Mental Illness In African American Culture

Those who have a high exposure to negative television portrayals of African Americans are more inclined to make negative assumptions about African Americans. Sadly, unfavorable portrayals of this particular group of people not only influences the whites’ perception of them, but it influences the perceptions of the group as well. The perpetuation of African Americans as lazy has been embedded in American society, not only by words and images projected by journalists but also by a wide variety of other media and entertainment sources. The implicit bias has impacted the way African American communities have been and are being treated across practically all sectors of life in America, from courtrooms to doctors’ offices. Media bias not only negatively impacts this group’s relationship with law enforcement and the judicial system, but it extends to how they are perceived in society at large.

By playing this role, Olivia is being portrayed as being the other women, or as people would say today the “side chick”. This gives the people that are watching the feeling that it’s alright to be the other woman, when it’s not. Not only does Scandal portray negative images for black women, but it also creates racial stereotypes. This is because when an African American woman is given a TV role, it is never just positive.

African American Elder Abuse African American elder abuse is limited on its information when it comes to data and research. I found it very interesting and wanted to find out more about African American elder abuse. Who would think a person would want to abuse an elderly person who is already lacking in abilities and have impairments. As a African American man I have found it very common for individuals of my same race, African Americans to exploit their elders when it comes to finances and neglect abuse of the elders. I wanted to see could I find any correlation of a relationship that connects the African American race and elder abuse in some type of way.

The excerpt I chose to reflect on is called “An End to the Neglect of the Problems of the Negro Woman!” by Claudia Jones (1949). Jones express the concerns that women of color in her time suffer from the neglect and degradation they receive throughout their lives. During this time, the reason many African American women go through the struggles in their community originated from the notion that the “bourgeoisie is fearful of the militancy of the Negro woman” (108). In my opinion, they have every right to be afraid of African American women. As Jones stated nicely "once Negro women undertake action, the militancy of the whole Negro people, and thus of the anti-imperialist coalition, is greatly enhanced" (108).

People have underlying notions of how a racial group looks, acts, or talks based on biological explanations. In addition, it’s natural for a class category to have certain characteristics. People with multiple identities are held accountable of their behaviors at the risk of assessment where it justifies or discredits their categorical nature. Just thinking gender alone, ignores the structural forces in the society that affect people’s thinking and behavior; thus, reinforce social inequality. Discriminating ideologies are manipulated to legitimate differences and

But these actions clearly have profound negative impacts in their overall development and later part of life rather than the short-term positive impacts. Cooper correctly analyses “What [corporal punishment] might do is curtail creativity, inculcate a narrative about ‘acceptable’ forms of violence enacted against black bodies, and breed fear and resentment between parents and children that far outlasts childhood”. And Coates shows that despite practices of harsh punishment, the majority of African American people are still losing their life due to police brutalities, drugs, HIV and other different things. He talks about the girl whom he loved and who taught him that love can be “soft”. Coates later realizes that corporal punishment by loving-but-hard parents can be replaced by the revelation that “love could be soft and understanding”.

In the black community African American woman face the struggle of being put down because of the color of their skin, this is often described as colorism. Woman who are said to be lightskin are deemed to be wealthier, prettier, and less ratchet than their darkskinned sisters. Not only are these women being degraded by men of the same race, but this kind of mindset is affecting children as well. “Psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark designed and conducted a series of experiments known as The Doll Test,” (The Root par.1). The doll test was supposed to be used in the Brown v. Board of education case, but the people decided to not present the experiment.

However, the film also reinforces stereotypes about Black men and women. Validating stereotypes of the mad Black woman, the Black male as a pro athlete, and unstable Black families devalues some the contributions of empowerment Girls Trip makes to Black communities. Girls Trip is a question of empowerment of further social

These stereotypes are generalization relating to the diversity of a individuals identity which may be translated into destructive and oppressive behaviors and attitudes due to race or ethnicicty,for example women being paranoid and keeping her belongings to herself at the sight of a black man. Although oppression on an individual can affect self-esteem and mental health, it is oppression on an institutional level that poses a threat as it can lead to difficulty in the access of education, health care and legal system. Baines provide a definition of oppression, “oppression takes place when a person acts or a policy is enacted unjustly against an individual or group... depriving people of … basic human rights.” The undermining of oppressive attitudes such as racism within society is critical to the level of access of health resources to those disadvantaged groups, especially in regard to indigenous children. Iindigenous children suffer immensely from oppression, as they are born into a world where they are systematically disadvantages due to the poor quality of life of their parents led as a result of unemployment, inadequate housing, education etc.

Media is very powerful because it can change human perspectives. Because people mainly rely on news and other media, it’s very important to learn their message. Media can use a manipulative message to persuade the audience and publish false stereotypes. Stereotypes like poverty, illiteracy, and violence, regard African American can have a negative impact on black people that usually we feel less worthy than others. African people are commonly portrayed by media as poor or from lower class family.

Continued discrimination and the ramification from past abuse have allowed the black communities psych to deteriorate. One way in the continued abuse is in the systematic integration of negative stereotypes of the African American Community. A stereotype is a relatively fixed, simplistic overgeneralization of something or someone that is not necessarily true or based on facts. These negative stereotypes were placed on slaves to justify the violence against them and the so called inferiority of the race. You can find the same concept being used today.

Depression differs from individuals based on ethnicity. One of the differences is the treatment the individual receives. Depression is a mental illness many face; yet they do not seek care or they do not receive the proper care. The treatment for depression differs from a Caucasian woman and African American Woman. Regarding the difference, it appears that depression has a different effect on women based on their ethnicity.

Within the United States’ culture, racist and sexist ideologies permeate the social structure and serve as norms to such an extreme degree that they become hegemonic and seen as natural, ordinary, and predestined. From corporate institutions, to religious institutions, to academic institutions, Black women have been slighted the opportunity to be seen as equals when it comes to their counterparts. Despite progress, sex and race bias present unique challenges to African-American women, especially within the academe. There has been an increasingly number of women participating in higher education (Brown-Glaude, 2010). And, unfortunately, acceptance of African-American women 's scholarship and fair compensation reflecting their contribution are

Identity politics derive from some trait that has resulted in discrimination: being a woman, being African-American, etc. Liberation movements form from such traits and become sources of social empowerment, such as the feminist or Civil Rights movements. In her paper “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color” , Kimberlé Crenshaw states that “Although racism and sexism readily intersect in the lives of real people, they seldom do in feminist and antiracist practices” (Crenshaw). Crenshaw points to the real problem that arises from identity politics--if experiences of discrimination are only delegated to the bounds of either being a woman or being a person of color, the experience of being a woman of color cannot be told. This is not to say that there is a problem with identifying with others who are discriminated against, but rather that there is a problem with the rigidity of these definitions in their exclusion of women of color.

For example, in the past a Black woman with natural hair could be seen as a culturally “woke” individual. On in another context, a woman with kinky hair may have been called nappy and painted as someone who didn’t care about their appearance. On the other side, a black woman with straight hair may have been complimented for having “good” hair or she may have be seen as having a colonized mind. These are the views that exist in society and they are just some of the pressures put on black women not only by non-blacks, but also by others within the black community and they affect black women every day. These views and expectations of what Black hair should look like has played out in the media