From Each Story, A New Perspective

           Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk is one of those rare works of talent that is so authentic I find myself making connections to it in everyday life. I have thought back to her talk several times since it was first played in class, and have also wondered what about her words have the ability to resonate so deeply with me. All too often, I hear or read works by experts or professionals in a field that I deem inspiring or moving in the moment, but am quick to forget and never return to once it is over. But something about Adichie’s talk causes me to think twice, and I have a feeling about why that is: It calls the ugly truth out from its hiding place in the subconscious, where it has been suppressed for so long, and forces me to confront it. Just when I thought she was done saying all there is to say on the matter of the single narrative, she found novel ways to highlight my own part in perpetuating it, through a varied sampling of subtle and nuanced stories of her own.

            Although I found all of her stories insightful, there were two in particular that I can relate to the most. The first one has to do with her encounter with her roommate, who projected her cultural stereotypes onto Adichie in a variety of ways, such as asking her to reveal her “African” music, for example. Although Adichie joked back that she only had a Mariah Carey CD on her, I wonder how many times she has had to endure such stereotypes and the impact that such countless interactions have had on her. Although it is very difficult for anyone to admit, we are probably all guilty of the same type of action engaged in by Adichie’s roommate at some point or another. Even if we do not physically engage in such behaviors, our thoughts can be just as poisoned in terms of reflecting skewed beliefs about others based on culture, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or any other incomplete indicator of a person’s character that distorts our perception of them and of the people “like” them.

            The second story that I have found myself return to at various points in the past weeks, and once in section, was the story Adichie told about her trip to Mexico. During her trip, Adichie found herself giving Mexicans a single story of being a kind of people who “sneak” and “smuggle” things across the border, among other stereotypes, and was surprised when she saw some Mexicans laughing in the marketplace. She expressed how she was very ashamed of herself because she felt hypocritical that she bought into the single story of another people, while criticizing those who do the same to her when they lump her in a group called “Africans” (almost as if it is a country, she points out). Adichie’s revelation gave me the strength to admit that I am not unlike her and perhaps the rest of the human race in my hypocrisy of judging other whole groups based on a single, often arbitrary, and always incomplete factor: country of origin.

            From these two stories in particular I have gained new perspectives that will guide me in my practice experience. From the first story, I would like to always remember to carefully monitor my thoughts, making sure that my perception of others is not distorted by skewed beliefs perpetuated by stereotypes. From the second story, I will keep in mind the natural tendency to think or act hypocritically about another “group” of people.

            Which of Adichie’s stories do you most identify with from her TED talk? What did you learn from them?