The Danger of a Single Story

[deelaundry]

bethctg2 found this amazing talk on the power of stories, and why we need to have as many people as possible telling their own stories.

"Big Scary Place" (Watch on Vimeo)

Comments

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Wow. Yes. And so appropriate for the discussions swirling around again now on the "proper" way to tell stories and the people who "should" be writing them.

[purridot.livejournal.com]

I was just thinking the same thing -- what with the discussions about "privilege" etc. How can there be one "right" story, or one "right" way of telling it? Isn't everyone's experience or interpretation valid in some way?

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, when people surrender their own interpretation or experience to a group-think "right" way to tell a story, that's so distressing.

Where privilege comes into play is that when I have privilege, others will listen to a story I tell even if I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Or if I know some of it (the "single story"; the fact that my friend's family is poor) but don't know the nuances (such as that my friend's family is happy in their love for each other, and capable of creating beautiful objects).