#racial anxiety

[signed-manny]

My Humanities mini-essay on racism was pretty good in my opinion:

I wish, every day, that I could go back to the hopeful innocence of my childhood. The way I viewed the world as an enormous adventure and humanity as a giant family. It’s that youthful naivety that made life so much fun. However, I had to go and grow up and now I can’t seem to experience a single interaction without bracing myself for potential racism. 

You would think the world would have gotten more progressive at this point. After all, it is the 21st Century. The generation of change. Movements of racial awareness and acceptance are being recognised. I had hope. I started to try and rebuild my faith in humanity, only for it to be diminished once more just a year ago.

My family and I went shoe shopping for my little brother who got selected to be part of the school’s rugby team. He has a bit of a lanky frame, but he is tall and very fast. I knew he’d do well. We went to numerous shops and interacted with many employees, most of whom were white people. It’s the way they take glances at my parents - make eye contact before blatantly ignoring us, only to then go and ask other white customers if they would like assistance. It’s the way they recommend cheaper options without proper foot support versus the more high-end models. It’s the way they ask for clarification when they’re told my little brother is on his school rugby team. My blood boils each time I recall that kind of self-righteous, passive aggressive behaviour. I believe Professor Cassie Pittman sums up the experience of racism within the everyday customer; “Many shoppers feel their race undermines their credibility in stores,” Pittman said. “They’re treated differently, but not wholly denied access…” (Robison, 2022). I hadn’t experienced such shameless racism in a while. It really made me sit down and think about all the times I had gone through a situation where, when observed from the perspective of a person of colour, is clear discrimination. For example, being chosen as part of a “random selection” by airport security. Except it happens every time we travel. 

I was reintroduced to this concept within ethics from a Humanities unit I did for Uni last semester, and it allowed me to question my interactions with others more critically from a lens of racial anxiety. Is it socially ethical of me to assume every negative experience as “racist”? Is it personally ethical of me to ignore my intuition and assume my race will never play a factor in my mistreatment? What’s sad is how it’s so deeply rooted in my mind that the world is inherently a bad place, that when I’m treated normally, I feel a genuine sense of shock and relief. Ultimately, I could never pinpoint a single instance as “transformative” as my sense of self strives for positivity. Therefore, every single time that positivity gets diminished by the harsh truth of reality, I feel myself transform once more to a colder, darker, more cynical me. I suppose I will continue to live in this cycle of regrowing my positivity and holding out my heart for the day when the world stops viewing us as colours rather than humans. 

[omegaphilosophia]

The Problematic Association of Darkness with Evil

Considering darkness as inherently evil is problematic for several reasons, including the conflation of symbolic meanings, the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes, and the oversimplification of complex concepts. Here are some key issues with associating darkness with evil:

1. Symbolic Connotations:

Cultural Variations: Different cultures have varied interpretations of darkness. While some may associate darkness with evil, others may see it as a symbol of mystery, the unknown, or even tranquility. This diversity in symbolic meanings shows that darkness itself is not universally linked to malevolence.

Nature of Darkness: Darkness is a natural and neutral phenomenon, such as the absence of light during night time. Equating it with evil overlooks its fundamental role in the natural world, including its necessity for rest and the cyclical balance of day and night.

2. Harmful Stereotypes:

Racial and Cultural Implications: The association of darkness with evil can perpetuate negative stereotypes and biases, especially in terms of race and ethnicity. Historical and contemporary racial prejudices have sometimes used the symbolism of darkness to reinforce discriminatory views and practices.

Mental Health: Linking darkness with negative qualities can also stigmatize mental health issues related to depression or anxiety, which are often metaphorically described as "darkness" or "dark periods" in one's life. This can exacerbate feelings of shame or isolation for those struggling with these issues.

3. Moral and Ethical Oversimplification:

Complexity of Evil: Evil is a complex moral concept that cannot be reduced to a single attribute like darkness. Evil involves intentional harm, malevolence, or immorality, which are not inherently related to the concept of darkness. Associating darkness with evil simplifies the nuances of moral and ethical issues.

Ambiguity of Good and Evil: The dichotomy of good versus evil is often more nuanced than a simple association with light and darkness. Many moral and ethical dilemmas involve gray areas where both light and darkness can coexist, making it problematic to assign absolute values to either concept.

4. Psychological and Existential Dimensions:

Fear of the Unknown: Darkness is often associated with fear because it represents the unknown or the unseen. This fear is not necessarily about evil but about uncertainty and the lack of control. Associating darkness with evil can amplify irrational fears and anxieties.

Exploration of the Self: Darkness can also represent aspects of the self that are not fully understood or acknowledged. Embracing darkness as part of the human experience can lead to personal growth and self-discovery, rather than viewing it solely as negative.

5. Ethical and Philosophical Perspectives:

Existential and Phenomenological Views: Philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger have explored the idea of darkness in existential terms, focusing on themes such as the "nothingness" or "void" that accompanies human existence. These perspectives suggest that darkness is not inherently evil but a fundamental aspect of the human condition that can be approached with a sense of existential awareness.

