Human beings are diverse in identity, mandating the need for a different perspective on any issue affecting us and society. In “The Danger of a Single Story,” Nigerian storyteller Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie recognizes how stories matter in our lives. However, most of us are brought up listening to a single story about a person, community, lifestyle, or even a country. When she came to the United States as an international student, Adichie’s roommate did not believe she could do American things, including speaking fluent English because she was African. All the prejudices we direct towards others because of their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or politics result from insistently judging them based on the single story when we know about them. There is always another perspective to a story, as emphasized by Adichie in his talk “The Danger of a Single Story.”
People who tell the story can influence multiple perspectives on an issue, person, or community. Adichie argues that a single-story limits people’s understanding to learn and understand diverse defining elements about an issue, person, or community. We exist in a world where media can influence mass audience thoughts, beliefs, and practices. When various sources of information commit to telling a single story about a culture or religion, they groom stereotypical beliefs, attitudes, and practices that lay the foundation for individual or group discrimination. For instance, Adichie had a fixed belief about Fide’s low-income family because her mother told a single story about them. However, when she visited Fide’s family, Adichie discovered the untold side of the story, given the skills and abilities portrayed by some of the members. Storytellers must be diverse to avoid the audience being trapped by a fixed mind, perception, or biased side of a story.
Single stories drive a gap between papers rather than bringing them together. Adichie stresses how it can negatively impact cohesion in society, whereby people emphasize how we are different rather than close. One of the negative impacts of a single story is people’s identification of how our skin color, gender, ethnicity, and language differ. A single story makes it hard for an individual to recognize how, despite the differences, we are all unique and can contribute positively to building a cohesive society where individuals recognize, appreciate, and respect other people’s existence. Single stories create prejudices and assumptions about an entire group exposing individuals to subjugation (Quiros, Varghese, and Vanidestine 11). For instance, Adichie was a victim of racial discrimination in the way her roommate believed she only listened to her tribal and traditional music because of the single story she heard about Africans. In summary, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie argues in “The Danger of a Single Story” that having a limited Single view or story about people or cultures can cause us to misunderstand and judge them unfairly. Adichie’s overall message is for people to understand the diverse trait of human experiences, which is crucial for breaking down the stereotypes and prejudices adopted from a told single story.
Belonging to a minority group in the United States has proven risky for many across the United States. My Arabic roots have exposed me to racial discrimination, just like the African identity was an issue for Adichie assimilating into American society. I stand to be corrected, but the media has played a vital role in telling a single story about ethnical groups with origins from the Middle East since the 9/11 attack. It has been over two decades, but Arabs and Muslims residing in the United States still face discrimination and are significantly linked to terrorism and co-occurring crimes against humanity. Although only a small group of Arabs misled by religion took credit for the 9/11 attack, some media sources have implicated all people with Arabic backgrounds identifying them as terrorists. As a result, American society has always viewed Arabs as a security threat. There are instances where I have been delayed or denied entrance to public places, especially malls, because of my racial identity. It is time for the media to tell a story with diverse perspectives about Arab culture. It is unfair that Muslims and Arabs are victimized by various forms of hate crimes from law enforcement agencies and society because the media told a single story about the 9/11 attack on American soil.
I wrote about the negative impact of a single story promoting racial discrimination against Arabs in the United States because I have been a victim, and the prejudices do not end there. Even today, when I enter a public transport vehicle, other passengers, especially the Natives, will look at me with suspicious eyes. I am challenging writers to tell multifaceted stories where information highlights the diverse attributes of a person, community, culture, or religion. Most stereotypes victimizing Arabs result from people not knowing or understanding their various identity factors. I am not saying that the media should avoid sensitive topics about race and ethnicity, but they should be wary of the dangers telling a single story about these issues can have on the welfare of the targeted community or group. I am an Arab, and I am not responsible for the 9/11 attack, except for the perpetrators; not all people with roots in the Middle East are terrorist, given the contribution some of us has made to make the world a better place for everyone. Telling a single story about race and ethnicity lays the grounds for discrediting the value and worth of future generations identifying with the group, like in the case of us Arabs.
In conclusion, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk titled “The Danger of a Single Story” reminds us of storytelling’s importance in shaping our understanding of different cultures and people. Adichie’s message about the risks of having a limited perspective highlights the negative impact of stereotypes and assumptions in our society. We can break down prejudices and create a more open-minded and respectful society by accepting various stories and viewpoints. Adichie’s call to appreciate and respect different cultures and people is a valuable lesson for everyone. Thus, storytellers need to avoid telling a single story to suppress and eliminate issues that drive us apart rather than bring us close as humans.
References
Adichie, C. N. The danger of a single story. TED Global, July 2009. https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
Quiros, L., Varghese, R., and Vanidestine, T. “Disrupting the single story: Challenging dominant trauma narratives through a critical race lens.” Traumatology, vol. 26, no. 2, 2020, p. 1-25, https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/trm0000223
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