Many of our people link the success of our white counterparts to their pigmentation and, in many instances, we are correct. However, we are unable to see the obvious as we merely look at our “color” as others see us and not as who we are created to be. Our pigment allows us to stand out among other ethnic groups, thereby creating a situation wherein other groups form a bond against us, stifling our progress. Due to our inability to recognize the beauty of our pigmentation, we fall victim to Mentacide.
The infographic below was made primarily pertaining to the behavior of “African Americans” as the statistical links above will apply. But this “Mentacidal” behavior is shown by African people throughout our diaspora. At the of this article are some additional resources for further reading.
Why do we take part in this insanity? In view of the fact that we are a people without our own culture (in the case of African-Americans) and the effects of colonialism on Africans from the continent and the Caribbean, combined with positive images of beauty promoted by other ethnicities, we have developed a negative concept of ourselves. The lack of any significant control of media outlets that show continuous positive images of black or African people, we have developed low self esteem and lack of identity. Our men, who are the “enforcers of order and standards,” seeking in many cases self-aggrandisement and acceptance from European men by dating, marrying and or mating with one of his women, have unwittingly contributed to our women being dissatisfied with their ‘black beauty.’ At no time have we had a true global recognized diagnoses by African mental and social health professionals. That may be the explanation as to why African people may be considered the most mentally unstable “race” of people on this planet. The sooner that we can recognize this fact, the sooner we can work on healing ourselves from these issues and see ourselves as the beautiful people we are.
Additional Resources
A 2009 report from Global Industry Analysts declared skin-lightening a $10 billion industry; as of last year, GIA projected that number would hit $23 billion by 2020.
Here is an article from Essence Magazine that talks about “Black Beauty” care products along with some numbers on the amount of money “black women” spend on these products. While we encourage African entrpreneurs such as “Madame CJ Walker” and others the psychological and social global trends of our spending needs to be further examined
On this page you can find the link to a PDF article that discussess soe of the the social cultural and psychological reasons that African American consume so much fast food. You can download the PDF from the link and then go to the chapter titled “African Americans, Fast Food and the Birdcage of Oppression.”
Here is the link to a very informative book on vitamin d deficiency amoung African people around the globe by Dr. Emily Allison-Francis.
