Single stories and mental prisons

While watching the live streaming of TEDx Seattle, I discovered this video by novelist Chimamanda Adichie who spoke about the danger of a single story in July 2009. It’s a moving appeal to broaden the stories we all carry in our minds.

The single story creates stereotypes. And the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story the only story.

The consequence of the single story is this: it robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult, it emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.

Chimamanda Adichie
Source: http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html

~ by apy on April 18, 2010.

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