Single-Story confession

The following is an article that appeared in Brian McClarens blog site as a reader responded to his new book, A New Kind of Christianity

I'm sure that you're seen this link or watched this already (I'm sure somebody has posted it to you) about Chimamanda Adichie's talk on the danger of the single story... see:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html

It's an excellent perspective - and she talks a lot about Africa's "single story" in the eyes of the Western world... but I have to shamefully admit that I have also had a "single story" about the issues of Palestine... and reading your most recent posts (and clicking on the links too) has made me realise (even more) the extent
of my ignorance.

On the one hand, I abhor war and violence... and can't stand the fighting that's going on between Israel and Palestine... but I have to admit, it had always been "sold" to me - and particularly when I lived in America and worked in Ohio at a church (as a worship leader)...that Palestinians were evil and that America had some kind of God-given mandate to defend, protect and fight against the Palestinians on behalf of the jews. I was quoted numerous scriptures of how America was blessed because it 'was on the side of God's people - on the side of Israel'... and they believed that America would, in a sense, be cursed if they ever 'aligned themselves with the enemy' (being the devil - but also the Palestinians... or Muslims in general).


Now although this didn't make much sense to me at the time, and I brushed it off... I must admit - I did buy in to the "single story" of Palestinians being blood-thirsty, jihad-frenzied Muslims - hell-bent on destroying Israel and eliminating all Jews from the place of the planet. I never imagined that there was another story... the footage I watched in the news - or the stories I heard told - all seemed to support this fact. There was much imagery of marching and rioting... and even more imagery of Palestinians burning the US flag... and certainly loads of images and stories of suicide bombers... and... and .... and...

I am SO ashamed to admit - that I hadn't even realised that there were such groups as Palestinian Christians!!?? (and I'm not implying that it was okay to annihilate the Muslims - but now we should think twice because there's Christians in the mix too)... no, I'm just saying that I had bought so strongly into the "single story" that Chimamanda Adichie speaks about - that it DEFINED my understanding of what Palestine was and who Palestinians were! #$%@! Tragic!

Needless to say - I've been doing much more reading up on the topic (thanks for all the links posted in your blogs)... and trying to educate myself on the matter. On the one hand, I feel angry and brainwashed... like everything fed to me by my previous churches and the mainstream media was all a lie! On the other hand, I feel deeply ashamed for falling in to this trap... especially since I, as a white South African, has often felt boxed into the single story of "racist minority" when it came to our issues of apartheid in South Africa. If
I so hate being boxed by a 'single story' - then I, especially, have no excuse for boxing others.

Anyway - just wanted to share that with you. As always, your books, your blogs, your voice - it matters HUGELY!

Thank-you for shedding some light on this rocky road we're trying to journey down.


Reply after the jump from McLaren:


Thanks for this note. I hadn't seen the TED talk, and so enjoyed it very much.


On Palestine, I just received an email this morning from friends there ... telling me about bulldozers coming in and destroying homes and olive trees (precious in that part of the world), and intimidating Palestinian people so that their lands can be annexed into Israel settlements. It's disgusting. It just goes on and on. You're using the right word: brainwashed.