The Danger Of A Single Story Essay

2065 Words9 Pages
The Danger of a Single Story “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. When I heard this quote for the first time, I had a huge light bulb moment. Throughout my years at Deerfield High School, I have learned a lot about stereotypes. However, the way Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explained what she thought the definition of stereotypes was really struck me. I always thought stereotypes were completely nasty and untrue. Instead, Adichie says that stereotypes are not incorrect, but incomplete. This is what the danger of a single story is. If a person only hears one perspective on an issue, he/she will assume that is the only way to look at the story. There is no better industry in the world that plays a bigger role in stereotyping black people compared to white people than the media industry. I have always enjoyed media such as movies, news, music, and social media for the entertainment they provide me. However, I wanted to understand what role the media plays in stereotyping black people compare to white people. If they do play a role, how big of a role do they play? This topic has intrigued me so much because the media has become an extremely popular way of communicating information. With the technology that has grown with our generation, we can get up-to-the second news reports. There are many different