Religious and Spiritual Interpretations: Various religious and spiritual traditions have different interpretations of darkness. For example, some see it as a space for contemplation, meditation, or spiritual growth, rather than as a symbol of evil.

The problematic nature of considering darkness as evil lies in the oversimplification of complex concepts, the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes, and the neglect of cultural and existential perspectives. Darkness, as a natural and symbolic concept, carries multiple meanings and cannot be universally categorized as evil. Recognizing the multifaceted nature of darkness helps to avoid reductive thinking and fosters a more nuanced understanding of morality, psychology, and cultural symbolism.

[strangestcase]

Im so full of Jekyll and Hyde analysis yum!

[death-rebirth-senshi]

I just think it downplays what Nazis have done historically and what current day neo-nazis believe to treat every garden variety fantasy racist a nazi

[jyndor]

gotta say how meaningful it was as someone who has ptsd and anxiety to see diego capture so accurately and empathetically what it both looks and feels like to go through dissociation, anxiety and ptsd - and have the trigger be something very, very real. and not just in cassian’s head. and not a fantasy - though I don’t want to dismiss the legitimacy of how horrible having delusions can be, I’m not talking about that right now. i can’t speak to the racialization/xenophobia/imprisonment aspect of his trauma but I can speak to being in situations that trigger my anxiety and feeling like I’m both totally within my rights to feel anxious but also feeling like I must be crazy for dissociating and panicking.

the slowness of his movements, the hyper-vigilance, the blankness behind his eyes when he’s able to rest for a moment... so many of us feel like that all the time and I really appreciate how well the show portrays anxiety from his point of view. it’s validating.

[robotpussy]

i can safely say part of my anxiety is fuelled by antiblackness

[rangedreign]

re: POST

"umm I hope you guys know orcs would kill you if you tried to fuck them"

that's what i'm here for dumbass. 'scary chaotic evil creature that will rape you to shreds if it desires you and will eat you if it doesnt' is one of the most erotic ideas humanity has ever created. no subversion necessary, whatever gets you off 💚

[panvani]

From what positive reviews I've seen of A Little Life the attempts to justify the fact that it is just plainly an 800 page long parade of trauma porn have been so so stupid like just blatantly disregarding what actual aspects of the work could even theoretically be constructed as interesting to entirely fabricate a narrative about The Millenial Condition

[psychosodomy]

its like this whole novel giovanni is asking “what do you have to lose by being in love?” and david is like “everything” but losing that everything is only as terrifying as he allows it to be and it sucks up all his life and i just (HOWLS) everytime i read this book its like im begging and pleading alongside giovanni cause david cant find a way forward after this and grieving giovanni feels like grieving david too

[fursasaida]

This article is from 2022, but it came up in the context of Palestine:

Here are some striking passages, relevant to all colonial aftermaths but certainly also to the forms we see Zionist reaction taking at the moment:

Over the decade I lived in South Africa, I became fascinated by this white minority [i.e. the whole white population post-apartheid as a minority in the country], particularly its members who considered themselves progressive. They reminded me of my liberal peers in America, who had an apparently self-assured enthusiasm about the coming of a so-called majority-minority nation. As with white South Africans who had celebrated the end of apartheid, their enthusiasm often belied, just beneath the surface, a striking degree of fear, bewilderment, disillusionment, and dread.

[...]

Yet these progressives’ response to the end of apartheid was ambivalent. Contemplating South Africa after apartheid, an Economist correspondent observed that “the lives of many whites exude sadness.” The phenomenon perplexed him. In so many ways, white life remained more or less untouched, or had even improved. Despite apartheid’s horrors—and the regime’s violence against those who worked to dismantle it—the ANC encouraged an attitude of forgiveness. It left statues of Afrikaner heroes standing and helped institute the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which granted amnesty to some perpetrators of apartheid-era political crimes.

But as time wore on, even wealthy white South Africans began to radiate a degree of fear and frustration that did not match any simple economic analysis of their situation. A startling number of formerly anti-apartheid white people began to voice bitter criticisms of post-apartheid society. An Afrikaner poet who did prison time under apartheid for aiding the Black-liberation cause wrote an essay denouncing the new Black-led country as “a sewer of betrayed expectations and thievery, fear and unbridled greed.”

What accounted for this disillusionment? Many white South Africans told me that Black forgiveness felt like a slap on the face. By not acting toward you as you acted toward us, we’re showing you up, white South Africans seemed to hear. You’ll owe us a debt of gratitude forever.

The article goes on to discuss:

"Mau Mau anxiety," or the fear among whites of violent repercussions, and how this shows up in reported vs confirmed crime stats - possibly to the point of false memories of home invasion

A sense of irrelevance and alienation among this white population, leading to another anxiety: "do we still belong here?"

