Friday, November 15, 2013

The Culture Of Negrophobia in America Circa 21st Century-Update 2018

In America life for Black folks has always been tough with various degrees of racism and oppression. The ebb and flow of contempt for our very essence and being has often been like the wind sometimes the gust is strong sometimes it is a mild . The one constant theme of life in America for Black folks is the reality of racism and all of its wicked incarnations and iterations. It does not have to be like this for Black Americans  or for that matter the nation.


Yet of late a new wave of contempt has reached the shores of Black America from the death of unarmed Black Americans to the recent  volume of racial 911 phone calls to the police who once again are enforcers of racial discrimination and profiling of Black Americans in public and private venues in America.

In the post industrial era of America on the footprints of slavery, segregation, and the like for many Black folks in the nation we must  now confront the specter and culture of ‘Negrophobia’. It is a derivative pathology of racism not novel in substance just different in application and behavior.

Often ‘Negrophobia’ is a civil disdain hidden in a non verbal activity or a cloaked bigoted behavior absent the optics of raw prejudice. It has the distinct stench of racism but it lacks the venom and vulgar and virulent demeanor of hard core bigotry.

In the gentile terrains of an office environment or the mild contours of an restaurant or even in a plaid elevator gathering the presence of 'Negrophobia' is a reality that is far to often present in the space of Black folks and others( read whites and of late even other people of color). From the nostrils and optics of many Black folks often one feels that he or she is germ or some kind of disease that people seek to avoid when they are in our orbit and presence. We have become in many circles an inconvenient truth an interactive poster of crime and darkness.

Usually when ‘Negrophobia’ is in effect communication,dialogue and authentic displays of normalcy are absent. A surreal reality takes over and quite often the Black person in the equation is the odd person out. The presence of “Negrophobia" has always been a part of America's landscape it never leaves and it surfaces anywhere and anytime in all spaces annd places in our country.

 White politicians of late besides the president  have become embolden with verbiage that incites racial angst. Media outlets fill the their platforms with racially charged violent crimes.The nation’s zeitgeist is packed with themes of a civil rights fatigued where the normal  'white majority'  is tired of the claims of victimhood and grievance from ‘those people’.

The personal toil and anguish of always being viewed as a threat and unworthy of respect and trust is creating havoc on the health of Black Americans. The specter of 'Negrophobia' has destroyed and shattered the internal texture of far too many  Black communities. Negrophobia augments the disconnect between Black students and their teachers, it has created record numbers of suspensions and expulsion in our public school system for Black students. The economic costs of this pathology is in the trillions of dollars from health care costs to abandoned urban cities.

The basic civility which is required for a civilized nation to operate is now in peril. The pervasiveness of Negrophobia is contaminating even other minorities now. Black Americans confront waves of Negrophobia from other minorities in America. It is disturbing but other minorities are engaged in displaying reservations and contempt towards Black Americans. This is truly a surreal state of existence in America when Black Americans now have to experience and confront Negrophobia from not only White America but from other people of color as well.

Negrophobia will destroy the very soul of our nation if we allow it to flourish and prosper unchecked.

BLM


                                             

8 comments:

Dr. John Telford said...

Amen.

Valerii said...

Glad to have found your blog!

I do think that things are, in a way, worse in terms of racism AND sexism in these times - it's called backlash, as all those biased people realize it's not gonna go back to 'the good ol days'.

You said:
"What is really insane that even in the ‘Age of Obama ‘ the presence of “Negrophobia was returned to the nation’s landscape with a vengeance."

I've definitely noticed an uptick in racism since Obama's election - i bet they assumed they could steal the election again against him, and were shocked when it failed. And again: this is backlash and rebound - fear from those in power that being white isn't 'the default', and the smart ones are aware that whites will be in the minority this century. In that sense, i try to have compassion for them, since this is all fear-driven and i feel bad for people who live their lives that way. On the other hand I'm also pissed at Obama for not getting rid of racist and other drug laws that preferentially put people of color in jail for what most white people get rehab or a suspended sentence for.
The good news: let's take all this crap that is finally really surfacing, to address things clearly and cleanly, correct things to a factual basis, and let's all acknowledge there are still subconscious biases all over the place in every direction! And to put it in context: USAmericans at least are fearful of EVERYTHING different, they are fearful of change, that is why they even vote against their own best interests. Time to help that change through respectful dialogue!

Plane Ideas said...

Thanks!! For reading!!!

Pat’s Commentary said...

eyeThis is great and true. I am old white lady but I hear it all the time. Just Saturday, I heard racist comments at lunch. My daughter-in-law is Apache and Sunday ladies at a baby shower wanted to know about her racial origins. Some white people are creepy.

WorkingForChange said...

Here's a comment I posted in reply to a fear about America's current direction: "Put together SCOTUS decisions, voter suppression, Stand Your Ground laws and trial outcomes, overt and covert racism (Sterling vs. FOX), TeaParty obstructionism, talk of succession in state legislatures, broadening gun rights, explosion in gun and ammunition sales, trigger-happy militias, states daring the feds to enforce laws, law enforcement announcing they will defy laws, the rise of the KKK, and yes - there are multiple reasons to be troubled. And that list was just out of the last few day's news. if you're not troubled you're not paying attention, or you're ironing your sheets and cleaning your guns." Love your blog! Keep writing!

Plane Ideas said...

Pat,

Thanks for reading!!

Plane Ideas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Plane Ideas said...

Working for Change,

Thanks for caring and reading!!
Peace