A lot of people of color are very reluctant to speak about inner-racism in our own communities. Part of the reason is because some of us think it's non-existent and it's already us versus the world so how could there be racism toward our own people? Whether we glamour over it or not, inner-racism has been alive for decades now and the thing about it is that we kind of just swept it under the rug while others outside of our race blatantly see it for what it is and I think I can explain it in different ways ( everything is situational in my next explanations these examples can be stretched and go in many different ways ).
- Living conditions as an adolescence Growing up in a black household can be bitter and have a lot of tension. Going to school with the same tension that is at home is not healthy whatsoever and a lot of black parents aren't aware of what you say, do around, or do to your kids shapes them in many different ways. So when I see mom's cursing at there 5 or 6 year old child as if they were adults I see a lack of mindfulness and consideration for one's own child. Things like this can result into ridiculing people at school or even being violent towards them because of the resentment you have for living in your household at times and over time without resolution, being unconscious to the situation, and just sheer lack of communication can evolve into bitter characteristic. - Incarceration In my opinion, this has to be the biggest reason for inner-racism in our community because of how badly it affects the mental health of our people. Jail itself doesn't turn people into all of these negative things because some people go to jail and actually find light out of it. I'm glad to know people that I seen go to jail and not go back afterwards but the main beneficiary of inner-racism in the community is " Solitary Confinement " now before I go over this I'll just share some statistics I've read from a source: "The basis for the data is a 2015 survey on the use of solitary confinement in 48 jurisdictions, which represent about 96 percent of all prisoners: 45 states, the District of Columbia, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Virgin Islands. Of those 48, 43 of them—representing 54,000 inmates—provided the surveyors with details on race. The study concluded that, overall, black male prisoners made up 40 percent of the total prison population in those 43 jurisdictions, but constituted 45 percent of the “restricted housing population,” another way to describe those in solitary confinement. " This basically states that a little under half of black people that go to prison are put into solitary confinement at some point and the effects of it aren't good. When you are placed in solitary confinement you have no encounter no type of society, not even the society within the jail. That room is you are in is your society and reality. Kalief Browder was a victim to this and he spent hundreds of days in there at 20 years old while his mind is still developing as a young adult. This ruined his mind and subsequently he committed suicide. Being in solitary confinement for so long changes your brain and way of thinking in a negative way, there is nothing positive about it. My belief is that we deliberately get sent to solitary confinement so our brains can be set at this irreversible place that builds hatred and uncertainty so that once we are released from prison our minds are so far gone that we create calamity in our own communities due to negative mental health care. We get sabotaged by the same people who call us violent and hopeless. - Media Now we all know the imagery some of our black artists, actors, and comedians have put on our culture and some is true and valid while a lot of it is unwarranted and not needed inside of our culture. Now me personally I love rap music and I don't want to seem like a hypocrite because of that, I know how differentiate what I hear and what's reality in some of this stuff but I also see how the youth with no direction can take this and try to make it apart of their lifestyle and it plays a big part in inner-racism especially for black artists who are notoriously known for speaking candidly about living in the ghetto whether it's false or not. I'm not going to harp on this because it's kind of cliche but I will say that it does matter what is open to the youth because a lot of younger kids shouldn't be exposed to some rap music because of it's more lasting affects. In conclusion, everything listed all plays a role in not only the inner-racism in our communities but the stigma around our communities as well. Our stigma is not prevailing in positive ways and that matters a lot, I can almost say that everything above is factual and if that is true then read it over and you tell me what you see around you in your community from the things we post/entertain on social media to the things actually happening outside of our doors. We need to stop living in this labyrinth and really open our eyes to what we are doing for and to our culture. Thanks for reading, please give feedback and share with others.
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Anthony R.20 year old male in Philadelphia, PA. Just sharing my thoughts. Archives
December 2017
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