My Brother Faces Racial Stereotypes

1043 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Personal experience of social class

Kiara Williams 4th Hour 5/26/16 Richard must stick up for himself in more ways than one, as my brother does dealing with mental illness. Just as Richard faced racial prejudices, my brother faces stigma for things he can’t control. As Richard is born African American and is shamed for it and put into stereotypes, my brother was born with skizo-affective disorder with similar reactions from friends, family, and even strangers. In spring of 2012 my brother was diagnosed with skizo-affective disorder with depression. It was almost like people were walking on egg shells around him afraid that any little thing they do might “set him off”. Along came the holiday months, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s all seemed …show more content…

They were afraid maybe because he didn’t match them, almost as if they were intimidated by his skin color. When he went into stores people treated him differently an unequally because of the way he was born. But it’s not his fault, he can’t help that. My brother and Richard are the same yet different in many ways. They both deal with people judging them without knowing anything about them, all based on looks and the way they may carry themselves. Stigma means “the mark of disgrace or shame associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person”. Richard is an African American male living in the time period when it was wrong to be black and under the circumstances he was blamed for things he didn’t o because he was an “easy” target. Khalil has skizo - affective disorder and is made to feel ashamed of something he can’t control but is also made to feel dumb because he isn’t able to start college and isn’t able to get a job because he can’t function like normal people or even make eye contact with them, for the fear that they will see the thigs that make him different and not the things that make him just like everyone else. This is exactly how richer felt when he wasn’t able to do certain things because of the color of his skin, worried that people would see the things that are different in him and not what makes him a beautiful human being. But …show more content…

Just the fact that difference is bad scary maybe and people don’t like change. But you should never be ashamed of where you come from or how you were raised, the things you can’t control, because the older you get the more you are going to wish you didn’t care what people thought of you an lived your life the way you

Show More
Related

  • The Day The Voices Stopped: A Memoir Of Madness And Hope '

    1734 Words  | 4 Pages

    This stereotype contributes to the stigma individuals’ face and encourages social exclusion and intolerance, especially in schizophrenia (Ray & Brooks Dollar, 2014). Ken sought out help and went to the emergency room because he recognized he was severely depressed. There, the doctor promised he would not be put in restraints, yet when he was taken to the hospital, he was placed in restraints because it was company policy (Steele & Berman, 2001). Due the stigma that individuals with mental illness are violent, Ken was not treated fairly (Stuart & Arboleda-Florez, 2012). Stuart and Arboleda-Florez (2012) are very credible authors to be writing on the effects of stigma in mental health. Both authors have experience in psychiatry, combatting stigma and mental health issues.

    Read More

  • Mental Health Crisis in the African American Community

    1727 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ward, Earlise C. African American Women's Beliefs about Mental Illness, Stigma, and Preferred Coping Behaviors. Madison: Wiley Periodicals, 2009. Print.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes And Stereotypes Of Black Males

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s society there are many stereotypes surrounding the black community, specifically young black males. Stereotypes are not always blatantly expressed; it tends to happen subconsciously. Being born as a black male puts a target on your back before you can even make an impact on the world. Majority of these negative stereotypes come from the media, which does not always portray black males in the best light. Around the country black males are stereotyped to be violent, mischievous, disrespectful, lazy and more. Black males are seen as a threat to people of different ethnicities whether it is in the business world, interactions with law enforcement or even being in the general public. The misperceptions of black males the make it extremely difficult for us to thrive and live in modern society. Ultimately, giving us an unfair advantage simply due to the color of our skin; something of which we have no control.

    Read More

  • Black Male Stereotypes

    1538 Words  | 4 Pages

    This paper analyzes The media being one of the greatest influences of society perceptions, their false portrayal of African American males significantly impacts how society perceives and behaves towards them, and how black males see themselves as well as their opportunities and achievements.

    Read More

  • Annotated Bibliography: Racial Stereotypes

    1760 Words  | 4 Pages

    As a group, we believe that popular culture does in fact perpetuates stereotypes. Television is a main source of information of popular culture. Television has forever changed how humans have interacted with another and introduce a world of diversity and knowledge. But with this profit, television has also harbored negative aspects. As a group, we studied how racial stereotypes are portrayed in television. In the history of television, different racial and ethnic groups have been widely underrepresented and television itself has been overwhelming represented by white figures. And when racial groups are presented on TV, the characters are often played in limited roles based on stereotypes. A stereotype isn’t necessarily untrue, but it is an assumption based on an incomplete and complex ideas that are oversimplified into something that isn’t what it meant to be, and it’s usually negative. For example, African Americans are often depicted as violent or involved in some kind of criminal activity. Their characters often portrays a person who is always sassy and angry or that isn’t intelligent and won’t succeed in life and inferior to whites in some manner. Asian characters are

    Read More

  • Richard's Loyalty In Black Boy

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Richard isn’t accepted by his family for some unexpected reasons. In Black Boy by Richard Wright, Richard’s family has expectations for Richard that he doesn’t follow. Ever since Richard’s father left his family when Richard was young, Richard's mother became more strict. Richard’s mom didn’t have a stable job, so they always struggled with having money. Richard is more intelligent than the rest of his family in different ways and has to work hard at a very young age to earn his cash. Richard’s mother grew ill which was traumatizing for Richard since over time he grew extremely close with her. Since his mother was ill the rest of Richard’s family had to step in and help out. Richard’s rebellious attitude does not leave him ostracized from his

    Read More

  • The Quiet Room Analysis

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    Disabilities of mental health are common, but not many people are talking about them. As strong stigma is attached to them, and mishandled representation only furthers the stigma. Lori Schiller pushed through the silence to present a narrative that shows the complex ways in which a mental illness can affect someone and those around

