Hey guys!
The first subject I want to bring up is of single stories and different experiences that I have had; whether on the receiving end or the one actually making an assumption. Everyone is naive about some subject, where we realize this or not. This summer, I was required to watch a Ted Talk with Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie who talks about the dangers of a "single story" (http://ed.ted.com/on/oQQimtYK) and actually found it quite interesting and enjoyable. Now what is a single story? A single story is a one-sided way of looking at the world; a single thought or idea which decides all of a subject in a person's head. When I was younger, I hear stories about "the poor boys and girls" without very good schooling. Now although this is true in some countries of Africa, I now know it certainly doesn't include all of them. There are plenty of well educated western parts of Africa as well.
The first subject I want to bring up is of single stories and different experiences that I have had; whether on the receiving end or the one actually making an assumption. Everyone is naive about some subject, where we realize this or not. This summer, I was required to watch a Ted Talk with Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie who talks about the dangers of a "single story" (http://ed.ted.com/on/oQQimtYK) and actually found it quite interesting and enjoyable. Now what is a single story? A single story is a one-sided way of looking at the world; a single thought or idea which decides all of a subject in a person's head. When I was younger, I hear stories about "the poor boys and girls" without very good schooling. Now although this is true in some countries of Africa, I now know it certainly doesn't include all of them. There are plenty of well educated western parts of Africa as well.
I have also been on the receiving end of the single story. In the past, I have hidden my race and said I was Native American and Spanish, but not specifically said "Mexican". I have found myself doing this because I hate the stereotypes which come with this title. No, I don't speak spanish. No, I don't eat beans for dinner every night. No, I don't celebrate Cinco de Mayo. These little stereotypes (or single stories) frustrate me quite a bit at times. I have to take a step back and remember that people don't say this to offend me, they do it out of their own naivety. As Adichie says,
"The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”.
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