The Danger of the Single Story
I watched a video yesterday with which I identified deeply. The link for it is below, but I want to set it up for you first. Perhaps personalize it a little.
The true magicians in our world are the storytellers. Stories are powerful. This video is a 20 minute TED talk by a Nigerian author. She explains the power of the single story - the single viewpoint. I’ve been thinking about the kinds of stories we prefer - the popular movies and popular books. There are the good guys and the bad guys. Why are the bad guys bad? Usually it’s because the plot calls for there to be an antagonist. A clear division between the good guys and the evil is part of our national “single story.” We all believe we are the good guys in our lives.
Who are the bad guys? It depends on who you are. Are you a feminist? Well then, the “old fat white guys” are the problem. Deep down, they’re just inexplicably… evil. Beyond comprehension. Are you a tea party conservative? For them the bad guys are the socialist progressives. How could people think that way? The tea party conservative thinks that, deep down, the progressives really do want to turn this country into something deeply un-American. The progressives are bad people.
That’s my problem - thinking of someone as “good” or “bad.” We’re trying to put a single story on them. I happen to think Glenn Beck is repugnant. He’s a master storyteller, which makes him very powerful. To me, he’s one of the bad guys. I have to remind myself that despite the damage that I see him doing, I don’t know the whole story. I don’t know him.
Let’s move closer to home. I have an uncle who regularly forwards me conservative e-mails. I recently got one that includes the lines, “This is OUR President at a MOSQUE prayer session LAST WEEK AT THE WHITE HOUSE, on the site where INAUGURATION is held every 4 years! … For Obama to continue as our president is an INSULT TO OUR FOUNDING FATHERS! AND DISGUSTING TO EVERY RED BLOODED AMERICAN!” A photo came with it of Obama removing his shoes.
He’s as conservative as they come, and you’ve probably classified him in certain ways already. I think of people like Glenn Beck as fear-mongering, conservative blowhards. Now I have to put my uncle in that camp? A few days later I got another e-mail from him. This one doesn’t have as easily quotable lines, but essentially is an anecdote to make you appreciate life, family, and loved ones. It’s a little sappy, but also genuine. How does that jibe with your earlier impression?
My point is this. We rarely have all the stories about anyone. Whether it’s a person, a religion, a political party, or a nation, they contain multitudes. They are complicated. They are neither good nor bad, but instead a paradoxical mixture of contradictions.
I think the answer to the first e-mail I received is not to dissect it with facts. It’s to try to crack that single story mentality. To open up to other stories and explanations. To start with, we need to seek them out ourselves.
With that in mind, watch this short video by Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html
The true magicians in our world are the storytellers. Stories are powerful. This video is a 20 minute TED talk by a Nigerian author. She explains the power of the single story - the single viewpoint. I’ve been thinking about the kinds of stories we prefer - the popular movies and popular books. There are the good guys and the bad guys. Why are the bad guys bad? Usually it’s because the plot calls for there to be an antagonist. A clear division between the good guys and the evil is part of our national “single story.” We all believe we are the good guys in our lives.
Who are the bad guys? It depends on who you are. Are you a feminist? Well then, the “old fat white guys” are the problem. Deep down, they’re just inexplicably… evil. Beyond comprehension. Are you a tea party conservative? For them the bad guys are the socialist progressives. How could people think that way? The tea party conservative thinks that, deep down, the progressives really do want to turn this country into something deeply un-American. The progressives are bad people.
That’s my problem - thinking of someone as “good” or “bad.” We’re trying to put a single story on them. I happen to think Glenn Beck is repugnant. He’s a master storyteller, which makes him very powerful. To me, he’s one of the bad guys. I have to remind myself that despite the damage that I see him doing, I don’t know the whole story. I don’t know him.
Let’s move closer to home. I have an uncle who regularly forwards me conservative e-mails. I recently got one that includes the lines, “This is OUR President at a MOSQUE prayer session LAST WEEK AT THE WHITE HOUSE, on the site where INAUGURATION is held every 4 years! … For Obama to continue as our president is an INSULT TO OUR FOUNDING FATHERS! AND DISGUSTING TO EVERY RED BLOODED AMERICAN!” A photo came with it of Obama removing his shoes.
He’s as conservative as they come, and you’ve probably classified him in certain ways already. I think of people like Glenn Beck as fear-mongering, conservative blowhards. Now I have to put my uncle in that camp? A few days later I got another e-mail from him. This one doesn’t have as easily quotable lines, but essentially is an anecdote to make you appreciate life, family, and loved ones. It’s a little sappy, but also genuine. How does that jibe with your earlier impression?
My point is this. We rarely have all the stories about anyone. Whether it’s a person, a religion, a political party, or a nation, they contain multitudes. They are complicated. They are neither good nor bad, but instead a paradoxical mixture of contradictions.
I think the answer to the first e-mail I received is not to dissect it with facts. It’s to try to crack that single story mentality. To open up to other stories and explanations. To start with, we need to seek them out ourselves.
With that in mind, watch this short video by Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html