The Danger of a Single Story.
-Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Face Value
I have two young children, a son and a daughter. As you can imagine, there have been several times when one bursts into a room, complaining that the other has done something offensive to their person or psyche. And there have been many times when I have leaped to the defense of that indignant child only to find out later…that wasn’t the whole story. When I did find out the whole story, well…that changed things—including my initial response to that first indignant child.
Now, this is a fairly tame example of how only listening to one side of a story can be harmful. However, we are living in a time when—unfortunately—listening to only one aspect of an issue is common. We take what we see on social media or what is said to us personally at face value and don’t look any further.
And that, my friends, while it may seem extreme to say it, is dangerous.
Yes, dangerous.
Multifaceted
I urge you to listen to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk. Aside from being completely charmed by her accent, I was drawn into her experiences as a Nigerian woman living in the United States. How—more often than not—people made assumptions about her—and all Nigerian people—because of one thing they had seen or heard on the news or via social media. And I began to think…
This is a huge part of what is causing unrest in our country today.
We look at the color of a person’s skin, the uniform they wear, the headline blaring from a Facebook post…and we don’t look any further. We assume, we come to conclusions while only knowing a fraction of the story.
Chimamanda made several comments that resonated in my heart and soul, and I hope I never forget them:
“Single stories create stereotypes. Stereotypes are not a complete story, and that is what makes them dangerous. Single stories emphasize how we are different rather than how we are similar. There is never a single story about any place or person.”
Wow.
How often do we presume to know everything about an issue or a person when we have only bothered to look at one side of the coin (so to speak)? I urge you, friends, to look beyond the first glance. Choose to take that extra time. You will be richer for it—and so will all those around you.
