- 18 Mar, 2021
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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “The Danger of a Single Story
Part I]
Watch Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story.” Here are some things you might want to write about (one to one and a half page):
https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story#t-1107137
1. What is a “single story” and why is it dangerous?
2. What are some common single stories in the U.S.? Where do they come from?
3. Do others have a single story about you? Or do you have single stories about others?
4. Discuss the relationship between power and the single story.
5. What are ways we can get other stories told?
[Part II]
Response your classmate’s comments. Word length approximately half a page to one page.
A single story is essentially a type of stereotype about a group of people which is the defining aspect used to identify someone, for example, the idea that all Nigerians are poor. This is extremely dangerous because it prevents the inclusion of a variety of experiences to be appreciated throughout humankind. It makes a people will be boiled down to a single thought instead of being appreciated for the variety and diversity within their culture and identity.
Today, I think some of the most prevalent single stories in the United States come from and evolve around government and politics. The first idea that comes to mind was suggested in Adichies‘s Ted talk. It is the story of immigrants. Clearly our country is in the midst of a major political battle to both define who immigrants are and how they should be treated based on an often repeated notion that they are dangerous to our culture. I recently traveled to Mexico for the first time this summer and as a consumer of the media I was biased, whether I knew it or not, by what is said over and over about the potential danger of immigration and the overarching goal to fix our immigration system. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised by the people that I met in Mexico, people who are kind and joyful and full of diversity and love for their culture. I absolutely loved seeing the other side of this issue for myself and realizing that the stories we are told of an extremely diverse population is damaging to our potential positive relationships we can have with people all over the world.
The power dynamic present in the telling of single stories can be damaging. If someone in power is continually preaching a single story of the people, people will listen to this and it will become ingrained, consciously or unconsciously, in a way that changes perspectives on a group. I think this power dynamic is perpetrated through the media and through the areas in which our information about other cultures is brought into the United States. Bringing more knowledge and awareness to the diversity throughout the world and the diversity in the various communities will only serve to alleviate the problem of the single story. Perhaps this is a different way of framing the argument for increasing diversity in the workplace and education. Opening our minds to multiple stories instead of just one creates tolerance and promotes inclusion.