Reflection: The Danger of a Single Story
Kasey Tipton
The Ted Talk, The Danger of a Single Story by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie, can be used in order to help our research at the Garden. First, we need to remember how important it is to look at all sides of history and how different reactions and biases can affect storytelling. When using our research at the Garden, we need to take this into account. We need to make sure westernized science is not forcing the many other types of knowledge to be forgotten. We have to demonstrate to the public how and where different plant species come from and help take the focus away from the other botanists who try to take credit for others’ work.
I am Kasey Tipton. I was born and raised in east Tennessee. I started going to preschool when I was 18 months old. My mom worked at my preschool, so I was able to see her often. After a few years of preschool, I started elementary school. My time throughout elementary school was fun and I had made a lot of friends (most of whom I had already had from preschool). Then by the end of 5th grade, I tried out for my middle school cheer team and made it! That very same day, my dad came home from work and I could sense something was off. Him and my mom sat me down and told me that we were going to be moving 9 hours away near St. Louis, Missouri. I felt like my world crashed down. Knowing I had to leave all my friends was devastating. That summer I spent as much time with my friends as possible, soaking up every moment. Then August 16, 2016 came around and we packed up my house and left. Starting middle school 3 days later was terrifying. Eventually I found my group of friends, got into cheerleading there, and eventually met my boyfriend in 8th grade. Then we started high school. Freshman year was a year used for acclimating to high school, meeting friends, and the Covid-19 Pandemic. This changed everything. My sophomore year was not normal, and neither was the beginning of junior year. Senior year came around and I was captain of the cheer team, and homecoming queen. It was the best year of my life. Then going to college was a new experience. Living on my own for the first time was fun, but I would rather be with my family.
If my sister, Kayla, tried to tell my story, there would be missing gaps. When we moved to Missouri, she decided to stay in Tennessee. Even though she was always there for me (over the phone), she was not there in real life to experience things with me or learn my whole story. I would not want her version of me to be my story because when we were younger we used to fight a lot, but now we are best friends.