"It's not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete."

“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 become the only story.”

- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Imagine a courtroom where the judge and jury were only given one story to come to their conclusions, to make their ruling. It could never be a fair trial! In order for the court system to work properly, the purpose is to provide many witnesses and cross examinations to make a good case.

Everyone wants a complete and fair trial. The quote I used at the beginning of this post is taken from a really wonderful Ted Talk I watched in my writing class on Monday.  I've been thinking about it all week, thinking about how we unintentionally get the wrong idea of cultures, nations, families, neighbors, and even individuals from hearing only one side of the story.  

Hearing only one side of the story can lead us to assume the best or the worst in others; We might almost worship another human being or completely despise them without ever having met them or from only hearing a single story about them.  Some examples of single stories that come to my mind are the following:

1. A single story happens when a child comes home from school and tells their parents how awful their teacher is.  If the parent's never take the time to go to the school to meet the teacher, the view the parents form about the teacher is all based on one individual's story.
2. A single story happens when a person has formed an opinion about a religion based off how it was portrayed in a TV sitcom or Broadway show.
3. A single story may be formed from the appearance or location of others before we've had a chance to let them speak for themselves.  (A Scripture example: When King Limhi, in the Book of Mormon detains Ammon and almost has him killed, before he came to know Ammon's full story.  When King Limhi realized the full story, his mood and perception changed dramatically. [-Mosiah 7])
4. A single story can happen with our ancestors, people who've passed away, or historical figures. Even they even fall victim to tall-tales when a single story told over and over through time, makes them out to be gods or devils, instead of human.

These are just a few examples...

Come to think of it... as I write this... even my blog is only a single story that I'm telling of my life. Would perceptions change if I had my children, my husband, my friends, or my parents tell the stories of my life on here from their view?  

I really felt this Ted Talk was extremely worth the time it took to watch it. Chimamanda does such a fantastic job of illustrating the danger of a single story. It compels me to slow down and do some research before I form my own judgments and opinions of others.... and never let one story become the only story.

-Alicia