A Single Story

While watching the Ted Talk, The Dangers of a Single Story, I was saddened to realize just how common the single story view is and how it negatively impacts people. While reflecting on the Ted Talk, it reminded me of one instance when something similar happened to me when I was abroad. Although American media is pretty predominant in the world and tends to offer all kinds of stories, I found that while I was in Australia there was one negative view about Americans that was consistently brought to light. This negative view was that all Americans carry around guns and are “trigger-happy”.  On several occasions I had people ask me questions like, “Why do all Americans carry guns?” or “Why is it a thing in the States to shoot up schools?”.  I immediately responded defensively and asked why they would ever think that? That’s when it occurred to me that when these bad things happened in the states, the stories were highlighted in Australian media.  In addition, there was also the contrast that in Australia guns are illegal and thus most Australians I talked to had very strong feelings against the fact that Americans could acquire a gun license. It was very unfortunate to realize that because of the actions of some bad people, some Australians were viewing Americans as a whole in a negative light.

Ellen as a Leader

“ I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated, and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values. ”

I have chosen to write about Ellen DeGeneres as an ideal leader because she is a strong woman who uses her fame to promote what she believes in.  As she says in the quote above, she stands for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, and treating others well. All things I think our world could use a little more of. 

One thing Ellen stands up for is animal rights. For starters, she is a vegan and she actively encourages others to try a vegan diet as well through her website, “Going Vegan with Ellen”. Furthermore she is an open supporter of the Humane Society and she has had the president Wayne Pacelle on her show to speak several times. She also supports animal rights with her involvement in the Downtown Dog Rescue charity and the Big Life Foundation.

Ellen also does quite a bit of humanitarian work.  Some of her humanitarian work includes supporting the Red Cross, breast cancer awareness and AIDS Awareness. She also helped launch the “Small Change Campaign” which was to benefit an organization that helps the hungry called Feeding America.  Lastly, she is also a big supporter of gay rights. 

Overall, I think Ellen is a good leader because she has used her success and place in the spotlight to try and make a difference in the world.  She is a genuine person and because of her sense of humor she is easy to listen to, which has helped her gain a lot of loyal fans.

 

Hi! I am Lindsey Darlington and I am a 4^th year majoring in International Business with a minor in Spanish.  I chose my major because I love to travel and I hope to work abroad after I graduate.  I fell in love with traveling the summer before my freshman year of college when my older sister and I back packed through Europe. Then this past summer I was lucky to get to experience working abroad with an internship I had at Crowe Horwath Australia in Sydney. 

I was born and raised in Cincinnati and I have three sisters and two dogs.  Two of my sisters are older and one is younger, all of whom I am very close with.  My sister Saunie is two years older and she was actually the one who convinced me to go to Ohio State (I will be forever grateful to her for that).  My little sister Kristi is three years younger and is now a freshman at University of Kentucky.  Lastly, my oldest sister Lauren is ten years older and is now married with twins. 

Here at Ohio State I am a member of the Ohio Union Activities Board (OUAB).  My first two years in the organization I was on Special Events Committee and this year I will be on the Comedy Committee.  Additionally I am also part of Greek life on campus as a member of the Alpha Gama Delta sorority. I lived in the sorority house my sophomore year and now life in a house on 16^th with a few other Alpha Gams.  Furthermore, I also work part time as a banquet server for the catering department at The Ohio Union.