Reviewing Speech - TED Talks (2014)

“I Got 99 Problems... Palsy Is Just One”

Maysoon Zayid at TEDWomen | published on January 4th 2014

“I have cerebral palsy and I'm shaking all the time,” said Maysoon Zayid at the start of her speech and was recorded at TED Women in San Francisco California in December 2013. She is an actress, stand-up comic, philanthropist and advocate for the disabled. Instead of standing and walking around the stage to deliver her speech, Zayid only sat in a chair for the whole time. However, it doesn’t matter, because it can be seen from the audience who was interested in her speech and understood what she was going to convey. First, she had a little explanation about cerebral palsy. As a woman with palsy, she said that CP is not genetic. “It's not a birth defect. You can't catch it.” (00:56). Then, she even warned the audience that she is not inspirational and didn’t want them to feel bad for her. In her speech, she used many jokes about her life which struggles with cerebral palsy. She was not ashamed to share her experiences and instead, made people laugh because of it.

Zayid delivered the speech, or even the jokes, very well. She integrated the elements of rhetoric. She built logos (logical argument) by saying “... because at some point in your life, you have dreamt of being disabled.” (01:25), asking the audience to imagine that they are looking for a parking space on Christmas Eve and they just see “... sixteen empty handicapped spaces.” (01:41). “... and you're like, "God, can't I just be a little disabled?" (01:46). These statements have shown us that some people feel regret and less grateful about their life. They sometimes feel jealous when people with disabilities are given easy and priority access to use public facilities. In the speech, Zayid said that she got 99 problems and CP is just one of them. “I'm Palestinian, Muslim, I'm female, I'm disabled, and I live in New Jersey.” (02:06). Remember, she joked all the time, but from this statement she also indicated that being like her in today's society is quite concerning. There are still some complicated problems regarding situations like her, for example bullying and getting bad treatments. In addition, she told the audience that people with disabilities are the most underrepresented in entertainment. “and it became clear to me, that casting directors didn't hire fluffy, ethnic, disabled actors.” (08:03). We realize this matter, where an entertainer must be perfect and not have the slightest flaws. Through those statements, Zayid evokes the audience’s emotions by using pathos, or can be said as the pathetic appeal. In the next, she used another rhetorical element which is ethos. “My father's mantra was, "You can do it, yes you can can."” (02:40). She said that most people with CP can’t walk, but she can. By father's motivation and her passion, she gets anything she wants even though she is different. She can dance and wear high heels like any other woman. Moreover, Zaid also succeeded in reaching her dreams. She got to walk the red carpet flanked by soap diva Susan Lucci and Loreen Arbus, act in a movie with Adam Sandler, and founded Maysoon's Kids, a charity devoted to Palestinian refugee children. “But the one moment that stands out the most, was when I got to perform for the man who has Parkinson's and shakes just like me, Muhammad Ali.” (13:20). She closed the speech proudly and said it was dedicated to her late father.

Zayid carries a campaign that disability is as visual as race. She believes all people are the same. “If a wheelchair user can't play Beyoncé, then Beyoncé can't play a wheelchair user.” (11:36). She knows that people worldwide still have different perspectives about the disability. Other than that, she also gives motivation to those who feel inadequate. “The doctors said that I wouldn't walk, but I am here in front of you.” (11:59). Therefore, she continues to convince people that if she can, so we can.

In delivering her speech, even though she could not stand up, she still used her expressions and body language to convince the audience. People who watched and listened to her must have realized how enthusiastic she was in delivering the speech. It was shown when she used proper intonation and volume during the speech. She knew exactly when she had to pause her speech. No different from others, she also used the presentation facility to display her photograph of achievements in support of her speech. Zayid used words that are easy to understand, so there are no points missed and all of the audience got the atmosphere also bringing the understanding. 

References:

TED. (2014, January 4). I got 99 problems... palsy is just one | Maysoon Zayid [Video]. YouTube.