The one thing I find more distasteful than TED is are smug commentaries writing about how distasteful TED is. It reminds me of of jazz musicians criticizing "watered down jazz-pop".

> "What I ask myself when confronted with any TED talk is this: why do they all sound the same?"

Well, why do criticisms of "mainstream, middlebrow" works all sound the same?

I personally have found TED talks to be useful introductions and primers to all sorts of subject matter that I might not have otherwise engaged with. That's something I can appreciate. I've learned things and had my interest piqued in many others, which is more than I can say from reading the original post.

The idea that TED should be ignored to death, and that only the unwashed masses watch it– it's cringe-inducingly elitist and holier-than-thou. God forbid people make an attempt to learn something, and to share their learnings with others, if they don't do it according to the hallowed principles of the Harvard elite.

Anyway, these rants are not going to have much of an effect. People are going to continue consuming TED, just as people are going to listen to jazz-pop.

And you know, just as some people end up inspired by jazz-pop to pick up an instrument and dive into the deep end, some kid who watches a TED talk is going to go on to have an illustrious career in some field.

Way better than anything you can say for a grumpy old fart who sits around criticizing other people.