In the TED talk “Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the author discusses the importance of reading more than one story and getting information from various resources to decrease the chance of unfair stereotypes and misunderstandings. These stories could be about a place, a group of people, or a thing. One thing I relate to is not only being confined to one level; I’ve been in foster care since the age of 11, so as a ward of the state, my life is documented and read often by social workers, lawyers, and judges when they read my file the only read that one version of me—a daughter of “drug addicts,” an “older sister,” a “failure in school,” “a victim.” This tapered perspective fails to grasp my life’s complexity and growth. I am so much more than that, so to read my file is to read the incomplete story of Jahnay. One thing I learned was to be more receptive in life. I feel as if everyone has been a victim of the danger of a single story, but the only way to move on is to acknowledge fault, do better, and become educated by reading more than one story. I loved when she spoke about how if you want to tell somebody else’s story, start it off with secondly. I’ve never actually thought about it and how many people do this, but it made me want to know more about how the United States used this tactic to tell history.
I agree with Adichie’s main argument because to rely only on one’s story perspective is to narrow down the growth, complexity, and challenges in an individual’s life. I think the Danger in a Single Story is very relevant in our day and age because the way we see people in other countries or just in different places, whether it be financially, is dictated by social media and the news.
I think Professor Barnes assigned this reading because it leaves room for interpretation and self-reflection
