power are likely to prioritize personal gain, and notes this tendency is particularly pronounced in today's generation.
- Asiimwe proposes a two-part accountability framework: personal accountability (self-evaluation of choices and principles) and social accountability (reputation and visibility to the community), as the solution to handling power responsibly.
Topics
Transcript
[0:02] You could describe everything with one single word. You know, everything's gnarly. But we are the new girl group Kai and this is not one of their concerts. Today we are at TEDex and we're talking about the power to handle power. People handle power in many different ways. The most unique way people fight for power. People claim their rights and [0:33] raise their voices against injustices. They do this in many different ways. How? Through movements, [snorts] social movements where they join hands, come together fighting against one uniform goal for one thing. Save freedom from injustices. Like civil rights movement, black lives matter. But let me talk something small about feminism. Feminism, the movement that brought…
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