My Black Is Beautiful: Angry Black Women...The Syndrome

My Black Is Beautiful: Angry Black Women...The Syndrome

Angry Black Women...The Syndrome

I have just come to the realization that a lot of black women have anger issues and these issues run deep down inside of them and it compromises their character and who they should be. Being an angry black woman is not something that just happens, it is something that is imprinted and embedded within them. It is my belief that  being an angry black woman is a plague, it is a disease and it is something that destroys a woman, therefore it should have a name, Angry Black Woman Syndrome (ABWS).

So where does this syndrome stem from? Is it something that a woman is born with? Is it something that is learned? Is it something they pick up from others? During this blog, I will attempt to explore and answer these questions as best I can.

It is my belief that for some people, this is a learned behavior, sort of like hatred. It is, in a way, a form of hatred that is inherited. Most black women are raised in a single parent household where they are constantly being told by their mother that black men are no good. Their mothers tell them that their fathers are no good, black men are no good, etc and this is where it begins. Because their mother experienced bad relationships, she embed in her child that she doesn't need a man, that men are no good and that child begins to believe them.

For some women, their fathers are the root of it all. Because they have absentee fathers, abusive fathers and so on, they think that all men are that way and their mentality is that by dating men of other races, they have upgraded. But the reality is, you are what you attract. Dating a white man, Asian man, etc will make no difference if it is something within you that attracts these types of men.

Another reason black women are angry is because they have angry friends. When you surround yourself with negative people who have nothing positive going on in their life, they will bring a good relationship into a negative one because they will always find fault in your relationship. They will hate on a good man because they don't want you happy because they aren't. Never surround yourself with negative friends and negative women because they will turn you into that same angry woman that they are.

Finally, some women attract bad relationships because that is what they want. They don't want that man who respects them wears fitted clothes, cares for them. The problem is they see that good man as only the friend type and tend to gravitate towards the thug type of man because in their mind he is what a strong man.

Now let be break it down for you...I came from a single parent household, however, my mother never talked negative about my father even though he was absent in my life. She never said black men were bad. She dated bad black men and good black men, but she still believed. I have dated all races and found that all men are the same regardless of color. It's not a race issue, it is a personality issue. I dated some bad black men because I was attracted to negative black men who were the thug, but now I have a good black man. He opens the door for me, he gives me his coat when it's cold. He respects me, he pays for our food. Don't get me wrong, he still  has flaws but a good relationship is give and take. Sometimes you have to learn your place. It's okay to be strong, but don't be so strong that it is perceived as aggressiveness and cockiness. Don't accuse a man of cheating and definitely don't make him pay for all the bad men you've had in your life. Finally, do something to show that good man that you appreciate him. Stop making a man have to work for your love. Love is an emotion not a job and it is give and take.. So while you're out there being an Angry Black Woman, you're missing out on all the good black men, because no man should and wants to pay for another mans mistakes or the hatred you refuse to let go....So thanks to all the good black men that are a constant reminder to me that being an angry black woman really has nothing to do with the man, but more so the anger within the woman...so let go of the ANGRY BLACK WOMAN SYNDROME you have acquired, it's not wanted or needed to be happy!

Sending troops to Lybia is a Bush move and we don't need this....

As I sat at this computer pondering what should be my next blog post, I can't help but notice all the controversy surrounding the fighting in Lybia. So I decided that it is my journalistic duty to speak on the issue....

We all remember the "weapons of mass destruction" mess with Bush and how we just had to go to Iraq and fight. We also remember how we began sending our troops over to Iraq to fight a war that was not ours to fight in the first place. What's the worst part of it all is that our government lied to us, they betrayed our trust and they allowed us to send troops to  fight someone else's battle. Now, I'm all for defending my country and my people, but why is it that we always seem to be fighting other peoples battles, yet we can never get anyone to help us with our own battles. I'm not anti-government or anything but I do have a problem with my friends and family being sent to a country to fight a battle that the people of that country don't even want our help with. I mean, if we are going to go to a country to help someone fight, we should not be receiving opposition from those people that we claim want and need our help.

