Chimamanda Adichie on The Danger of the Single Story
Posted by Michelle in Thoughts, Race, The Media, Theory and Practice, Things That Are Awesome on Aug 25, 2010, 9:00am | 9 comments
9 Responses to “Chimamanda Adichie on The Danger of the Single Story”
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They should play this in schools. Children need to learn where their stereotypes come from.
Excellent.
A side note – this is how I felt when I was a kid, reading books about other kids who lived in suburbs and cities, rode their bikes to the park, had fire hydrants outside their houses, walked to the store, etc. Growing up in a very rural area with no public transit, no way to go anywhere but the back yard without a parental escort until I got a driver’s license, and a totally different set of references, I thought the suburbs must have been some exotic place of wonder (I based a lot of my ideas about suburban life on the Babysitter Club books).
It wasn’t until I was older and discovered Appalachian lit that I felt my culture was valid and worth writing about.
My boyfriend grew up in a mid-century working-class suburb on the fringes of Indianapolis, so he thinks my desire to live in an area where you could see neighbors and walk to see your best friend is a little odd. But it’s all I saw in books and movies until late into my teens.
excellent. how inspiring.
As someone involved in children’s books and educational materials, I find this a crucial reminder. I will be forwarding this to many colleagues. Thank you for posting.
Michelle – thank you so much for this.. in a strange way I was transported back to my childhood, where growing up we were grown up surrounded by a multitude of different stories..
One thing that resonated strongly, was the single story takes away dignity..
Love that she (so kindly!) pointed out that we all need reminders of this danger sometimes (via her vacation to Mexico story). This happens to me more than I care to admit.
So fitting, too, for the one-sided stories we’ve been getting on the daily news about… lots of things lately.
I’ve watched this twice now and also posted it to Facebook!
Very eloquent. And that American Psycho crack was priceless.
I look at TED all the time but I always lean towards the tech/science talks. So, thanks, so much for posting this. It’s great to get pointers and reading suggestions from you.