The Danger of a Single Story
Autor: Sharon • February 14, 2019 • 1,109 Words (5 Pages) • 676 Views
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After watching this TED talk, I began to understand what other people see. Many individuals have single stories of countries of groups of people but before this, I never knew about single stories; didn’t know there was a term. Sometimes I thought people chose to refuse seeing another side of something. It is quite surprising to know that single-mindedness is due to being told the same thing constantly that you literally are unable to see another side rather than refuse to see it. Like the speaker mentioned, if you choose to begin a story with the poverty in Africa, you will have a different story from if you began the story with the formation of the state. Many of us choose what we want to hear but single stories prevent us from having that choice in which we only hear one thing. I find that single stories create single-minded people and minds. It is like looking through a tunnel where you only see a small portion of what is on the other end rather than the whole picture. Single stories sometimes cause hate and things that should never be said to be said. For example, if you hear a negative single story about a group of people, you may insult them and act badly to them when they could have done nothing wrong. This is an issue with our culture as violence and hate seem to unfortunately be increasing.
This talk raised many questions for me as I had many conflicting thoughts while watching it. I began wondering if there is a connection between ignorance and single stories. Ignorant people do not see the truth or the full picture and it is similar with single stories. I am also curious about the people of power creating single stories. Do they realize they are doing it or is it “unintentional”? Following that, are there people that choose to reject other stories? Meaning, are there people who know about single stories and their dangers and yet choose to ignore it? This TED talk was very insightful as it raised many questions for me and yet it provided justification for the way people see things and believe in them.
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