Chimamanda Adichie on TED Talks

Chimamanda Adichie's talk was extremely meaningful to me because it opened my eyes up to something I hadn't really thought about before. Adichie argued that although stereotypes are somewhat true, they are by no means the full story. People often chose to focus in on the negatives of a group of people, completely disregarding all of their positive aspects. Adichie is a great example of how not all people fit into their stereotypical roles that society places on them. Her eloquence and oratory are clearly displayed in her beautiful speech, and a lot of the points she brought up were very accurate. I guess deep down, it is probably true, that many people already pity Africans before even meeting them, based on what the media displays of Africa. Adichie made it very clear how important it is to hear multiple sides of a story before making a rash assumption.

For example, a visual argument she could have made, would have been to show this picture.

 Then she could have asked what the audience's immediate reaction was.

They would probably say something along the lines of a soldier reaching for ammunition, or another weapon.

After that, she could show them the full picture, and ask them the same question...

Clearly, you need the full story to make an accurate interpretation of what is really going on. Adichie drove her point home using various stories, rather than images. But the ultimate effect was the same in the end: stereotypes, although somewhat true, are nowhere near the full truth. To achieve that, you must get unbiased perspectives from all angles, which cover the full story, not just part of it.