Thank You, J.J. Cale.

Pop Culture; is the single story. As a Colombian, there have been countless time where the mainstreams of society have targeted, and banned any positive ideas serving from Colombians.

Living eleven years in a very privileged NorthShore suburb of Chicago, my eyes opened to a new kind of "single story." My first encounters with discrimination for being Colombian date back to kindergarden, first grade, basically since I can remember. But these first years of discrimination affected a great deal, I would take questions like: "Is your Dad a landscaper?" or "Is your Dad in the import, export, business (if you know what I mean)?" to heart. But as years passed, I realized that this single story of Colombia does not give birth in the minds of my friends, but from the mainstreams of American Culture. I realized very similarly to Adichie that even your "roommates" would express such stereotypes not in the way of an insult but a question, a sign that they don't know better. A sign in which their family doesn't even know better. This tone may seem condescending or disrespectful, but the ideas in my friends possessed were spoon fed. Their parents, amazing people, grew up in a time where Harrison Ford  starred in "Clear and Present Danger" and where J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton were singing; "If you day is done, and you want to ride on... Cocaine!" Both amazing pieces of art, but a prime example of the cause of a single story.

Don´t get me wrong, eleven years assimilating to the stereotypes of American society will leave anyone guilty of the single story. I too have committed the same expressions that once left me questioning my pride as a Colombian. Even in Colombia the single story of the Typical American exists; the "fat bastard."