    Read More

  • Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    People being generalized based on limited and inaccurate information by sources as television, cartoons or even comic books (Tripod). This is a definition that seems to go against many public standards. The above words are the exact definition of stereotypes. Stereotypes as understood from the definition, goes mostly hand in hand with media -- only not the regular meaning of the innocent media we know. Media propaganda is the other form of media that is rather described as media manipulation. In this paper, the following will be discussed: first, how stereotypes of ethnic groups function in propaganda, why does it function so well, and finally, the consequences of these stereotypes on the life of Egyptians in particular in society. A fair examination will be conducted on this example of stereotypes through clarification examples and research results from researches conducted from reliable sources. The real association between Egyptians’ stereotypes and propaganda discussed in this paper shall magnify the association of stereotypes and propaganda in general.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Single Story Perspective

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stereotypes and stigmas promote a dangerous, single-minded perspective. These incomplete or half-truths are often far more duplicitous than lies, as they are more difficult to detect. When these perspectives remain unchecked, they can result in far-reaching, adverse consequences. It is the individual’s duty to refuse to perpetuate this single story perspective. Due to misinformation presented by the media, the stigma surrounding mental illness has created a discriminatory single story perspective; however, through honest and open dialogue, particularly with those suffering from these diseases, these stereotypes can be abolished.

    Read More

  • The Portrayal of Schizophrenia in Me, Myself, and Irene

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people gather what they know about mental illnesses from television and film. Unfortunately these media portrayals are inaccurate and create stigma. They depict people suffering from mental illnesses as different, dangerous and laughable. Characters are often addicted to drugs or alcohol, are violent, dangerous, or out of control. Horror film characters like Norman Bates in Psycho, Jack Torrance in the Shining, or Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs associate the typical 'psycho- killer' with people who suffer from a mental illness. But dramas and horror films are not the only film genres that create stigma. Comedies like What About Bob and many others not only stigmatize, they also make fun of mental illnesses and the people who suffer from them. This paper will discuss how the film Me, Myself & Irene is an inaccurate, offensive and stigmatizing portrayal of an individual suffering from schizophrenia. It also discusses what can be done to counteract the stigma created by these types of films.

    Read More

  • Mental Stigma Essay

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    People with a mental illness are often feared and rejected by society. This occurs because of the stigma of mental illness. The stigma of mental illness causes the perception of individuals with mental illnesses to be viewed as being dangerous and insane. They are viewed and treated in a negative way. They are almost seen as being less of a human. The stigma affects the individual with a mental illness in such a cruel way. The individual cannot even seek help without the fear of being stigmatized by their loved ones or the general public. The stigma even leads to some individuals developing self-stigma. This means having a negative perception of one’s self, such as viewing one’s self as being dangerous. The worst part is that the effects of

    Read More

  • Stigma Essay

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    This article puts into perspective how those who are mentally ill lose their quality of life by becoming stigmatized by those surrounding them personally and in a broader sense. Their jobs, housing, health care, and affiliation with others is negatively impacted because of the stigma placed upon them because of their mental illness. This article continues to describe the stigmas that are placed upon the mentally ill by our Western culture. The authors state that mentally ill persons deal with being feared and excluded because of their mental state. They also deal with being viewed as irresponsible because of their mental diagnosis. Finally, they are seen as immature and childlike, thus requiring constant care to be put into place for them. Not only do these authors focus on public stigmas, but they also focus on how these cultural stigmas cause those who are mentally ill to begin to internally stigmatize themselves. This causes self-esteem issues; thus, this causes the individual to feel less worthy and less likely to succeed in his or her future in all areas of

    Read More

  • Social Stigma Theory: The Social Stigma Of Group Identity

    1790 Words  | 4 Pages

    My mother was never inclined to use therapy as an intervention and whenever it was mentioned she became very defensive. My brother followed suit by laughing it off. Many non-medical beliefs endorsed by racial/ethnic minority groups assign personal responsibility to the development of illness and may explain increased negative views held by racial/ethnic minority groups (Alvidrez, Snowden, & Kaiser 2008). The result of personal responsibility is an outside perception of weak and disabled.

    Read More

  • Proverting Mental Health: Life Challenges: Promoting Mental Health

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    People affected by mental health conditions experience several life challenges. They are frequently related with someone who rambles through streets or the mad who talks to himself or herself or even the crazy homicides who are seen in movies. Some words like crazy, insane, schizophrenic and even maniac are vulgarly utilized to nominate people that suffers from mental health issues because sometimes their behaviour is different than expected by society. Situations when people with mental issues are labelled or stereotyped are known as stigma and it generates a lack of acceptance and comprehension that makes these

    Read More

  • Mental Illnesses: The Causes Of Depression And Ixiety

    1726 Words  | 4 Pages

    It’s easier for someone to tell people that they have a broken leg than to tell people they have depression. There so much people do not know about mental illnesses and there is so much pressure on people with these mental illnesses. Rachel Roberts, a journalist from Independent.co, has said “The lack of understanding of the condition and prejudice towards those who suffer from it remain barriers to effective treatment” (Roberts). People are scared of coming forward because they’re scared of being judged or treated differently. In article written by Opposing Viewpoints in Context, it explained that if the stigma towards mental illnesses continues, no one will want to come forward and receive treatment, they will stay silent and the problem won’t get better (Mental Disorders). The statistics for people suffering with mental illnesses are increasing and will continue to increase because people are not coming forward to get treatment. The problem will only get better once the stigma goes away and people reach out for

    Read More

More about My Brother Faces Racial Stereotypes

Open Document