Psychology 12: Introduction to African American Psychology
S/R Paper for April 3, 2008
By
Halford H. Fairchild
Film: A Question of Color
Stimulus: This film explores the issue of colorism in
the African American community. It
covers the special challenges of being light, dark, and everything in
between. It touches on the issue of
hair. Jesse Jackson suggested that the
Afro hair doo was a stop to our being “fictitious.” (But what happened?)
Braids: A
Black woman’s “Great White Hope.”
Affects Asians and their desire for eye
surgery.
“Color consciousness in Black America is a
consequence of racism in White America” (film’s ending).
Responses: The ideology of White racial superiority
produces these effects. It is hard to discuss
this film in a mixed context.
Are Blacks racist?
Can they be?
If you are white, you are all right. If you’re brown, stick around. If you’re Black get back. If you’re red, you’re dead.
Willie Lynch letter:
divide and conquer. We see this
in
Light skinned are resented because of color and
money (class). Light skin is less
objectional in White racist
Colored contact lenses.
What happened to “Black is Beautiful”? See the Keri Davis film on doll preferences.
Kathleen Cleaver’s “cloud Afro,” a thing of the
past.
And conflicts between Black women.
Perhaps, at a macro level, we are going through an
identity recycling, to use an idea by Thomas Parham. The whole of us have recycled to a
Pre-Encounter existence.
The Black Consciousness movement happened 40 years
ago.
Barack Obama’s mixed heritage provides an
opportunity for curing
Skin lighteners producing health problems – in
Bad hair and mass insanity. What is the fucnction of hair?
Asian eye surgery.
Fairchild,
H.H. (1987). N Word
should be odious from anyone.
Stimulus: This op-ed piece suggests that the N Word is
a “scar” of cultural racism. It reviews
the injudicious use of the NWord by a
How Africans reject their Africanness. De-Africanization (hair, skin color, facial
features).
Place censures on the use of the Nword.
Responses: Cultural racism – one of many forms of
racism.
The Academy Awards:
Denzel,
Censuring the use of the Nword is an uphill
battle. It is a battle that we seem to be
losing.
Fairchild,
H.H. (1985). Black, Negro, or Afro-American? The
differences are crucial! Journal of Black Studies, 16(1), 47-55.
Stimulus: Reports an experiment that shows that
negative stereotyping was more frequent toward Blacks; more favorable toward
Afro-Americans. Calls for the adoption
of the term, African-American.
Race names as enhancing the contrast.
Responses: The importance of capitalizing proper nouns,
such as Black and White, and the struggle within the APA to adopt this policy.
The term “minority” as an instance of cultural
racism – due to its homogenizing effects.
Ties of self-referents (names) to psychological
well-being.
Use
it? Or lose it? – LA Times December 5, 2006.
‘linguistic inertia’
Challenging the use of the Nword in Black comedy;
Black culture.
Fairchild,
H.H., & Cowan, G. (1997). The O.J. Simpson trial: Challenges to science
and society. Journal of Social Issues, 53(3),
583-591.
Stimulus: This is the final article of a special issue
that focused on the OJ Simpson trial. It
synthesizes the body of work reported in the special issue.
Notes that “race” effects are proxy effects. It is not about being Black or White, but
about the experiences that people have (that are often – but not always – tied
to one’s racial ascription). Race
effects are due to a “culturally shared network of cognitions and affects”
(Mendoza-Denton, et al., 1997).
The article calls for future research that seeks to
understand “race” in terms of its social-psychological processes (vs. the idea
of racial essentialism – which is more biologically based).
It reviews ‘challenges to society’ which are tied to
ending racism.
The OJ Simpson trail may have stimulated a “quiet
riot” of toughened laws (3 strikes, etc.).
The real challenge is in making
Responses: The article debunks race, the idea of
“fairness” in the criminal justice system (OJ received “White man’s justice”);
Bonus
Article: LA Times on Coachella trailer
parks
The presence of such squalor is a violation of
American ideals, and reminds us of the trans-racial nature of racism.
Who is benefiting from that squalor?