Dancing To Connect To a Global Tribe

Interview with Matt Harding – NPR Aired on MARCH 29, 20097:00 AM ET

I believe globalization is forcing our brains to evolve. I've had the privilege to see a lot more of the world than anyone my age could reasonably hope to. A few years ago, on a backpacking trip, I made a video of myself dancing terribly in exotic locations. I put it on my Web site. Some friends started passing it around, and soon millions of people had watched it.

I was offered sponsorship to continue my accidental vocation, and since then I've made two more videos that include 70 countries on all seven continents. A lot of people wanted to dance along with me, so I started inviting them to join in everywhere I went, from Toronto to Tokyo to Timbuktu.

Here's what I can report back, people want to feel connected to each other. They want to be heard and seen, and they're curious to hear and see others from places far away. I share that impulse. It's part of what drives me to travel. But it's constantly at odds with another impulse, which is to reduce and contain my exposure to a world that's way too big for me to comprehend.

My brain was designed to inhabit a fairly small social network of maybe a few dozen other primates - a tribe. Beyond that size, I start to get overwhelmed. And yet here I am in a world of over six billion people, all of whom are now inextricably linked together.

I don't need to travel to influence lives on the other side of the globe. All I have to do is buy a cup of coffee or a tank of gas. My tribe has grown into a single impossibly vast social network, whether I like it or not. The problem, I believe, isn't that the world has changed, it's that my primitive caveman brain hasn't.

I am fantastic at seeing differences. Everybody is. I can quickly pick out those who look or behave differently, and unless I actively override the tendency, I will perceive them as a threat. That instinct may have once been useful for my tribe, but when I travel, it's a liability. When I dance with people, I see them smile and laugh and act ridiculous. It makes those differences seem smaller. The world seems simpler, and my caveman brain finds that comforting.

I believe my children will have brains ever so slightly better suited to the vast complexity that surrounds us. They'll be more curious, more eager to absorb and to connect. And I believe when they look into the eyes of strangers, what they'll see before the differences are the things that are the same.

  1. As it is used in the passage, what does the author mean by globalization? People in the world are…
  1. becoming more alike genetically.
  2. becoming more tolerant due to educational opportunities.
  3. increasingly isolated due to economic restraints.
  4. increasingly interacting through travel and technology.
  1. From whose point of view is the passage told?
  1. First person
  2. Second person
  3. Third person limited
  4. Third person objective
  5. Third person omniscient
  1. What evidence supports the author’scredibility?
  1. It's part of what drives me to travel.
  2. I believe my children will have brains ever so slightly better suited to the vast complexity that surrounds us.
  3. I was offered sponsorship to continue my accidental vocation, and since then I've made two more videos that include 70 countries on all seven continents.
  4. I can quickly pick out those who look or behave differently, and unless I actively override the tendency, I will perceive them as a threat.
  1. Which of the following statements best describes the main purpose of the first two paragraphs?
  1. To introduce the subject
  2. To explain the purpose of the argument.
  3. To establish the credibility of the author
  4. To persuade the audience that there is a problem
  1. Which of the following statements best articulates the claim of the passage?
  1. I believe globalization is forcing our brains to evolve.
  2. Here's what I can report back, people want to feel connected to each other.
  3. My brain was designed to inhabit a fairly small social network of maybe a few dozen other primates - a tribe.
  4. And I believe when they look into the eyes of strangers, what they'll see before the differences are the things that are the same.
  1. Based on the passage, what does Harding most nearly mean when he says, “My brain was designed to inhabit a fairly small social network of maybe a few dozen other primates - a tribe” in the fourth paragraph?
  1. Like most people, Harding usually has about thirty-six people with whom he is comfortable.
  2. Most people do not have the mental capability of remembering more than thirty-six people.
  3. Harding is different from most people, for he has a huge social network online.
  4. Harding thinks people should live in communal groups of thirty-six people.
  1. What evidence contains a solution to the problem identified in the fifth paragraph?
  1. I am fantastic at seeing differences.
  2. I can quickly pick out those who look or behave differently, and unless I actively override the tendency, I will perceive them as a threat.
  3. That instinct may have once been useful for my tribe, but when I travel, it's a liability.
  4. The world seems simpler, and my caveman brain finds that comforting.
  1. The passage most strongly suggests that people are afraid of differences because…
  1. they are taught as children to fear those who are different.
  2. it is instinctive for humans to do so.
  3. people do not often have the opportunity travel and encounter other cultures.
  4. the media promotes stereotyping.
  1. Which of the following quotations does not include an opinion?
  1. I was offered sponsorship to continue my accidental vocation, and since then I've made two more videos that include 70 countries on all seven continents.
  2. Here's what I can report back, people want to feel connected to each other.
  3. The problem, I believe, isn't that the world has changed, it's that my primitive caveman brain hasn't.
  4. I am fantastic at seeing differences. Everybody is.
  1. According to the passage, what is the best way for most people to make a difference? They can…
  1. donate to his web site.
  2. learn about different cultures.
  3. travel and interact positively with others.
  4. perform simple acts of kindness for others.

