Joseph A. Bailey, II, M.D.

Now suppose some of this process has application to slavery-generated delusions present in struggling Black Americans. Here are my speculations. Pains were generated in slave males from losing or restraining their "manhood"; from being placed in an inferior position to Black females; from an inability to obtain adequate or any employment; and from not having what it took to fight the White man. Slave females had pains over being continually raped by White men, among others.

Inside the delusions of today's struggling Blacks are emotional and spiritual pains culturally transmitted and acquired. Together, they are denied, suppressed, repressed, ignored, compensated for, or dissociated. Ways they are dealt with them are by denial, dissociation, suppression, repression or compensation (by "acting a fool" or fighting or fleeing by various defense mechanisms, including engaging in superficial pleasures and "being about nothing"). All Black people did (and do) have pains over being constantly insulted-- e.g. Whites calling Blacks by their first name, or gal/boy/uncle and insisting on Caste behaviors. Although these emotions are out of conscious awareness and hence out of control, they remain quite active in causing one to do weird and self-defeating things--things for which he/she can not account-things like getting in fights over "nothing".

Regardless of how many are present and in what combination in any given Black American, there is a lack of awareness of-but an accommodation to-and perhaps even the acceptance of this "glob" of entangled terrible emotions delusions and pains. Despite being considered "normal", the effects of this glob are overwhelming. It takes up so much mind space and energy as to leave little room for more constructive thoughts and actions. Hence, one is not in complete control of one's minds-a situation which can cause one to go "mad." Besides, the glob may well explain many of the physical problems featured in Black Americans-strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. Many struggling Blacks are mentally caged by being unable to "escape" into a state of reality. Their only relief is to "escape" into more disturbing delusions or into superficial pleasures or into activities that lead to "dead-ends."  By contrast, when tired of themselves, "normal" people can "escape" into distortions or fantasy. Pause for a moment to realize how completely caged you are by extreme anger. Suppose, as a way of life, you stayed in that mental state-conceivably as happens to many struggling Blacks. Under these circumstances it is remarkable that the afflicted get as much done as they do--and that they do not do things much worse than what they do. They need community help.

website: http://www.jablifeskills.com

Joseph A. Bailey, II, M.D.