It just seems like we have this "hero mentality" where we have to be super-save-a-country or something. So excuse me if I am for not going to Lybia. Excuse me if I am for President Obama and the fact that he is not gunhoe about going to Lybia and fighting. It's so funny how contradictory we can be; we got mad at Bush for sending troops to Iraq; we got mad at Obama cause the troops ara still in Afghanastan and Iraq; yet we are mad the Obama isn't moving fast enough for us with Lybia. It's like we want to kill our economy or something. Is it just me or is this war expensive as heck already. I mean we are technically fighting two wars right now, even if you don't believe it or the government doesn't admit it. But just being honest, we can't afford to fight a third war. Heck we are having problems paying our own bills, gas prices are killing us and our economy is a hot mess so why do something we don't have to yet! I know one thing, if things keep esculating, we may be headed into WWIII!

So now that you have heard my thoughts, I would like to create some open dialogue to see what other's are thinking...no racist talk and lets be respectable of other's on my page...I will delete all offensive posts!

The lack of Blackness may be contributing factor in diversity issues

I wanted to see what the contributing factor could possible be to the lack of diversity and the type of coverage Blacks get in the media industry and what I found was expected, but still low. I discovered that there are only roughly 240 black-owned radio stations operating across the country.  African Americans make up almost 13% of the U.S. population but only own less than 1% of the country's television stations. This is a sad number. I think that this in part is the reason for the lack of and over representation of African-Americans in the media.

I think that the reason that Blacks are viewed in a particular manner is because there is someone that is not Black determining what the think it means to be Black. I think that this is a direct effect of the lack of ownership in media. If Blacks owned more television shows and stations, they should be able to give better programming and representation of Blacks.

I also argue that BET does not adequately show Blacks and that some of the things they display has a negative effect on how Blacks should and wish to be viewed. I honestly don't consider BET to be a real station because of their content. They do not show images and programming that I feel appeals to certain demographics within the Black community and I feel like their programming in some way gives a negative connotation of how Blacks act and live.

I also feel that the media only shows black imagery in news stories to where the suspect is possibly Black or if the story is in a low income area. I think they use over sensationalism when they cover stories in these areas and they also use a lot of framing to make it seem as if this is all there is to the Black community and that isn't true. We are not all low income families and we are not all criminals and uneducated. Part of the problem is that we do not demand better therefore they think it is okay to show these images.

Black entertainment is suffering because we do not whole our entertainers accountable for the content they put out there and we do not demand that the stations give us better programming options. I don't want anyone to see that this is a black/ white issue because it is more than that. This is a diversity issue, I am just focusing on the Black aspect because I am Black myself.

I ask that you all weigh in on this topic and give your opinions and statements regarding diversity in programming and the media as a whole.

Let the Framing begin...

Blacks have been an overly represented people in the news when it comes to negative coverage but under represented when it comes to positive publicity. It is my opinion, that the media portrays images of blacks that do no necessarily represent the majority.

When I watch the news I am both baffled and embarrased by how blacks are portrayed in the news. Is it just me or does the news seem to get the most ghetto person to speak for the majority. When there is a crime being committed they show mugshots, interview people in the family and go to the neighborhoods.

If you are going to depict this type of imagery for one race, it should be for all races. I feel like symbolic inilation takes place because each race is not represented equally, therefore one race gets more coverage than they should over the other race whether negative or positive. It is also my observation that hispanics receive the same stereotypical framing as blacks. The imagery portrayed makes it seem as if both races are ghetto and live poorly when this is not the case.

In a way, I don't blame the media because they are portraying what we think is news, therefore I feel we must change our thinking and hold news to a higher standard instead of allowing this type of imagery to be seen on a daily basis.

One image that was very popular that I thought was a mess was when this guy tried to break in a house and rape this girl and her brother ran in on the guy, this became a youtube phenomenom and he became an overnight celebrity.
This is the original news story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZKXAFqdlC4&feature=related

This is the youtube edited version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtZfW2z9dw

This is the post interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hdC16-cTQ0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og5znBpNEh8&feature=fvw

Here are some more links from different media outlets so that you are able to decide if you agree with me or disagree with me...all feedback is welcome and wanted.

wjtv 12

wjtv 12-2

wjtv 3

Juan Williams Fired...Stupidity Was The Reason

I know by now everyone has heard about Juan Williams being fired, so I don't need to elaborate on what happened, however, I will elaborate on why he was fired and you may comment on it if you choose whether you agree with me or not.


