Wednesday, November 7, 2012

A Single (But Not The Best) Story

The ideas that Chimamanda Adichie expresses in her speech really caused an impact in me. But it was her "single story" idea that made me think about prejudices that people have on many things. Stereotypes often rule our lives and make a great impact on our behavior towards other people. Adichie's anecdote about her American roommate that thought she was almost a cavewoman is one example; this reminded me of the many times I have been judged and bombarded with stupid, ignorant questions and misconceptions about me and Colombia, mainly in the United States. These type of treatments sadly exist in our world, but it is not only others who put it upon us.

For example, in preparation for our Skype conference with a school in Virginia, many students in our class mentioned, aside that it will be awkward and everything, that they will surely think of us Colombians as drug-dealing, violent persons that live in utter poverty. It was funny at first, but what many of us realized is that we have learned to live with that stereotype of Colombian people and do little to change that misconception most people in the world have. This is something that Adichie says: that we must strive to change those stereotypes in which we are included in by being a better person and proving those who judge wrong. 

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