BROADCASTS.com

b'

There was a time when Peter McIndoe might see you on the street and ask: have you ever seen a baby pigeon? If you said no, he\\u2019d probably grin and say, of course you haven\\u2019t, because birds are actually spy drones created by the US government \\u2013 and they emerge \\u201cfully adult\\u201d from \\u201cthe factory.\\u201d Peter McIndoe peddled a crazy idea \\u2013 that all birds are drones created and monitored by the U.S. government. As ridiculous (and hilarious) as this sounds, Peter\\u2019s conspiracy theory that \\u201cBirds Aren\\u2019t Real\\u201d gained a huge following. In this episode, Peter discusses why he\\u2019s used the framework of a conspiracy theory to explore the "us-versus-them" mentality that is so pervasive in us humans. He also shares what he witnessed as he took his performance across the globe, and why he finds it more important than ever that we talk to each other with empathy even in the most absurd situations. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts