This week in Visual Literacy class we watched a TED Talk from author Chimamanda Adichie. She spoke about her experience as a writer and the importance of multiple stories. Adichie argued that if there is only one side of a story being told, so much information could be lost or misrepresented. She gave examples of her life upon coming to America where her roommate assumed she knew nothing of America and was surprised she knew English. Adichie stated that if we continue to think in this same way, we will be basing our attitudes on much of what we assume is true instead of what we know to be true and what we’ve experienced.
This was definitely something I hadn’t thought about before and it was an interesting perspective to consider. I’m guilty of it myself. Many times we see stories over the media telling one part of a story or a specific instance, and we believe its true of a whole people group or culture. It is our responsibility to inform ourselves and compare what we ‘know’ with what is truly happening so we don’t end up misrepresenting others.
Click here for the link to Chimamanda Adichie's TED Talk.
*Photo from: http://www.linktv.org/programs/ted-talks-chimamanda-adichie
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