Danger of a Single Story

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I decided to do this response on Chimamanda Adichie’s video “The Danger of a Single Story”. The quote that jumped out at me was the one written above. When she said this, several memories and ideas popped into my head and I thought to myself that what she was saying could not be truer. Everyone needs a story. No matter how old you are or where you come from or what language you speak, you get absorbed into a story. Whether fictional or true, stories bring people together and they have the power to inspire great things. However, stories can also cause misinterpretations or false rumors about someone or something when only a single story is told. Especially as kids, we pretty much believe anything that is told to us. That being said, if what is told to us demonstrates a lack of appreciation towards people of a certain race for example, then chances are that lack of appreciation will stay with us and spread towards those around us. There are so many misunderstandings and so many rumors in this world. With humans being so sensitive to things they hear and often believing everything they hear, you can really see and understand why a single story could be so dangerous. Particularly as children, a story could potentially cause a lot of damage. If we “learn” or hear something at a young age, it will be very hard to “unlearn” that same thing later in life. For example, if you grow up in a really racist household, chances that it rubs off on you are dramatically increased. Or if you hear a story from a Palestinian person about how the Jewish people killed his family, then you might very well develop strong feelings about a conflict in which you were not involved in and potentially choose sides. It’s funny. I often am brought back to my childhood at random times and remember how simple everything was back then. With no decisions to make, nowhere to be, playing was all we do
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