Chimamanda Adichie "The Danger of a Single Story" TED Talk
The TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story” highlights the danger of making generalizations based on one story one may have heard. In today’s world, there are many stereotypes that are made based on limited evidence and anecdotal cases. Often, the results are false assumptions about people or places that may cause harm to people. Chimamanda Adichie makes a case against stereotypes in this TED talk.
Adichie has had much experience with stereotypes and generalizations in her life. Although she grew up in Nigeria, the first books she read were British and American. Because of this, she initially believed that characters in literature had to be a certain way (such as a belief that only white people could be in books). She also mentions a time when she had uneasy feelings while in Mexico because of the media coverage on illegal immigration and crime from Mexico. She realized that it is wrong to make generalizations. Because she has multiple firsthand experiences, she is very knowledgeable about generalizations in everyday life. Adichie highlights that generalizations often cause people to believe the wrong things. For example, she shares an experience about a time when her roommate was confused because Adichie spoke English and did not have “tribal music”. She mentions an even more extreme example in which she wrote a novel and a professor said that her novel was not “authentically African”. The professor expected poverty and other struggles and did not appear to realize that not everyone in Africa is struggling economically. In another example, after she had wrote a novel about a man being abusive, a student at a university told her that it was a shame that Nigerian men do such things, to which she replied, sarcastically, that she had just read American Psycho and that she was it was a shame that all young men in America were serial killers. In all these examples, the message is clear: stereotypes lead to false thoughts and misconceptions about people, and they can cause damage. Adichie’s speech highlights important ideals in regards to the American Dream and the Global Dream. For example, many immigrants come to America in search of freedom, equality, and other values that they did not experience in their home countries. Obama’s father is an example of this (Obama). When they are stereotyped, though, they do not experience the equality and fair treatment that America is supposed to be built on. According to the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal… they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”. Stereotyping people violates these principles. Within the Global Dream, many people are seeking to make the world a better place by enforcing rights and freedoms. Again, stereotypes go against this and cause harm. Although some people might not see the harm in stereotypes, they are indeed harmful. I think this speech was well thought out. Her personal experiences make her even more knowledgeable about the topic and help her establish credibility. Many people in the world make generalizations about people that are not always true. As Adichie said, stereotypes are not always untrue but rather are incomplete. Just because one person from a particular place behaves a certain way does not mean that another person from that area would act the same. This is evident in everyday life. For example, almost everyone who has siblings has some form of conflict with them. If they acted the same, this likely would not happen. This speech was well said and should be thought about by people making generalizations. |