Chimamanda Adichie brings forth an important issue I think that is relevant in today's society. Sterotyping induviduals, cultures, countries and how people are being portrayed under a negative light. Adichie comments that "the problem with sterotypes is that they are not untrue, but they are incomplete." Her "single story" simply refers to that we as human beings are "influenced" to become what we are exposed to and keep that same mind set. Adichie tells her story on how her family had taken care of this boy named Faday and how he was poor and did not have much. When she went to visit Fadays village she found it hard to believe that his family was innovative because all she knew was that he was poor. This runs with the thought that we really think what we want to believe and sterotyoe people based on what we have knowledge on. You may see who they are but you have no idea what they are about.
If you think about our socratic circle this week and all the things we have talked about with the textbooks and so forth you can see how this may relate. In the history books they only wanted their students to be exposed to what they wanted them to know and soak in what was set in front of you. Yeah, you see whats in front of you and you learn what they tell you but do you even know what has happened before or after that? What possible roadblocks that were put forth and overcome to get to where they are today?
When Adichie arrived in the United States her roomate was "surprised" that she had no African tribal music to share. Sterotypical much? Her roomate was exposed to the single story of Africans, the "popular images", the "pity" , the "incomprehensible people" and all the things we know of Africans. Another example is that when Adichie had wanted to publish her novel she was told that it did not achieve "African authencity" and that he was unaware Africans were educated and "drove cars" he expected them to be "starving" and "waiting to be saved." Wow. I wonder how people see Americans? People must deviate away from the single stories it "robs people of their dignity."
When you portray people what they are put out there to be and you do not let them have any say in how they are being represented you start to believe in what is being told to you over and over again. That is the only way of how you will ever see somebody and/or something. When you start stories off in a neative way that shuns the opposing subject you are going to have a whole new outlook on what is brought to your attention, "you see an entirely different story."
As in 1984 when the entire population is exposed to one single idea the rest of their thought process will only fall in guidelines to what is presented. If you must abide by the "Party", you better abide by what "Africans" are put out their to be. It is unfair, cruel, and demeaning. When all you believe is all you can see and you do not search within yourself or out of the box you are setting yourself up for a one track mind that can never be exposed to anything else. Challenge yourself to read between the lines and not to judge.
Chimamanda Adichie gives hope for the future.
Hopefully we can realize what this world is set out to be.
And that is only what you can percieve.
Rosie, i totally agree with you. I chose to respond to this video because it brought up a great point. People often unknowingly create stereotypes in their mind. It is easy for a person to think one way about a race because they have been told the same things about it over and over. However it is important to consider that there are many stories and many aspects to that race or group of people. A race's identity is not made up of only one story. I also compared this video to 1984 like you did. I think that the people of Oceania accept single stories all the time, and that is what leads them to see things in an incomplete way. Great job! I liked your response to the video! :)
ReplyDeleteI think you make great points in your take on the video especially how you say people will believe whatever you want them to believe if you tell them over and over again. I also like how you incorporated the Socratic circles to your discussion on the video because I too think they are related because people in power create the textbooks and the stereotypes in order to restrict the people's thought, which is basically what happens in 1984. Furthermore, I like how you bring up the questions of how others see Americans because for a professor to tell an African that her novel is not "African authenticity" is ignorant, which is probably how the world view our culture. I thought you did a good job at quoting her speech and using it in the middle of your own opinion as evidence. The only criticism I can think of is maybe you used a little too many quotes, maybe just take a couple out that are not used as strong evidence. I thought it was very good and very insightful.
ReplyDeleteI found what you said very insightfull. I enjoyied how you related how a single story can marginalize another cultures stugels and how history is written by the majority. Athother topic I found ontresting is how a singel representation or a idea can affect how we presive what pccured even if our perception may be incorrect. Finally I liked how you related how a singular idea of history is like 1984 because of how the party controled it citizens by changing what they know of the past
ReplyDelete