Modern Warrior: Damien Mander at TEDxSydney
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0:13 - 0:16My story begins in Zimbabwe
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0:16 - 0:19with a brave park ranger named Orpheus
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0:19 - 0:21and an injured buffalo.
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0:22 - 0:26And Orpheus looked at the buffalo on the ground,
and he looked at me, -
0:26 - 0:31and as our eyes met, there was an unspoken grief
between the three of us. -
0:31 - 0:35She was a beautifully wild and innocent creature,
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0:35 - 0:41and Orpheus lifted the muzzle of his rifle to her ear.
(Gunshot) -
0:42 - 0:46And at that moment, she started to give birth.
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0:46 - 0:51As life slipped from the premature calf,
we examined the injuries. -
0:51 - 0:55Her back leg had been caught
in an eight-strand wire snare. -
0:55 - 0:58She'd fought for freedom
[for] so hard and so long -
0:58 - 1:02that she'd ripped her pelvis in half.
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1:02 - 1:05She was finally free.
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1:05 - 1:09Ladies and gentlemen, today I feel
a great sense of responsibility -
1:09 - 1:13in speaking to you
on behalf of those that never could. -
1:14 - 1:18Their suffering is my grief,
is my motivation. -
1:20 - 1:25Martin Luther King best summarises
my call to arms here today. -
1:25 - 1:29He said, "There comes a time
when one must take a position that's neither safe, -
1:29 - 1:32nor political, nor popular.
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1:32 - 1:37But he must take that position
because his conscience tells him that it's right." -
1:38 - 1:42Because his conscience tells him it is right.
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1:43 - 1:46At the end of this talk
I'm gonna ask you all a question. -
1:46 - 1:50That question is the only reason I traveled here today
all the way from the African savanna. -
1:51 - 1:53That question for me has cleansed my soul.
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1:54 - 1:58How you answer that question
will always be yours. -
1:59 - 2:02I remember watching the movie
The Wizard of Oz as a young kid, -
2:02 - 2:06and I was never scared of the witch
or the flying monkeys. -
2:06 - 2:11My greatest fear was that I'd grow up like the Lion,
without courage. -
2:11 - 2:14And I grew up always asking myself
if I thought I'd be brave? -
2:15 - 2:19Well, years after Dorothy
had made her way back to Kansas, -
2:19 - 2:21and the Lion had found his courage,
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2:21 - 2:23I walked into a tattoo parlor
and had the words -
2:23 - 2:27'Seek and Destroy' tattooed across my chest.
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2:27 - 2:30And I thought that'd make me big and brave.
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2:30 - 2:33But it'd take me almost a decade
to grow into those words. -
2:33 - 2:37By the age of 20 I'd become
a clearance diver in the navy. -
2:37 - 2:40By 25, as a special operations sniper,
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2:40 - 2:44I knew exactly how many clicks of elevation
I needed on the scope of my rifle -
2:44 - 2:48to take a headshot on a moving target
from 700m away. -
2:48 - 2:51I knew exactly how many grams
of high explosives it takes -
2:51 - 2:54to blast through a steel plate door
from only a few meters away, -
2:54 - 2:57without blowing myself,
or my team, up behind me. -
2:57 - 3:02And I knew that Baghdad was a shitty place,
and when things go bang -
3:02 - 3:04or people die.
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3:04 - 3:07Now back then, I'd no idea
what a conservationist did, -
3:07 - 3:11other than hug trees and piss off large corporations.
(Laughter) -
3:11 - 3:16I knew they had dreadlocks.
I knew they smoked dope. (Laughter) -
3:16 - 3:19I didn't really give a shit about the environment,
and why should I? -
3:19 - 3:24I was the idiot that used to speed up in his car
just trying to hit birds on the road. -
3:24 - 3:27My life was a world away
from conservation. -
3:27 - 3:29I'd just spent nine years
doing things in real life -
3:29 - 3:33most people wouldn't dream
of trying on a Playstation. -
3:34 - 3:40Well, after 12 tours to Iraq as a so-called 'mercenary',
the skills I had were good for one thing: -
3:40 - 3:43I was programmed to destroy.
