A Single Story Response.

          Chimamanda Adichi's speech took an issue that I had already been familiar with and brought it into a new light that had me seeing the situation very differently. Most of us are already aware of the government's manipulation over society by means of changing the way we think and feel towards certain things, but we can't seem put our finger on exactly how or why it happens. As Adichi explains, the views and opinions that we have towards certain peoples, places, and cultures are sprung from an exposure to a single (or one-sided) story; sometimes this is due to the government's manipulation, and sometimes it's result of nothing more than a basic lack of information. Whatever the case, the truth remains that most of the world's opinions and "certainties" are false. Adichi provides many examples of this that are derived from her own childhood. For example, Adichi tells of when she first came to America how her roommate was surprised to find that she was not poor, abused, uneducated, or enlightened in traditional African music; her roommate was exposed to only a single story of Africa, a story that labeled Africa as a single failing country rather than a continent filled with both successful and unsuccessful countries. We are so quick to snatch up anything that is fed to us and  label it as an absolute truth without really taking the time to validate anything, and as result we have created many stereotypes towards people and countries that we don't even fully understand. We have made it only too easy for the government to manipulate our minds and influence us in shameful ways. We need to take the time to hear the full story, too see the real truth, before we make any great judgments.