The sublimation of this anxiety into self-identification as a marginalized minority group, featuring such incredible statements as "I wanted to fight for Afrikaners, but I came to think of myself as a ‘liberal internationalist,’ not a white racist...I found such inspiration from the struggles of the Catalonians and the Basques. Even Tibet" and "[Martin Luther] King [Jr.] also fought for a people without much political representation … That’s why I consider him one of my most important forebears and heroes,” from a self-declared liberal environmentalist who also thinks Afrikaaners should take back government control because they are "naturally good" at governance

Some discussion of the dynamics underlying these reactions, particularly the fact that "admitting past sins seem[ed] to become harder even as they receded into history," and US parallels

And finally, in closing:

The Afrikaner journalist Rian Malan, who opposed apartheid, has written that, by most measures, its aftermath went better than almost any white person could have imagined. But, as with most white progressives, his experience of post-1994 South Africa has been complicated. [...]

He just couldn’t forgive Black people for forgiving him. Paradoxically, being left undisturbed served as an ever-present reminder of his guilt, of how wrongly he had treated his maid and other Black people under apartheid. “The Bible was right about a thing or two,” he wrote. “It is infinitely worse to receive than to give, especially if … the gift is mercy.”

[themeanstoanend]

[depresseddepot]

I'm chewing on the walls bc my dm hasn't seen my question about my character's backstory yet and I am trying SO HARD to keep myself on the rails and not run off with something I'm not even allowed to do yet

[headspace-hotel]

What i've been learning thru my research is that Lawn Culture and laws against "weeds" in America are deeply connected to anxieties about "undesirable" people.

I read this essay called "Controlling the Weed Nuisance in Turn-of-the-century American Cities" by Zachary J. S. Falck and it discusses how the late 1800's and early 1900's created ideal habitats for weeds with urban expansion, railroads, the colonization of more territory, and the like.

Around this time, laws requiring the destruction of "weeds" were passed in many American cities. These weedy plants were viewed as "filth" and literally disease-causing—in the 1880's in St. Louis, a newspaper reported that weeds infected school children with typhoid, diphtheria, and scarlet fever.

Weeds were also seen as "conducive to immorality" by promoting the presence of "tramps and idlers." People thought wild growing plants would "shelter" threatening criminals. Weeds were heavily associated with poverty and immortality. Panic about them spiked strongly after malaria and typhoid outbreaks.

To make things even wilder, one of the main weeds the legal turmoil and public anxiety centered upon was actually the sunflower. Milkweed was also a major "undesirable" weed and a major target of laws mandating the destruction of weeds.

The major explosion in weed-control law being put forth and enforced happened around 1905-1910. And I formed a hypothesis—I had this abrupt remembrance of something I studied in a history class in college. I thought to myself, I bet this coincides with a major wave of immigration to the USA.

Bingo. 1907 was the peak of European immigration. We must keep in mind that these people were not "white" in the exact way that is recognized today. From what I remember from my history classes, Eastern European people were very much feared as criminals and potential communists. Wikipedia elaborates that the Immigration Act of 1924 was meant to restrict Jewish, Slavic, and Italian people from entering the country, and that the major wave of immigration among them began in the 1890s. Almost perfectly coinciding with the "weed nuisance" panic. (The Immigration Act of 1917 also banned intellectually disabled people, gay people, anarchists, and people from Asia, except for Chinese people...who were only excluded because they were already banned since 1880.)

From this evidence, I would guess that our aesthetics and views about "weeds" emerged from the convergence of two things:

First, we were obliterating native ecosystems by colonizing them and violently displacing their caretakers, then running roughshod over them with poorly informed agricultural and horticultural techniques, as well as constructing lots of cities and railroads, creating the ideal circumstances for weeds.

Second, lots of immigrants were entering the country, and xenophobia and racism lent itself to fears of "criminals" "tramps" and other "undesirable" people, leading to a desire to forcefully impose order and push out the "Other." I am not inventing a connection—undesirable people and undesirable weeds were frequently compared in these times.

And this was at the very beginnings of the eugenics movement, wherein supposedly "inferior" and poor or racialized people were described in a manner much the same as "weeds," particularly supposedly "breeding" much faster than other people.

There is another connection that the essay doesn't bring up, but that is very clear to me. Weeds are in fact plants of the poor and of immigrants, because they are often medicinal and food plants for people on the margins, hanging out around human habitation like semi-domesticated cats around granaries in the ancient Near East.

My Appalachian ancestors ate pokeweed, Phytolacca americana. The plant is toxic, but poor people in the South would gather the plant's young leaves and boil them three times to get the poison out, then eat them as "poke salad." Pokeweed is a weed that grows readily on roadsides and in vacant lots.

In some parts of the world, it is grown as an ornamental plant for its huge, tropical-looking leaves and magenta stems. But my mom hates the stuff. "Cut that down," she says, "it makes us look like rednecks."

[the-meditation-manifesto]

ANXIETY | Subliminal Affirmations | REASSURANCE |Stress-relief | THETA #...

[mentalintimacymagazine]

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The Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) is America’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival. Each year, it screens more than 150 films made by and/or about people of African descent from around the world. PAFF holds the distinction of being the largest Black History Month event in the country. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has designated PAFF as an official…