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3:44 - 3:49Looking back now, on everything I've done,
and the places I've been, -
3:49 - 3:53in my heart, I've only ever performed
one true act of bravery. -
3:54 - 3:57And that was a simple choice
of deciding 'Yes' or deciding 'No'. -
3:58 - 4:01But it was that one act
which defines me completely -
4:01 - 4:07and ensures there'll never be separation
between who I am, and what I do. -
4:07 - 4:09When I finally left Iraq behind me I was lost.
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4:09 - 4:12Yeah I felt – ahh – I just had no idea
where I was going in life -
4:12 - 4:16or where I was meant to be and I arrived in Africa
and the beginning of 2009. -
4:16 - 4:19I was aged 29 at the time.
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4:19 - 4:22Somehow, I always knew
I'd find a purpose amongst chaos, -
4:22 - 4:24and that's exactly what happened.
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4:24 - 4:29I'd no idea though, I'd find it in a remote part
of the Zimbabwe bush. -
4:29 - 4:32And we were patrolling along,
and the vultures circled in the air -
4:32 - 4:38and as we got closer the stench of death hung there,
in the air like a thick, dark veil, -
4:38 - 4:41and sucked the oxygen out of your lungs.
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4:41 - 4:45And as we got closer,
there was a great bull elephant, -
4:45 - 4:49resting on its side, with its face cut away.
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4:49 - 4:52And the world around me stopped.
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4:53 - 4:56I was consumed by a deep
and overwhelming sadness. -
4:56 - 5:00Seeing innocent creatures killed like this
hit me in a way like nothing before. -
5:00 - 5:04I'd actually poached as a teenager
and they're memories I'll take to the grave. -
5:04 - 5:09Time had changed me though;
something inside wasn't the same. -
5:09 - 5:13And it's never gonna be again.
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5:13 - 5:18I asked myself,
"Does that elephant need its face -
5:18 - 5:21more than some guy in Asia needs
a tusk on his desk?" -
5:21 - 5:25Well of course it bloody does,
that was irrelevant. -
5:25 - 5:27All that mattered there and then was:
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5:27 - 5:33Would I be brave enough to give up everything in my life
to try and stop the suffering of animals? -
5:33 - 5:35This was the one true defining
moment of my life: -
5:35 - 5:38Yes or no?
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5:38 - 5:42I contacted my family the next day
and began selling all my houses. -
5:42 - 5:46These are assets a well-advised mercenary
quickly acquires with the proceeds of war. -
5:46 - 5:52My life-savings have since been used to found
and grow the International Anti-Poaching Foundation. -
5:52 - 5:57The IAPF is a direct-action,
law enforcement organization. -
5:57 - 6:01From drone technology,
to an international qualification for rangers, -
6:01 - 6:04we're battling each and every day
to bring military solutions -
6:04 - 6:07to conservation's thin green line.
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6:08 - 6:11Now my story may be slightly unique,
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6:11 - 6:15but I'm not going to use it to talk to you today
about the organization I run -- -
6:15 - 6:18in what probably could have been
a pretty good fundraiser. -
6:18 - 6:24(Laughter and applause)
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6:26 - 6:32Remember, today is about the question
I'm gonna ask you at the end. -
6:32 - 6:36Because it's impossible for me to get up here
and talk about just saving wildlife -
6:36 - 6:42when I know the problem of animal welfare
is much broader throughout society. -
6:43 - 6:47A few years after I saw that elephant
I woke up very early one morning. -
6:47 - 6:50I already knew the answer to the question
I was about to ask myself, -
6:50 - 6:55but it was the first time I'd put it into words:
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6:55 - 7:01Does a cow value its life
more than I enjoy a barbecue? -
7:04 - 7:08See, I'd been guilty all this time
of what's termed 'speciesism'. -
7:08 - 7:12Speciesism is very much the same
as racism or sexism. -
7:12 - 7:17It involves the allocation of a different set of values,
rights or special considerations to individuals, -
7:17 - 7:21based solely on who or what they are.
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7:21 - 7:23The realisation of the flexible morality
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7:23 - 7:27I'd used to suit my everyday conveniences
made me sick in the stomach. -
7:27 - 7:32See, I'd loved blaming parts of Asia
for their insatiable demand for ivory and rhino horn, -
7:32 - 7:35and the way the region's booming economic growth
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7:35 - 7:39is dramatically increasing the illegal wildlife trade.
