Why
African Americans are Promoted Less
Life Quote
of the Day:
“It’s not always the tears that measure the
pain. Sometimes it’s the smile we fake.”
“Share your weaknesses. Share your hard
moments. Share your real side. It'll either scare away every fake person in
your life or it will inspire them to finally let go of that mirage called
"perfection," which will open the doors to the most important
relationships you'll ever be a part of.”
― Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing
― Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing
“Fake people will insult you infront of the
whole world but those who are true to you will insult you more but in private.”
― Shizra
― Shizra
The secret of life is
honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. Groucho
Marx
~~~
By, Cassandra George Sturges
I hate teaching African American
Psychology. When I teach or have taken a class in regular / mainstream “psychology,”
I have never cried myself to sleep or broke down in my office. I never felt an
emotional connection to Jean Piaget’s child developmental stages that he
discovered by observing his own three children.
However, the content of the African
American Psychology class is heart wrenching because it analyzes how a culture
of slavery has affected the psychological health and physical well-being of
Blacks born in America.
If you asked the average African American, “Why
do you think Blacks are promoted less than Whites?” I think most of us would
say, to some degree indirect or direct institutional racism. However, the
African American Psychology textbook proposes that one of the main reasons that
African Americans are not promoted in the work place is because we lack
emotional control. Ouch! Guilty as
charged.
The researchers say that if a White
American does not like their colleagues only their family members and friends
outside of work would know this. The white employee would attend their colleagues’
child graduation, Christmas party, and other social events inside and outside
of the job—even if they hated that person’s guts.
On the other hand, researchers say that if
a Black person at your place of employment doesn’t like you—everyone will know
it. When Black people do not like their co-workers or bosses, they are very
expressive of their emotions with words or behavior. African Americans are not
ashamed of letting people in the work place know exactly how they feel about
their colleagues whether it is positive or negative.
In mainstream American work culture there
is a saying, “It is not personal its business.” I think as an African American,
I know my feelings are, “If I don’t care about you as a person-- because of how
you treat me personally—I don’t care about your business.”
A plethora of books and articles discuss
the pride that African Americans have in not “being fake,” and “keeping it
real.” My father who was born in 1911 (Harriet Tubman died 2 years later) always
told me, “Your word is your bond.” My father use to say, “A man is his words. And
if I can’t trust what’s coming out of his mouth—he is worthless.” A common
theme in rap lyrics is the same line—“Your word is your bond.”
The African American culture of keeping it
real, and telling it like it is –is coming at an economical and social price of
being promoted less than Whites in the work place. It is not African American’s (our) lack of
intelligence, work ethic, or technical skills that are preventing them (us) from
elevating to management positions—but it is (our) their inability to control their
emotions under adverse circumstances.
In the book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome,
Joy DeGruy, discusses how the slave master promoted a culture of mistrust among
the enslaved people. The slave master would threaten to sell a woman’s children
if she did not report an enslaved person planning an escape.
Three hundred years of slavery remained intact
because the African enslaved people were rewarded for telling the truth to
their slave owners. The cost of freedom is very expensive. I would tell
anything not to have my children taken from me.
African Americans didn’t know who to trust
for their safety and well-being. Therefore, a culture of telling the truth and
being forthright is the only way African Americans could determine if they could (can) establish an honest relationship with another person. This attitude has
collectively hurt African Americans because the power structure in this world
was built on deceit and saying one thing and doing another.
If you think about the animals in the
jungle, you will see that their body camouflages them from their predators. The
antelope’s fur does not scream, “here I am come and eat me”—it blends with the
grassland.
The African American culture of keeping it real, and telling it like it is –is coming at an economical and social price of being promoted less than Whites in the work place. It is not African American’s (our) lack of intelligence, work ethic, or technical skills that are preventing them (us) from elevating to management positions—but it is (our) their inability to control their emotions under adverse circumstances.
Life
Quotes Practical Application
1. I think
what I am learning at this juncture in my life is—my mother use to say—“The left hand does not need to know what the
right hand is doing.” Everyone does not need to know how you truly feel about religion,
politics, or the Oscars. You are not going to change their mind and they are
not going to change your mind. I don’t think it’s fake to not reveal your
innermost thoughts and feelings to everyone. I only need to be emotionally
naked around the people who love me unconditionally.
2.
Secondly, there is such a thing as civility and
decorum. It’s not fake to have a pleasant disposition about the people you work
with. Lately, when a negative thought pops in my head about a colleague,
celebrity, family member—I pretend that it is coming from “Juicy Josephine” who
delights in entertaining me with mean girl gossip, dirty details, and funny dark
criticisms about everybody and everything. I thank her for sharing and then I politely
tell her that what she is telling me-no doubt is entertaining—but it is none of
my business.
When “JJ” nudges me to raise my hand, I thank
her for her suggestion but decline the invitation to stir the political pot
with my opinion. I force myself to think about something I really want to think
about like making hot glue dolls, consistently writing on my blog, and the
Jungle Beauty Goddesses—things that really matter to me.
3. Thirdly,
I am learning that silence is not only golden—Silence is powerful. I have more spiritual and
psychological energy to write, sew, and make things. My emails are up to date,
I am not behind on my work, and I am a lot more organized. It is not that I don’t
care about what’s going on outside me—it’s just that I care more about what is
going on inside of me—in side of my heart.
~~~
Quotes Translator, Weekly Column by, Cassandra George
Sturges discusses Inspirational quotes, motivational quotes, famous quotes,
quote of the day, positive quotes, life quotes, Quotes about life, life
lessons, and relationship quotes and their applications to your life.
~~~
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