Open Response: Using the following frame statement, write an ABC paragraph analyzing the appeal(s) in the argument.

In "Dancing to Connect with a Global Tribe," Matt Harding utilizes (or other verb) ______appeal(s) to persuade his audience ______.

Answer Key

  1. As it is used in the passage, what does the author mean by globalization? People in the world are…
  1. becoming more alike genetically.
  2. becoming more tolerant due to educational opportunities.
  3. increasingly isolated due to economic restraints.
  4. increasingly interacting through travel and technology.
  1. From whose point of view is the passage told?
  1. First person
  2. Second person
  3. Third person limited
  4. Third person objective
  5. Third person omniscient
  1. What evidence supports the author’s credibility?
  1. It's part of what drives me to travel.
  2. I believe my children will have brains ever so slightly better suited to the vast complexity that surrounds us.
  3. I was offered sponsorship to continue my accidental vocation, and since then I've made two more videos that include 70 countries on all seven continents.
  4. I can quickly pick out those who look or behave differently, and unless I actively override the tendency, I will perceive them as a threat.
  1. Which of the following statements best describes the main purpose of the first two paragraphs?
  1. To introduce the subject
  2. To explain the purpose of the argument.
  3. To establish the credibility of the author
  4. To persuade the audience that there is a problem
  1. Which of the following statements best articulates the claim of the passage?
  1. I believe globalization is forcing our brains to evolve.
  2. Here's what I can report back, people want to feel connected to each other.
  3. My brain was designed to inhabit a fairly small social network of maybe a few dozen other primates - a tribe.
  4. And I believe when they look into the eyes of strangers, what they'll see before the differences are the things that are the same.
  1. Based on the passage, what does Harding most nearly mean when he says, “My brain was designed to inhabit a fairly small social network of maybe a few dozen other primates - a tribe” in the fourth paragraph?
  1. Like most people, Harding usually has about thirty-six people with whom he is comfortable.
  2. Most people do not have the mental capability of remembering more than thirty-six people.
  3. Harding is different from most people, for he has a huge social network online.
  4. Harding thinks people should live in communal groups of thirty-six people.
  1. What evidence contains a solution to the problem identified in the fifth paragraph?
  1. I am fantastic at seeing differences.
  2. I can quickly pick out those who look or behave differently, and unless I actively override the tendency, I will perceive them as a threat.
  3. That instinct may have once been useful for my tribe, but when I travel, it's a liability.
  4. The world seems simpler, and my caveman brain finds that comforting.
  1. The passage most strongly suggests that people are afraid of differences because…
  1. they are taught as children to fear those who are different.
  2. it is instinctive for humans to do so.
  3. people do not often have the opportunity travel and encounter other cultures.
  4. the media promotes stereotyping.
  1. Which of the following quotations does not include an opinion?
  1. I was offered sponsorship to continue my accidental vocation, and since then I've made two more videos that include 70 countries on all seven continents.
  2. Here's what I can report back, people want to feel connected to each other.
  3. The problem, I believe, isn't that the world has changed, it's that my primitive caveman brain hasn't.
  4. I am fantastic at seeing differences. Everybody is.
  1. According to the passage, what is the best way for most people to make a difference? They can…
  1. donate to his web site.
  2. learn about different cultures.
  3. travel and interact positively with others.
  4. perform simple acts of kindness for others.

Open Response: Using the following frame statement, write an ABC paragraph analyzing the appeal(s) in the argument.

In "Dancing to Connect with a Global Tribe," Matt Harding utilizes (or other verb) ______appeal(s) to persuade his audience ______.

Answers will vary. However, the student should identify at least one appeal and clearly articulate Harding’s claim in his or her own words. The teacher should utilize the ABC rubric to assess the student’s paragraph.

Created by Kimberley Tucker, Arab Junior High School