I chose to watch the TED Talks primarily because of the first video. I have seen Adichie’s single story talk maybe a dozen times and I am continuously reminded every time about how important her messages are and how everyone is guilty of creating a single story about someone else in their minds. Stereotypes are a dangerous thing, and all of us have stereotyped and have probably been stereotyped. And I love Adichie saying (and have kept in the back of my mind since my first time watching her talk) that stereotypes are dangerous not because they’re not true but because they are incomplete. We form our own conclusions about another person or culture based on one story rather than learning all of the stories about them. Since first hearing this, I have tried to keep an open mind about anything and anyone and not draw conclusions or judge so quickly. It is easier said than done, but this is so important to keep in mind. And if we can move beyond the single story, I truly think we will reach the paradise Adichie believes we are capable of.
The second video of Barnes’ talk was one I had never heard of before, but I was excited to watch it. The title alone is so intriguing. I will admit that the first few minutes of her talk, I was not sure where her point was going. But when she said that people spend so much time engrossed in fiction because of the escape that it offers, I finally understood where her talk was headed. I was waiting for her to discuss parasocial relationships with real people because those are the types of parasocial relationships that I have heard of before and have seen how messy the consequences can be. I watched a ton of videos about how fans defend their favorite celebrity or Internet personality when they do something wrong because of the relationship those fans believe they have with them. But in reality, there is no true relationship. The celebrity does not know their fans. And the same goes for fictional characters in media. However, I appreciate how Barnes does not focus on only the negative effects that I am familiar with. Having these parasocial relationships can be a good thing because it helps someone feel better and more confident about themselves.
The second video of Barnes’ talk was one I had never heard of before, but I was excited to watch it. The title alone is so intriguing. I will admit that the first few minutes of her talk, I was not sure where her point was going. But when she said that people spend so much time engrossed in fiction because of the escape that it offers, I finally understood where her talk was headed. I was waiting for her to discuss parasocial relationships with real people because those are the types of parasocial relationships that I have heard of before and have seen how messy the consequences can be. I watched a ton of videos about how fans defend their favorite celebrity or Internet personality when they do something wrong because of the relationship those fans believe they have with them. But in reality, there is no true relationship. The celebrity does not know their fans. And the same goes for fictional characters in media. However, I appreciate how Barnes does not focus on only the negative effects that I am familiar with. Having these parasocial relationships can be a good thing because it helps someone feel better and more confident about themselves.
Imaginary Friend: Shutterstock.
Both of these videos are relevant to the stories we are reading and writing in this class. My second story in my project comes to mind. While writing, I related so much to my female character, which is why I wrote the story from her perspective, as it was easier to. I gave my story the resolution I would have wanted for myself in that situation. I felt connected to her. At the same time, I almost gave my male character a one-dimensional storyline that would have stereotyped him. I avoided doing that, thank goodness, but I was originally guilty of doing so before I made changes. I want to try to keep both of these TED Talks and their messages in mind for future writing because I genuinely think that it would result in a more dynamic story that I would be proud of.
Bibliography: "The Danger of a Single Story" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. TED. Youtube.
"Imaginary Friends and Real World Consequences - Parasocial Relationships" by Jennifer Barnes. TEDx Talks. Youtube.
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