Simplexity. The Force and Beauty of Diverse Identities | Helena Westin | TEDxMarrakesh
Helena argues against the danger of "single-minded identities," asserting that focusing too narrowly on one aspect of self or group creates "cover-ups" that divert attention from deeper, more holistic truths. She posits that a mediocre, nuanced view—seeing the layers of an onion—is superior to a rigid, single-faceted identity, because true connection and understanding require embracing complexity. This idea is illustrated through her personal story of her grandmother, who knew her grandchild was gay years before the narrator did.
## Speakers & Context
- Helena: A "brand builder" who has worked on brands for many years.
- Current context: Giving a warning about the dangers of current ideology regarding identity.
- Background: Speaks from the perspective of a feminist, founder of Pride, and human rights activist.
## Theses & Positions
- Single-word identities are fundamentally dangerous "cover-ups" that lead to misunderstanding, exclusion, blame, and potentially conflict or war.
- The goal should not be success via a defined identity, but rather accepting "mediocre"—doing some good, making some money, and *not* being harmful.
- The solution is to understand identity in a "much broader sense," a "much deeper sense," or a "more holistic sense."
- People and groups are complex; they are "much larger than just one idea."
- Instead of rigid division (e.g., "red team" vs. "blue team"), focus on finding "the commonalities" that bind people together.
- The key is to "simplify the complex in smart ways, not dumb ways."
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Single-minded identity:** A narrowly focused definition of self or group identity; perceived as a "cover-up."
- **Medio-crire:** A state where organizations "are doing some money doing some good at best not being harmful."
- **Holistic sense:** A comprehensive understanding of identity, moving beyond single labels.
- **Simplexity:** A concept suggesting that profound truth can be both "super simple and deeply complex," like the air we breathe.
- **The "Onion":** A metaphor for identity, where the most important layers are often overlooked.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Identity Building/Branding:** The speaker has a professional background in constructing and managing brand identities for entities ranging from "diesel jeans" to "Helly Hansen."
- **The Warning Mechanism:** Single-minded identity leads to an internal narrative of exclusion, which when used politically (e.g., blaming "the Mexicans" or "immigrants"), diverts attention from "the real issues."
- **Emotional Vulnerability:** The inability to communicate complex truths often leads to people "divert[ing] and glid[ing] away," as demonstrated by the initial secrecy regarding the narrator's sexuality.
- **Bridging the Divide:** Identifying commonalities ("the things that bind us together") is presented as the active replacement for the conflict created by defining boundaries.
## Named Entities
- **Helena:** The speaker, a brand builder.
- **Diesel jeans, Helly Hansen, Bjorn Borg:** Examples of successful global brands Helena has worked with.
- **Forums ballets:** Example of a local failure.
- **Hans Rosling:** Scientist from Sweden known for statistically positive global outlook.
- **Ingvar Kamprad:** Founder of IKEA, noted for furnishing the world.
- **ABBA:** Musical example from Sweden.
- **Spotify:** Example of a company enabling widespread access.
- **Sweden:** Mentioned for its high global rankings (e.g., world value study) and advanced understanding of feminism.
- **The Finns:** Mentioned as a nation currently surpassing Sweden in certain metrics.
- **Trump, Viktor Orban, the British:** Cited as modern examples of powerful figures using blame tactics.
## Numbers & Data
- Helena's age bracket: **55-plus**.
- Year of an anecdote: **2007** (when small Italian city welcomed more refugees than Canada and the US in one year).
- Statistical measure: Sweden scoring high on **"non corruption"** and **"individuality and self-reliance."**
- Anecdotal timeframe: The narrator was in the lesbian closet for **more than ten years**.
## Examples & Cases
- **Professional Branding:** Building identities for global brands like diesel jeans.
- **Social/Political Division:** The "red team and the blue team" analogy used to illustrate immediate tribalism and finger-pointing.
- **Political Blame Games:** Instances where powerful men blame specific groups (e.g., Trump blaming Mexicans, Orban blaming immigrants, British blaming the EU).
- **Personal Story (The Revelation):** The narrator kept her own sexuality secret from her grandmother (born **1910**) out of fear, until her mother showed her positive newspaper clippings about homosexuality, revealing the grandmother already knew.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Single-minded identity vs. Holistic view:** Limiting oneself to one identity is traded for the ability to be multiple things simultaneously (e.g., Muslim, Arab Jew, business person, art lover, human rights activist).
- **Conflict vs. Connection:** The easy comfort of belonging to a group (finding "yes we're close and we're cool together") is traded for the difficult, careful work of vigilance against exclusion.
- **Complexity vs. Simplification:** Choosing to simplify the complex in "smart ways" rather than in "dumb ways."
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- The speaker's "idea worth spreading" is "screw the idea of single-minded identities."
- The three recommended actions are: 1) "embrace and identify humanity," 2) "see really see people to know that we are all connected," and 3) embrace "simplexity."
- The ultimate call is to practice mindful attention to one's own and others' identities to avoid falling into the trap of reductionism.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"single word identity... is really basically a cover-up"*
- *"being mediocre not being so successful that's not so terrible"*
- *"the single-minded identities are the cover-ups"*
- *"I come from the country of Spotify which actually allows us to have music everywhere"*
- *"we have lost that [the ability to laugh], and we are instead seeing a fierce battle of identity politics"*
- *"we need to do better we need to dig deeper we need to understand identity in a much broader sense a much deeper sense a much more holistic sense"*
- *"I have been for more than ten years in the lesbian closet"*
- *"my granny she knew her little tomboy right from the start"*
- *"behind every person there is always so much more"*
- *"screw the idea of single-minded identities"*
- *"embrace and identify humanity"*
- *"simplexity like the air we breathe invisible but necessary"*