Single Stories and Stereotypes
Richard Perez
Period 1
Single Stories and Stereotypes
The single story has caused controversy within the lives of many, including mine. Personally, I can fully admit to falling victim to many stereotypes regarding different people and religion as well. My intent is not to judge people, but exposure and stories unfortunately compel one to do so. One brainwashing source is the media. News coverage, articles, and even music force us to think a certain way about certain things. Due to the fact that something may seem more intriguing or pertain to an already established opinion, they decide to build on this and avoid the fact that there are always different sides to every story. But, the other stories are often ignored because they occur less. Media coverage has not only provided certain perceptions about certain people, but it then seems to favor certain races. It is sad, but it is true. A cousin of mine studies psychology, and she came upon an article regarding recent killings in Chicago. Within the article, it spoke of one Caucasian and several African Americans being killed. Three-fourths of the article focused on the Caucasian, while one small paragraph focused on the African Americans. Media seems to want its viewers and listeners to sympathize with certain people. Changing the victims and killer in a story could completely change a reader’s perception and opinion on a story.
Stereotypes and single stories have forced people to have their opinions about me, but I fully understand why they do so and it does not affect me in any way. But, I have experienced frustration from people receiving comments about who they are and their race or religion. Instead of providing examples of the other sides of these stories, I have seen people attempt to change. This is the issue with society. Instead of addressing an issue, people tend to take the easy route by falling victim to stories, agreeing with them, and allowing them to cause change. It is an attempt to fit in and
Period 1
Single Stories and Stereotypes
The single story has caused controversy within the lives of many, including mine. Personally, I can fully admit to falling victim to many stereotypes regarding different people and religion as well. My intent is not to judge people, but exposure and stories unfortunately compel one to do so. One brainwashing source is the media. News coverage, articles, and even music force us to think a certain way about certain things. Due to the fact that something may seem more intriguing or pertain to an already established opinion, they decide to build on this and avoid the fact that there are always different sides to every story. But, the other stories are often ignored because they occur less. Media coverage has not only provided certain perceptions about certain people, but it then seems to favor certain races. It is sad, but it is true. A cousin of mine studies psychology, and she came upon an article regarding recent killings in Chicago. Within the article, it spoke of one Caucasian and several African Americans being killed. Three-fourths of the article focused on the Caucasian, while one small paragraph focused on the African Americans. Media seems to want its viewers and listeners to sympathize with certain people. Changing the victims and killer in a story could completely change a reader’s perception and opinion on a story.
Stereotypes and single stories have forced people to have their opinions about me, but I fully understand why they do so and it does not affect me in any way. But, I have experienced frustration from people receiving comments about who they are and their race or religion. Instead of providing examples of the other sides of these stories, I have seen people attempt to change. This is the issue with society. Instead of addressing an issue, people tend to take the easy route by falling victim to stories, agreeing with them, and allowing them to cause change. It is an attempt to fit in and