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The Danger of a Single Story
- A single story in this context is describing a group of people to be a certain way. This story is repeated over and over and different viewpoints are dismissed
- Stories that are too similar and don't have variety can give a false, singular impression of what the world is like. Variety is needed to cover perspectives from all kinds of different sources
- Publishers are hesitant to publish stories that are different from the common narrative
- Power is the driver behind who tells the story, what the story is, how often it's told, and other important factors
- Stories focus on how we are different instead of how we're similar
Imaginary Friends and Real-World Consequences
- Humans spend way too much time on fictional stories
- Why? We form connections and relate with fictional characters
- Logically, we know that we don't have a relationship with fictional characters but we have a subconscious feeling that they're real
- A study showed that people would be more sad if the fictional character they had a strong connection to died than a real person who they didn't have a connection to
- What matters is how close someone is to a person, not whether or not they're real
- Pro to having connections with fictional characters: Strengthens empathy
- Con: Consuming the same type of media can prevent the opportunity to form connections with people outside of our known circle
Bibliography
The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Imaginary Friends and Real-World Consequences by Jennifer Barnes
Hi Daniel! I listened to these Ted Talks for a story lab too! I found it very fascinating. The person who did the Single Story one was a really good speaker. I aspire to be more like Chimamanda. Her Ted Talk made me consider how my stories could either be perpetuating single stories or be a source for more diversity of perspectives. I think it made my writing more interesting and fun - maybe these Ted Talks will inspire you for the last few stories we have in the semester!
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