Stereotypes In Ted Talk

Stereotypes are a concept that is incredibly interesting to think about and question, mainly because of the fact that there really is some truth to most of them. In Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” she mainly discusses the trouble with people using stereotypes as their only schemas towards certain groups of people instead of learning more about others and their stories. While it can be agreed upon that there is some truth to stereotypes, it is important to realize that there is always more to a human than meets the eye.
Adichie uses multiple examples of stereotypes being used against her without these people around her knowing her complete life story. To begin, one example used is when Adichie moves from Africa to America for university and dorms with an American roommate. In the TED Talk, Adichie says, “She (her roommate) asked where I had learned to speak English so well, and was confused when I said that Nigeria happened to have English as its official language... My roommate had a single story of Africa.” Adichie is incredibly mature while discussing this situation to her audience, because while it is shown that her roommate was extremely ignorant, Adichie understands why, since the News often does not show the complete story of Africa. It shows the deserts and dangers

of Africa, but not its cities or its brilliant people. While the roommate's stereotype technically had some truth in it, she did not know Chimamanda Adichie’s complete story.
Every day I must force myself to remember that there is more to people than I will ever know since stereotyping often happens at my place of employment.

I work in a grocery store, so many customers a day will come through the lines and buy a large sum of items and in the end, pay with food stamps. I constantly hear my coworkers complaining about these kinds of customers, often calling them freeloaders. Even customers who come through my line will say these things to me while the customers with food stamps are an earshot away. When I began working there two years ago, I agreed with these people around me as to not start any arguments, but it always made me feel

dirty.
None of my coworkers know these customers personally, and while it could be potentially true that not every single one of these customers desperately needs the money, perhaps many of them truly do. It is not our place to judge, we all have jobs and make our own money, so why did we constantly judge others for how they used theirs? I now just do not reply to my peers or customers who try to talk down on food stamp users. Over my past year working there and learning more about the world around me that it is pointless to get angry and defensive over what others do with their lives. Some people may truly need the money, and maybe they all do, and I will no longer question it.