• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
    • Wellness on the Yard
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Immunocompromised Care
    • Top Blacks in Healthcare
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Health Conditions / Mental Health / The Burden Of Being Prepared: Understanding the Inner Workings of Prejudice

The Burden Of Being Prepared: Understanding the Inner Workings of Prejudice

man racismHave you ever planned an event and only a couple of guests showed up? At least thirty of the forty invites RSVP’d.  Logically, you planned for twenty, but only FIVE made it to your house.  Buying the decorations and food, dry cleaning the right outfit, and the stress of making sure the house was clean are enough to send anyone over the edge, but you managed to get it done flawlessly. Ferguson reawakened America to an event that some have prepared for their entire lives—and the weight of preparation is carried by more than those who are ready.

Sign Up for the Black Doctor Newsletter!

 

The Event

Race relations in America have always occupied a unique space in history. Few other nations have championed its commitment to freedom from inception with such ferocity while building its foundations on the labor of men and women stripped of that same gift. The paradox often spurs attempts at shrinking the distance between what we believe and practice by acknowledging racial disparities or doubting their existence. Both act as powerful tools for making sense of prejudice—an event that leaves most feeling uneasy at best, but more often than not, uncertain about the future and unsafe in the present.

The Prepared

Threat is everywhere—at least for those looking for it. Imagine you were told your entire life to fear ice cream. Maybe your friends never said it directly, but the way they acted around strawberry sherbet and rocky road made it pretty clear ice cream can hurt you.  The news hinted that this ice cream is a dangerous bunch.  Family knew not to be coy and warned you to be careful when ice cream was around.  Whether you are the ice cream or a hungry kid trying your best to avoid it, you start to make negative assumptions about ice cream.

Science spews evidence that biases and prejudice get in our heads, literally, and has consequences for both the ice cream and the hungry kid.  The amygdala, a part of our brain responsible for perceiving threat and showing aggression, is highly active in people who show extreme prejudice.  People on the receiving end of prejudice (ice cream) actually can start to believe the stereotypes being hurled their way. In a study that looked at Black children’s performance on a test, the child generally did significantly worse when reminded of the negative stereotype about Black people’s intelligence before the test than when simply instructed to take the test. In another study, people of all races were shown a picture of a person’s face followed by a brief picture of a tool. When asked what the object was people were more likely to say it was a gun when the tool was paired with a Black face.

You May Also Like
Learn About Merck's Research Studies for Patients with Colorectal Cancer

At a subconscious level, biases are always at work, but it’s during the event they transform into dangerous actions that can leave a person dead.

An Event + The Prepared = _____

An unarmed Black man killed by a White police officer. It’s a headline that grabs attention because prejudice is evident. A White police officer is accused of being racist. Did you think I was talking about something else? Probably because I am and I’m not. Prejudice doesn’t pick sides, we do.  Our brains are naturally designed to work for our survival and wire itself to protect us from anything potentially threatening. Even though the brain’s capacity is boundless, the amount of information it can process at any one time has limits. If all of its resources are geared toward scanning for threats in the world, there’s little energy for much else—thus the burden.

The burden of preparing to be treated as a threat because of how you look is draining not only because it’s reality, but because it’s reality only some of the time. Children of color are often taught to prepare for prejudice in most situations, but the truth is only a few guests are showing up at the event. But when they come, they party hard and leave havoc to clean afterward.  The others who were invited and live in the neighborhood aren’t off the hook because they didn’t show up or didn’t know about the event. Their responsibility is to help shut it down. The same responsibility The Prepared have for contributing to the cleanup and not the havoc. Because if we want our neighborhood to feel safe for everyone, we all must work to ease the burden.

 

Isaiah PickensDr. Isaiah Pickens is a clinical psychologist who trains health professionals and teens on psychological trauma and suicide prevention.  He is the founder of iOpening Enterprises, a multimedia company specializing in developing entertaining and educational stories for teens, young adults, and the adults who work with them.  Follow Dr. Isaiah @PickensPoints.

You May Also Like
Real Housewives Star Describes Terrifying Medical Experience!

December 8, 2014 by Dr. Isaiah Pickens

Read Next Article

The Latest In Mental Health

Seasonal affective disorder

5 Foods to Stop Being S.A.D

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that changes people’s moods based on changing seasons. Symptoms usually are the most harmful around fall and peak during the winter months. Symptoms of SAD are similar to other forms of read more about 5 Foods to Stop Being S.A.D
pet prescription

Pet Prescription: Could a Pet be the Key to a Healthier You?

If you’ve ever come home after a long day to a wagging tail or fuzzy nuzzles, you know the feeling is indescribable. That’s because pet love hits differently—-so much so that it could paw-simply improve your overall well-being. Read on read more about Pet Prescription: Could a Pet be the Key to a Healthier You?
posture

Power Of Posture: Change How You Sit & Stand For Success

Raise your hand if you have terrible posture. Yeah, me too. Don’t feel bad, we’re not alone. According to the Arthritis Disease Center, more than 31 million Americans complain of lower back pain and more than half of those cases read more about Power Of Posture: Change How You Sit & Stand For Success
therapy

Costly Mistakes to Avoid in Therapy

Therapy offers invaluable support and guidance to help us get through life’s hurdles, and it can be a transformative experience and a necessary step for healing. Although the relationship between you and your therapist should be based on trust and open read more about Costly Mistakes to Avoid in Therapy
mental health

You’re Not Alone: Breaking the Silence on Mental Health in the Black Community

In a world filled with words and digital platforms, it is rare to find one that truly empowers individuals to advocate for their mental well-being and navigate the complex journey of addressing health disparities, especially within communities of color. Amid read more about You’re Not Alone: Breaking the Silence on Mental Health in the Black Community
smart

11 Daily Habits That Make You Smarter

Admit it. It feels good when people think you’re intelligent. If you were ever on the honor roll as a kid, you remember how good it felt to hear your mom brag to the rest of the family about how read more about 11 Daily Habits That Make You Smarter

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

Benefits of Oil Pulling

benefits of oil pulling

Pregnancy and Fibroids? 6 Facts Black Women Need To Know

Pregnancy and Fibroids

Maintaining Your Sex Life During & After Menopause

sex life menopause

7 Signs Of DME And What To Do About It

signs of diabetic macular edema

Morning Showers Vs. Nighttime Showers: Which Is Better For Your Health?

showers
Find a Culturally Sensitive Doctor

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Resource Centers

  • Clinical Trials
  • Wellness on the Yard
  • Cancer
  • Immunocompromised Care
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.