Williams was fired not because he was a black journalist who said the wrong thing, I think race had nothing to do with this incident. I think his repeated violations of NPR's warnings was the reason. Furthermore, I believe his affiliation with Fox played a part in him being fired.


The question that comes to mind for me is, "What ever happened to being unbias and fair as a journalist?" What he said may have been taken out of content, I'm not disputing that, however he is a journalist and he should have never made the comment.


Everybody is getting mad at NPR, but would you have been mad if he had been white and had said he fear blacks? No you would have been mad at him and demanded he be fired. I think NPR did what they had to do to protect the integrity of their station and if I were in their shoes, I would have fired him also.


In media, their should be boundaries you do not cross and things you do not say, this was just a wake up call to all of these so called journalists that think their opinion  matters. In journalism you have no opinion, so therefore you don't say anything that is offensive to others, even if it is something that most people think. Had he had some facts to back up what he said, I would have been mad at NPR, but since this was a stupid comment made by a stupid man, I say you get what you dish!

UPDATE:
OK, I new Jessie Jackson was going to get involved in this situation. This is another chance for him to get in the spotlight and steal it from the real issue. I don't know about you, but why is it that he is worried about Juan Williams and he has yet to speak up about the Scott Sisters life sentence for robbery when no one was hurt in that robbery. I know this is another issue, but it seems to me that he only get involved in high profile situations so that he can use big words and the race card. As an African American, I am sick of the race card being used every time he gives a speech. One of these days it will  be a race issue and no one will care because he overused it! 


Jackson talks about freedom of speech, but as a journalist it is my opinion that you don't have freedom of speech because your freedom was purchased by the company that employs you. I feel like journalists should never state opinions, unless they are backed by facts because they are viewed as fair and impartial. Also, his comparison to the issue with Shirley Sherrod. That was totally different. Her firing was wrongful because they edited her words to make a statement that she did not say, however, Juan Williams said what he meant to say, so he should suffer the consequences.


His comment about freedom of speech is totally wrong and does not apply to this situation because journalist are not free to speak their minds because they are the voice of the people to the people. I also feel that this race card thing is too controversial and overrated. He could have came up with other reasons why NPR was out of place for firing Williams. Now he makes others think that we will always say our race is the reason something happens to us. This creates another negative typecast added to African Americans.

Started Way Back When with Gimme a Break

Gimme a Break was a very popular show from 1981-1987. I watched it religiously with my family, because it was one of the very few shows that actually had an African American as somewhat of a leading role. The show was about this black woman named Nell Harper, played by Nell Carter, as a housekeeping for this white police chief, who is a widower.  The police chief has three children that Nell sees after and takes care of because of a promise she made to the late wife of the police chief. During this time, you didn't see many films in which blacks played roles that were not very stereotypical, this show displayed a role that was usual during that time, however it did not show a role of a black person being ignorant or obscene as in previous shows during the seventies and early eighties. The message this show gave was it was typical for a black women to take care of white families. During this time, I lived with my grandmother and her job was to clean houses for various white families during the week. The job did not have any benefits and she would usually come home too tired to cook and clean her own house. This show was very realistic to the views of blacks as the sort of caretaker and cleaner for the upper-classed white people. They were not expected to be successful blacks in professional settings and it showed in the imagery on television. Also, during this time, the images of black women were usually of fat black women, women with large hips, short hair, big breast. Most of the images during this time were stereotypical images of a thick, full figured women, even though black women come in other sizes. Some other stereotypes you see in this depiction is that of a not so educated woman, a loud mouthed black woman, very opinionated, nagging and someone who bickers or talks about her friends. Included in this discussion is links for this particular show, I invite you to view the suggested clips or add clips of your own. I also ask that you comment and enter in a discussion with me and lets see whether or not the images have changed, still the same or are the worse than they were doing that time. I would also like for you to include other shows that aired during the seventies and eighties in which the image portrayed were deemed offensive or stereotypical roles of both the black male and black woman.
You may include shows in which they are:
-living in the ghetto
-a maid
-dating multiple partners
-doing stupid things
-single mother 
-drug addicts
-loud mouths
-fat women
-nasty
-or any other role in which the character does not depict blacks in the proper manner




Links:
Nell with the doo wopp girls


Breakdown part 1


valentine part 4