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7:39 - 7:41When I woke up that morning though I realised,
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7:41 - 7:45even though I'd dedicated my life
to saving animals, -
7:45 - 7:47in my mind I was no better than a poacher,
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7:47 - 7:50or the guy in Asia with a tusk on his desk.
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7:51 - 7:59As this 'over-consumptive meat-eater'
I'd referred to some animals as 'beasts'. -
7:59 - 8:04When in reality I'd been the beast:
destructively obedient, -
8:04 - 8:09a slave to my habits,
a cold shoulder to my conscience. -
8:10 - 8:13We've all had contact with pets
or other animals in our lives. -
8:13 - 8:17We can't deny our understanding
of the feelings that each animal has. -
8:17 - 8:19The ability to suffer pain or loneliness.
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8:19 - 8:21And to fear.
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8:22 - 8:26Like us also, each animal has the ability
to express contentment, -
8:26 - 8:31to build family structures, and want
of satisfying basic instincts and desires. -
8:31 - 8:34For many of us though,
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8:34 - 8:36that's as far as we allow our imagination to explore
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8:36 - 8:40before the truth inconveniences our habits.
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8:41 - 8:43The disconnect that exists
between consuming a product -
8:43 - 8:47and the reality it takes to bring that product
to market is a phenomenon to itself. -
8:47 - 8:50Animals are treated like commodities
and referred to as property. -
8:50 - 8:55We call it 'murder' to kill a human being
yet create legal and illegal industries -
8:55 - 8:58out of what would be regarded as torture
if humans were involved. -
8:58 - 9:04And we pay people to do things to animals
that none of us would engage in personally. -
9:04 - 9:09Just because we don't see it up close
does not mean we're not responsible. -
9:09 - 9:13Peter Singer, the man who popularised
the term 'speciesism' wrote, -
9:13 - 9:17"Although there may be differences
between animals and humans -
9:17 - 9:20they each share the ability to suffer.
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9:20 - 9:25And we must give equal consideration
to that suffering. -
9:25 - 9:29Any position that allows similar cases
to be treated in a dissimilar fashion -
9:29 - 9:33fails to qualify as an acceptable moral theory."
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9:34 - 9:40Around the world this year 65 billion animals
will be killed in factory farms. -
9:40 - 9:44How many animals' lives is one human's life worth?
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9:44 - 9:50A meat-eater in this room will consume,
on average, 8,000 animals in their lifetime. -
9:50 - 9:53Ocean pollution, global warming
and deforestation -
9:53 - 9:56are driving us towards
the next great mass-extinction -
9:56 - 10:01and the meat industry is the greatest negative factor
in all of these phenomena. -
10:02 - 10:06The illegal traffic in wildlife now ranks
as one of the largest criminal industries in the world -- -
10:06 - 10:09it's up there with drugs, guns
and human trafficking. -
10:09 - 10:11The ability to stop this devastation
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10:11 - 10:13lies in the willingness of an international community
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10:13 - 10:17to step in and preserve a dying global treasure.
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10:18 - 10:21Experimentation on animals –
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10:21 - 10:24If animals are so like us that we can substitute
using them instead of humans -
10:24 - 10:27then surely they have
the very same attributes -
10:27 - 10:31that mean they deserve
to be protected from harm? -
10:32 - 10:37Whether we're talking about factory farming,
live export, poaching, the fur trade, -
10:37 - 10:40logically, it's all on the same playing field to me.
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10:41 - 10:43Suffering is suffering,
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10:43 - 10:45and murder is murder.
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10:45 - 10:47And the more helpless the victim,
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10:47 - 10:49the more horrific the crime.
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10:50 - 10:54Next time you think
an animal lover is too emotional, -
10:54 - 10:57too passionate, or even a little crazy,
please remember -
10:57 - 11:01we see things through a different lens.
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11:02 - 11:05So in a few days, my son's gonna be born.
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11:06 - 11:10I find myself wondering,
"What kind of world is he entering?" -
11:10 - 11:14Are we gonna be the generation
that defines our failure as a species? -
11:15 - 11:17I believe our generation will be judged
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11:17 - 11:21by our moral courage to protect what's right.
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11:21 - 11:26And that every worthwhile action
requires a level of sacrifice. -
11:26 - 11:30Well, I now offer myself,
without reservation, to animals. -
11:30 - 11:35And when I strip away
all the material belongings around me, -
11:35 - 11:37I see that I too, am an animal.
