CASE #2 MISCONCEPTIONS

Lena Williams identifies some of the little things that whites do that can be interpreted as showing prejudice by black Americans. Harvard Psychiatrist Alvin Poussaint says these micro-aggressions experienced by Blacks eventually take a toll. He calls it “death by a thousand nicks.” Examples of the nicks that whites cause are listed below.

1. “The Hair Thing” -- White women shaking their hair or running their hands through it in public are seen by many Blacks as engaging in a derisive act. The reasons are largely historical. Black hair has been portrayed as less beautiful than that of whites, especially the long straight hair of white women. Touching one’s hair draws attention to a difference that has deep racial undertones to Blacks.

2. “The Invisible Black Man or Woman” -- Black people can feel very slighted when white people walk past and do not make way for him or her, cut in front of him or her in line, or in some other fail to acknowledge his or her presence. Not saying hello can be seen as a sign of disrespect due to the history of invisibleness blacks have suffered due to racism in our country.

3. “The Look” -- The look refers to those all too frequent occurrences when Whites look at Blacks with the assumption that they fit the negative stereotypes of holding jobs that require little education or in the case of Black males are dangerous. “The look” is the facial expression Whites have a difficult time hiding when to their surprise the person in front of them does not fit their conscious or unconscious assumption.

4. “You Won’t Find Us Up in Those Woods” – Many Blacks feel uncomfortable with the degree of attention they get when they find themselves in places that are mainly white. Lena Williams calls it “being the fly in a pan of milk”.

5. William’s list of things that irk Black students in school include when White students:

a. play only White music at school functions

b. think all black people are alike

c. think they aren’t prejudice because they like Black stars like Michael Jordan

d. talk to Blacks in class but exclude them from parties

e. don’t want Blacks to date White girls

f. think black students only get to college through affirmative action

g. think that black students are antisocial because they don’t sit next to whites

h. assume that blacks are incapable of succeeding in rigorous academic study

6. “Two Nations” – Segregation still takes place in America, especially in terms of where we live. Blacks still feel largely unwanted in white neighborhoods and schools. When the number of blacks increases beyond a certain point, many white parents decide to move or switch their children to private school.

7. “Make Yourself at Home” – Many black parents feel that white parents are much too lenient with their children. Blacks are sometimes uncomfortable feeling they must put up with behavior by white children that they would find unacceptable. Lack of respect for one’s elders can draw swift punishment including strong reprimands and spankings in many black families.

8. “Black is beautiful” – Our society still makes it difficult for blacks to see women with African features referred to as beautiful. The predominance of models with thin noses and straight fine hair is significant in a society where mass media has such a heavy influence. Even finding a black Barbie that doesn’t look like a white Barbie with a tan is difficult.

9. “Twice as Hard, Half as Far” – Many blacks believe that they must work much harder to receive the credit more easily given to whites.

10. “Trusting Whites” – Many blacks resent the assumption by many whites that they should automatically trust what the media says. A long history of racism has taught black Americans to be very wary of the press and proclamations by those in positions of any other kind of power dominated by white Americans.

11. “First Name Basis” – Most black adults expect that they will be called by their last names unless they know someone well. This is seen as a proper sign of respect and many blacks resent the assumption made by whites that they can casually refer to someone they hardly know by their first name. Nicknames and abbreviated forms of a name are also seen as disrespectful

12. “Articulate” – Whites may feel they are complimenting someone who is black when they refer to him or her as being articulate. To many blacks this sounds like one would expect them to be inarticulate and therefore this is being noted because it is such a surprise.

13. “The Black Problem” – Many whites believe that blacks are to be feared due to the large number of crimes they commit. In fact, most black crime is against other blacks. Too often, blacks are easy targets for police and immediately presumed guilty. Even groups of blacks gathering together for no other reason than to hang out are viewed suspiciously.

14. “You Got a Sunburn?” – Many whites are ignorant of the fact that black skin is not protection from the effects of the sun. Black skin gets darker in the sun, sunburns, and needs protection just like the skin of white people.

15. “He’s a Natural” – Far too many good black athletes are described as “natural” athletes while their white counterparts are described as “smart” and “hustlers”.