CPT Asshole

Study links discrimination, illness

According to a recent study of African American women's experiences with discrimination, "These findings suggest that chronic exposure to discrimination may be an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in African-American women," Said Tene Lewis, one of the researchers and a health psychologist in preventive medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "This is an unavoidable stressor for African-American women."

Even though I'm no doctor, I would say that every African-American woman has experienced some form of discrimination sometime in their lives. But then, I also would admit that every human being has experienced some form of discrimination in their lives. But not every African-American woman has suffered because of it. Everyone is different, and not everyone lets discrimination bother them. If they did, then everyone would suffer from it. Sure, this study shows a link between the stress caused by discrimination, and it's role as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in African-American women. But it means nothing to those African-American women who experience discrimination, but don't let it bother them.

Discrimination is not an "unavoidable" stressor. If one wonders, Why did the cashier put the money on the counter, because he didn't want to touch my hand? It's your fault for thinking this, and you must learn not to be prejudiced towards the cashier by attributing such motives. These are your feelings, and your feelings are your own creation. The same things happen to many different people, and yet we all have different degrees of feelings about these same things.

Someone who worries about the salesperson asking to help to suggest you don't belong in the store, or worrying when the salesperson doesn't ask if you need help because you think they didn't see you because of your color, sounds like someone who is just looking for reasons to be upset with someone. I don't have to be a doctor to see that this type of person will have way more stress in their lives than someone who doesn't think about such things in the first place. Besides, this is an example of prejudice against salespeople. These are your thoughts being attributed to someone you don't know. Stop doing it, and the stress associated with it will go away.

It takes time, generations have to go by, for real change. Society does change over time, but some people don't. Discrimination, to be realistic, will never go away in our lifetimes. We cannot control discrimination. We have the ability to control how we feel about it, and for our own health, we should learn how to do it.

I'm no expert, but I think it starts with how you look at everyone, and every situation. If you go around looking for ways to be angry with people, anyone can do that, and find plenty of people and situations to be angry and upset about. So, unless it's your job to report these things, don't go around looking for ways to get upset and stressed, because you'll probably find them. Accept that people are going to make mistakes, and when you get the chance, forgive them, make a joke, show that you're not upset with them, no matter how much you may not like the actual event. Separate the person from the event, be angry at the event, not the person.

I know, some of you are shaking your heads, but those of you who have already done this know how much more effective it works. Say someone is deliberately picking on you, and you deliberately fail to recognize it, and fail to get mad at the person. But instead point out how a mistake has been made and how upset you are at the event, you'll make the person feel worse about themselves, (and more likely to change their behavior next time), if you act like you have no idea they might have deliberately done this because of your color, than if you got in their face over it.

I happen to accept that everyone is prejudiced, everyone discriminates. If you don't believe this, then you must not treat your mother any differently than a salesperson. Either you treat everyone the same, or you don't, and I don't know anyone who treats everyone the same. Fire is not prejudiced, and it doesn't discriminate, it will burn anything, no matter what color, what age, etc. The ocean is not prejudiced, and does not discriminate, it will drown anyone, no matter how old, what color, what sex, etc. People have feelings, families, and treat strangers differently than family, this is natural, and yet it is still a form of prejudice and discrimination. Some people are simply better than others at treating people fairly despite their prejudices. None of us are perfect.

But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Ahoy from the Captain.

posted by cpt asshole @ 1:41 PM