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11:38 - 11:43We're family.
Together on one planet. -
11:43 - 11:45And of the five million species on that planet,
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11:45 - 11:49only one has the power to determine
what level of suffering is acceptable -
11:49 - 11:52for all other sentient beings to endure.
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11:53 - 11:55Whether it's eating less meat,
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11:55 - 11:59contributing to the fight against poaching
or speaking up for the voiceless, -
11:59 - 12:00we all have choices.
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12:00 - 12:06And small changes in our lives
mean big changes in others' [lives]. -
12:06 - 12:08So now back to the beginning.
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12:08 - 12:12My reason for being here is my question for you:
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12:12 - 12:16next time you have an opportunity
to make a difference for animals, -
12:16 - 12:18will you be brave enough?
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12:18 - 12:20Yes or no?
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12:20 - 12:22Thank you very much.
- Title:
- Modern Warrior: Damien Mander at TEDxSydney
- Description:
-
Thirty-three year old Damien Mander served as a special operations sniper and clearance diver for Australia. Whilst deployed in Iraq he project managed the Iraq Special Police Training Academy, overseeing training of up to 700 cadets at one time. Following three years on the frontline of the Iraq war he departed in 2008 with no new direction in life. A trip to Africa left him face-to-face with the horrors that the world's wildlife is dealing with. Liquidating all personal assets acquired from 12 tours of duty, he founded the International Anti-Poaching Foundation. The organisation focuses on ranger training, operations and integrating modern technology into conservation.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 12:34
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for Modern Warrior: Damien Mander at TEDxSydney | ||
Helene Batt edited English subtitles for Modern Warrior: Damien Mander at TEDxSydney | ||
Helene Batt edited English subtitles for Modern Warrior: Damien Mander at TEDxSydney | ||
Jane Roffe approved English subtitles for Modern Warrior: Damien Mander at TEDxSydney | ||
Jane Roffe edited English subtitles for Modern Warrior: Damien Mander at TEDxSydney | ||
Jane Roffe edited English subtitles for Modern Warrior: Damien Mander at TEDxSydney | ||
Daniel Barreto commented on English subtitles for Modern Warrior: Damien Mander at TEDxSydney | ||
Sallyanne Craig commented on English subtitles for Modern Warrior: Damien Mander at TEDxSydney |
Sallyanne Craig
Dear Tatjana and Dear Approver,
I wasn't able to access this revision yesterday before it was sent for approval so my apologies about sending four small but VERY important corrections (and one not important one!).
1.02 Please reinstate 'Well' at the beginning of the sentence: Well she was finally free. This idiomatic use of the word forms an important link between the buffalo's terrible history, and what had to happen to set her free. It is a very resonant word for those for whom English is the first language.
1.26 There was a note attached to the transcript regarding this - I'm not sure what happened to it. Please reinstate 'politic' for political'. It is common, especially in Australia, to mistakenly use 'political' (pertaining to government) when actually 'politic' is meant (seemingly judicious or sensible under the circumstances). This is a direct quote from Martin Luther King and also very important to the meaning when it comes up for other translations. Ivana Korom, Jane Roffe and Damien Mander have all given prior approval to make this change.
3.03 Please reinstate 'well, people die.' Here, this idiomatic use of the word 'well' is the equivalent of a shoulder-shrug or throwing one's hands up in despair because nothing one does can change the outcome... Damien says 'well' although Tatjana you may have heard it as 'or'.
12.01Please reinstate "And' at the beginning of the sentence ie 'And small changes in our lives...' Again this is an important linking use of the word - what has gone before (your choices) will directly and profoundly change the future (the lives of others).
Only one other very minor change. I'd put playstation in lower case as it now in common use as the generic name for any kind of gaming console. I've no objection to using the brand name if you prefer, but it appears as PlayStation.
My thanks and best wishes to both of you. Please know I'd not trouble you if I did not believe these corrections vital to the talk.
Warmest, Sallyanne
Daniel Barreto
Hi everyone. I’m trying to find out how things work here. My intention is to prepare the Portuguese-Brazilian Subtitles. I just downloaded de English ones and I’m working on it. Do I need to register in any specific area here? Tks!