Adiche’s TED talk on single stories is a comprehensive observation of the images we create in our minds about other people, culture, and places. Africa is seen as the third world continent with no hope for itself. There must always be a “foreigner” as she says, to come rescue the day. However, we don’t know any different, because we have no personal experiences and we haven’t ever been shown anything else. In a world that is supposedly so interconnected, we seem like a very ignorant society. We are quick to create single stories about a subject and then not look any further for more stories. I think we should be forced to gather multiple stories about something we are truly unfamiliar with.

I understand what Adiche is talking about because I can relate to her experiences. I am indian, and most of my family lives in India. We try to go back once a year to see everyone. I have gathered many experiences in my several trips, but I forget that my friends do not have those same experiences. They have only seen the poor children on the commercials on television or watched Slumdog Millionaire. On the other hand, they have heard of the doctor/engineer/strict parents stereotype from every type of media possible. These are all single stories, and they are true, but like Adiche said they are not the complete truth. There are very wealthy people in India, in fact the CEO of Pepsi is an Indian Woman, and some of the wealthiest corporate giants in the world are Indians. There are also indian writers, illustrators, lawyers, tv people, and movie celebrities. If India were a country only comprised of doctors and engineers it probably wouldn’t be functioning today.

Single stories are an acceptable place to start your knowledge of a topic, but it is by no means the end of your knowledge on that topic. If we are to truly understand one another, and to become a “global” world, it is essential we dig deeper. It’s when we dig deeper, we find there is more in common than there is different, and the best place to start a relationship is in the similarities not the differences. Adiche is making a point much bigger than just thoughts created by literature. Times are changing, but are views are remaining the same. This can’t continue, because our views must stay in parallel to the changing world around us. That is the only we can go from a society of single stories to a society of multiple stories.