Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Self-Hate as Life Threat Pathology Among Black Americans: Black Pride Antidote Vis-à-Vis Leukocyte Telomere Length (LTL)

  • ARTICLES
  • Published:
Journal of African American Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Black Americans remain the most despised among the community of human races, reinforced via media images. In response is Black self-hate acted out by the political conservatism of Black American Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as icon. Black Conservatives insist that Blacks who fail, if they want, can succeed much as any other. Conversely, research substantiates that the self-hate pathology Black Americans who fail suffer precipitates a decrease in leukocyte telomere length (LTL). A decrease in LTL is a reduction in life span longevity. Black self-hate then presumes a life-threatening pathology among Black Americans so afflicted. In the aftermath, as the most despised among human races coupled with the internalization of self-hate, is a joint process which accelerates biological aging. The antidote may require Black pride as alternative to the premature LTL aging of Black people in America.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Asante, M., & Hall, R. (2011). Rooming in the master’s house: power & privilege in the rise of Black conservatism. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkovec, J. (1998). Discrimination, competition, and loan performance in FHA mortgage lending. Review of Economics and Statistics, 80(2), 242–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bobo, L. (2003). Black pride and Black prejudice. The American Journal of Sociology, 109(2), 496–499.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogues, A. (2009). Black power, decolonization, and Caribbean politics: Walter Rodney and the politics of the Groundings with my Brothers. Boundary, 36(1), 127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breton, M. (1994). On the meaning of empowerment and empowerment oriented social work practice. Social Work with Groups, 17(3), 23–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chae, D., Nuru-Jeter, A. M., Adler, N., Brody, G., Lin, J., Blackburn, E., & Epel, E. (2014). Discrimination, racial bias, and telomere length in African-American men. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 46(2), 103–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charles, C. (2003). Skin bleaching, self-hate, and Black identity in Jamaica. Journal of Black Studies, 33(6), 711.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, K. (1995). The challenge: changing a nation’s negative image of the African American men. The Detroit News, special feature on Black men in America, Sunday, October 8, 1995, 10A.

  • Corenblum, B., Fischer, D., & Anderson, K. (1976). Occupational differences and attribution of trait adjectives to ethnic groups. Psychological Reports, 39(2), 535–542.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cose, E. (1993). The rage of a privileged class. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coulshed, V. (1993). Adult learning: implications for teaching in social work education. British Journal of Social Work, 23(1), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crocker, J., & Major, B. (1989). Social stigma and self-esteem: the self-protective properties of stigma. Psychological Review, 96(4), 608–630.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denham, B. (2010). Correlates of Pride in the performance success of United States athletes competing on a national stage. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 45(4), 457–473.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Detroit News. (1992). Bush, Gore and Willie Horton. (July 15, 1992). Detroit News, A, 14(1)

  • Diedrich, M. (1988). George S. Schuyer’s “Black no more”—The Black Conservative’s socialist past. Western Journal of Black Studies, 12(1), 55–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fenderson, J. (2013). Towards the gentrification of Black power(?). Race and Class, 55(1), 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frazier, E. (1957). Black bourgeoisie. New York: Collier Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldman, J., Toth, J., Tien, L. (1990). 3 found guilty in Central Park Jogger attacks. Los Angeles Times, A, 1(2).

  • Hall, R. (2003). Discrimination among oppressed populations. Lewiston, NY: Mellen Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, R., & Pizarro, J. (2010). Unemployment as conduit of Black self-hate: pathogenic rates of Black male homicide via legacy of the antebellum. Journal of Black Studies, 40(4), 653–665.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hubbard, R. (1995). Profitable promises: essays on women, science, and health. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacoby, R., & Glauberman, N. (Eds.). (1995). The bell curve debate: history, documents, opinions. New York: Times Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, E., & Broman, C. (1987). The relationship of anger expression to health problems among Black Americans in a national survey. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 19(2), 103–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAdoo, H. (1987). A portrait of African American families in the United States. In S. E. Rix (Ed.), The American women: 1990–91: a status report. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Obaahema Network. (2002). Effects of skin bleaching.

  • Pomeroy, E., Demeter, S., & Tyler, D. (1995). The help book: a case study of empowerment in research. Prevention in Human Services, 12(1), 89–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rabinowitz, H. (1978). Race relations in the urban south. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schreiber, M. (1987). The definition of the situation. The Jewish Social Work Forum, 23, 11–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, R. (1990). Videotapes are core of Central Park Jogger case. New York Times, B, 3(2).

  • Van Horne, W. (2007). The concept of Black power: its continued relevance. Journal of Black Studies, 37(3), 365–389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whaley, A. (1996). The Black progress question: explaining the African American predicament. Journal of Black Psychology, 22(4), 509–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, J., The pain of being Black (September 16, 1991). Time, 138(11), pp. 24–28. Retrieved 16 January 2014 from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/212692360?accountid=12598.

  • Williams, Z. (2013). The challenge of Blackness: the institute of the Black world and political activism in the 1970s. The Journal of Southern History, 79(2), 536–538.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ronald E. Hall.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hall, R.E. Self-Hate as Life Threat Pathology Among Black Americans: Black Pride Antidote Vis-à-Vis Leukocyte Telomere Length (LTL). J Afr Am St 18, 398–408 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-014-9277-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-014-9277-6

Keywords

Navigation