The danger of a single story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:
The speaker, who is from Africa, first talks about how when she was younger she had only read stories from America and the UK and therefore when she began writing her own stories they mimicked these foreign stories. All her stories were of white people drinking ginger beer, even though she had no idea what that was. But because she was so used to this one, single type of story that is what she felt stories had to be.
When she came to the US her roommate had almost pity on her when found out she was from Africa. The speaker did not quite realize why until she had spent a couple years in the US. The she began to see the single story that represented her continent. When in reality the stereotypes or assumptions of her homeland were not true. But because this is the story that people dating back to the 1500s have used to describe Africa this is how people will picture it.
Because of one stories people can have very wrong views of certain things and it is best to have a variety of views on a topic to learn all different sides.
Why do we care so much about fictional characters?
What effect do these relationships have on us?
As much as we feel like we know them, they do not know us. It is not a 2 way relationship.
Drawing social and emotional support from real and fiction friends.
Found that women have more grief for fictional deaths over someone they are acquaintances with.
Reading fiction might actually help people have more empathy.
Africa. Paul Saad, 2015. Flickr.
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