The phrase "single story" actually sounds kind of dreamy and romanticized. Until you realize what it is and that we've all been influenced by and fell victim to it.
A pronounced experience for me personally with this is the single story of 9/11. The tragic events of that day were an atrocity that none of us alive during that time, will ever be able to forget. Most of us were glued to our TV's watching all of events and war, to follow, unfold. The single story we were all told was this was the work of Muslim people. They hate white people. They hate America. They are monsters. This is the single story that was fed to us from almost every avenue. And many of us bought it (and still buy into) hook, line, and sinker. Because, when you're not exposed to any other kind of Muslim and when you have network after network telling you one specific thing, in addition to your politicians and your clergy all saying "Muslim's are violent and evil" and you have no other experience with anyone of Muslim following, you don't even have a baseline to go off. And so that single story becomes your baseline. A baseline that is rooted in hate.
This was my baseline.
Until I found myself in a college program with many people who all were from various countries of origin, and many of them were Muslim. Each of them taught me and showed me that the single story that I was told, was false. That they aren't savage, evil, white haters. Not by a long shot. They are kind and educated and just as curious about me and my life, as I was about theirs.
Single stories fuel stereotypes by only showing one aspect. This doesn't mean they're untrue - but it's an unfished picture. All cultures and all people are distinct and complex. Telling only one part, is not only inaccurate but irresponsible and dangerous. It takes away the notion that there are good people in every group, and that regardless what you don't understand - we are all equal. Born from the same way, by the same mechanism, born with a conscious and capacity to love.
I live in an area that has a lot of people who are steadfast in their stereotypes. While this is so incredibly frustrating to see and equally exhausting to continually try to defend others, I also find it an opportunity to educate. I can use my experiences with the Muslim community, the LGBTQ community, with working mothers, with single mothers, with people of color, with women, with refugees, to educate those who are still falling victim to the single story. I can use my first hand experiences to educate people that not ALL of them are how the media portrays them to be.
I have used my experiences within my field to combat stereotypes many times. I once worked at clinic in a wealthy, predominantly white suburb. I worked with a couple radiology techs that didn't like doing exams on patients that had Medical Assistance. They assumed ALL of them were scamming the system - especially if they were people of color. I did my best to explain how the system works, and that lots of people are on it, that you would never suspect. And some people are on because they're dealing with a chronic illness (like HIV or diabetes) and you would have no way of knowing that. Sometimes they're single mothers, who don't get any child support and are just doing their best to get by. I know all of these things first hand. I was part of that system for a long time. I use my experience to educate others. Others that only know of a welfare system that they hear about in the media. One of fraud and waste. Not the one I experienced, that allowed me to finish my college degree, with three young kids in tow. Not the one that gave my family the boost it needed so I could find my trajectory. The generalization of people on medical assistance was not lost on me - and I made sure those women in that department knew exactly how wrong they were.
In the TED Talk made by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, her explanation of the dangers of the single story was graceful and honest. Some of the key points she made hit me so hard. Particularly the story about "starving children in Africa." At that point I actually paused the video to reflect on my own stereotype about Africa and it's people and culture. As a child I was always told to eat all my food because "there are starving people in Africa." and that is the ONLY thing I was told about Africa. So as a young adult - I had no idea how fruitful and diverse, and plentiful Africa is. I never realized how that small phrase had indeed shaped my own ideas about African people. I have read several of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie books and she has an astounding author. Her TED Talk was one that will stay with me for a long time.
A pronounced experience for me personally with this is the single story of 9/11. The tragic events of that day were an atrocity that none of us alive during that time, will ever be able to forget. Most of us were glued to our TV's watching all of events and war, to follow, unfold. The single story we were all told was this was the work of Muslim people. They hate white people. They hate America. They are monsters. This is the single story that was fed to us from almost every avenue. And many of us bought it (and still buy into) hook, line, and sinker. Because, when you're not exposed to any other kind of Muslim and when you have network after network telling you one specific thing, in addition to your politicians and your clergy all saying "Muslim's are violent and evil" and you have no other experience with anyone of Muslim following, you don't even have a baseline to go off. And so that single story becomes your baseline. A baseline that is rooted in hate.
This was my baseline.
Until I found myself in a college program with many people who all were from various countries of origin, and many of them were Muslim. Each of them taught me and showed me that the single story that I was told, was false. That they aren't savage, evil, white haters. Not by a long shot. They are kind and educated and just as curious about me and my life, as I was about theirs.
Single stories fuel stereotypes by only showing one aspect. This doesn't mean they're untrue - but it's an unfished picture. All cultures and all people are distinct and complex. Telling only one part, is not only inaccurate but irresponsible and dangerous. It takes away the notion that there are good people in every group, and that regardless what you don't understand - we are all equal. Born from the same way, by the same mechanism, born with a conscious and capacity to love.
I live in an area that has a lot of people who are steadfast in their stereotypes. While this is so incredibly frustrating to see and equally exhausting to continually try to defend others, I also find it an opportunity to educate. I can use my experiences with the Muslim community, the LGBTQ community, with working mothers, with single mothers, with people of color, with women, with refugees, to educate those who are still falling victim to the single story. I can use my first hand experiences to educate people that not ALL of them are how the media portrays them to be.
I have used my experiences within my field to combat stereotypes many times. I once worked at clinic in a wealthy, predominantly white suburb. I worked with a couple radiology techs that didn't like doing exams on patients that had Medical Assistance. They assumed ALL of them were scamming the system - especially if they were people of color. I did my best to explain how the system works, and that lots of people are on it, that you would never suspect. And some people are on because they're dealing with a chronic illness (like HIV or diabetes) and you would have no way of knowing that. Sometimes they're single mothers, who don't get any child support and are just doing their best to get by. I know all of these things first hand. I was part of that system for a long time. I use my experience to educate others. Others that only know of a welfare system that they hear about in the media. One of fraud and waste. Not the one I experienced, that allowed me to finish my college degree, with three young kids in tow. Not the one that gave my family the boost it needed so I could find my trajectory. The generalization of people on medical assistance was not lost on me - and I made sure those women in that department knew exactly how wrong they were.
In the TED Talk made by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, her explanation of the dangers of the single story was graceful and honest. Some of the key points she made hit me so hard. Particularly the story about "starving children in Africa." At that point I actually paused the video to reflect on my own stereotype about Africa and it's people and culture. As a child I was always told to eat all my food because "there are starving people in Africa." and that is the ONLY thing I was told about Africa. So as a young adult - I had no idea how fruitful and diverse, and plentiful Africa is. I never realized how that small phrase had indeed shaped my own ideas about African people. I have read several of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie books and she has an astounding author. Her TED Talk was one that will stay with me for a long time.
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