Today, we were assigned to blog about "single stories", which were defined by Chimamanda Adichie. A single story is essentially a stereotype. People only know one story about a place or group of people, and assume that this is how every one from this region or of that group acts.
From reading the paragraph above, you would naturally deny that you have ever done anything like that. "I don't believe in stereotypes." "Why would you accuse me of that?" Personally, I like to think that I don't believe in stereotypes either; however, sometimes they creep their way into your mind without you noticing.
For example, think about Nigeria, and other African countries. I'm assuming that the first thing that pops into your mind is something like this (And yes I know that by assuming that you'll assume this is also a stereotype. But oh well this is an example and you'll just have to deal with it.):
From reading the paragraph above, you would naturally deny that you have ever done anything like that. "I don't believe in stereotypes." "Why would you accuse me of that?" Personally, I like to think that I don't believe in stereotypes either; however, sometimes they creep their way into your mind without you noticing.
For example, think about Nigeria, and other African countries. I'm assuming that the first thing that pops into your mind is something like this (And yes I know that by assuming that you'll assume this is also a stereotype. But oh well this is an example and you'll just have to deal with it.):
This is a good example of a single sided story. Although African countries are not defined by hunger and poverty, that is what we often associate them with. It's not like you're purposely associating African countries with hunger and disease, but it seems that those topics are the most commonly spoken about when it comes to Africa and its people.
On the other hand, America can be associated with freedom and fulfillment, but it has another side as well. America can be just as bad as Africa is perceived to be. Over 20.6% of people in America go to be hungry.
In order to further prove my point, I decided to look up some of the towns in Monmouth County on urban dictionary to see what stereotypically accosted with each.
Tinton F alls - "largely characterized by preppy white kids pretending to be black or ghetto, very few of which ever make it out of mommy and daddy's house, college success rate of 1/5, good indication of Tinton Falls residency is that if you actually make it to college, someone who really is black kicks your sorry ass for trying to be."
Eatontown - "Eatontown produces the biggest s**** and w***** and not to mention white trash."
Holmdel - "To many people, Holmdel is considered to be a haven near "the top of the pyramid" for the upper middle class. Many families in Holmdel neighbor elite status compared to the rest of America."
Rumson - "A town in New Jersey where only the really rich and the white live. People there enjoy doing drugs and flaunting their wealth. Everybody is stuck up and snobbi sh."
Manalapan - "A town where the boys think they're tough ghetto hoods because they live in a multi million dollar mansion, do pot, and have a $10,000 diamond cross around their neck. The girls solve their issues by throwing their designer hand bags at each other."
As you can see, their is a small possibility that all of these stereotypes apply to everyone in these towns. I can easily name people from each of these towns who do not fit these descriptions. These descriptions are based on a quality that sticks out, and that does not solely define a region. Overall, one sided stories often influence our opinions of places or people, but are not really true.
On another note, happy birthday Hannah! I miss you so much and hope you're causing chaos up there!
On the other hand, America can be associated with freedom and fulfillment, but it has another side as well. America can be just as bad as Africa is perceived to be. Over 20.6% of people in America go to be hungry.
In order to further prove my point, I decided to look up some of the towns in Monmouth County on urban dictionary to see what stereotypically accosted with each.
Tinton F alls - "largely characterized by preppy white kids pretending to be black or ghetto, very few of which ever make it out of mommy and daddy's house, college success rate of 1/5, good indication of Tinton Falls residency is that if you actually make it to college, someone who really is black kicks your sorry ass for trying to be."
Eatontown - "Eatontown produces the biggest s**** and w***** and not to mention white trash."
Holmdel - "To many people, Holmdel is considered to be a haven near "the top of the pyramid" for the upper middle class. Many families in Holmdel neighbor elite status compared to the rest of America."
Rumson - "A town in New Jersey where only the really rich and the white live. People there enjoy doing drugs and flaunting their wealth. Everybody is stuck up and snobbi sh."
Manalapan - "A town where the boys think they're tough ghetto hoods because they live in a multi million dollar mansion, do pot, and have a $10,000 diamond cross around their neck. The girls solve their issues by throwing their designer hand bags at each other."
As you can see, their is a small possibility that all of these stereotypes apply to everyone in these towns. I can easily name people from each of these towns who do not fit these descriptions. These descriptions are based on a quality that sticks out, and that does not solely define a region. Overall, one sided stories often influence our opinions of places or people, but are not really true.
On another note, happy birthday Hannah! I miss you so much and hope you're causing chaos up there!