The Danger of a Single Story is an incredibly powerful TedTalk. This was actually the fourth time I had viewed it. I had seen it during my Orientation week and also when I was an Orientation Leader for the Class of 2022. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a very powerful lady and she provides such deep insight onto an issue that so many people often ignore. To me it really reinforced that you should not just listen to one persons opinion on a topic and treat that as a representation for an entire country or culture.
For example, if you’re traveling in Australia and encounter someone who is racist, that one person shouldn’t be taken as a representation for the entirety of Australia’s attitude to race. If people generalize, then, this is when we begin to see the danger of a single story. This is how tensions and divisions are incited in society and without dialogue to air these misconceptions they only perpetuate a sense of unease in the world.
I often rewatch Chimamanda’s Ted Talk to remind myself to avoid making generalizations and to clarify any misconceptions because especially in being a part of an international community at NYU Shanghai they can be detrimental to the inclusive atmosphere we advocate for and strive to achieve.