We all know Black Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook is not the same as mainstream social media. The level of brilliance and creativity displayed is uncanny.
Black humor as I would like to call it, comes in many forms, knee-slapping slapstick humor, quick-witted clap-back humor, and cynical humor often in response to some atrocity.
Black people have mastered reclaiming adversity and turning it into hilarious and iconic social media moments. Without our ability to laugh, it would be difficult to cope through some of the injustice we’ve faced historically and continue to face with each routine police stop we witness as we’re scrolling on our phones.
Watching the shocking outcome of the cases involving Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner and the list continues, initially moved many of us to organize; having confidence in the power of protest. Unfortunately, the nature and frequency has equally intensified feelings of powerlessness for many, desensitizing us towards injustice and increasing fear.
While having access to an immeasurable amount of information succeeding “modem internet” and encyclopedias is liberating, the overkill of access to inequity can also be anxiety provoking landmines.
I’d like to call these landmines, triggers. Triggers provoke a response or cause something to happen.
With all the exposure to violence, brutality, injustice, racism, sexism, exclusion, and devaluing as a black person, access to information on social media, television, or newspaper can trigger very negative feelings about the world and about ourselves.
My hope is that you become familiar with your triggers. Do not feel obligated to watch a movie, a documentary, read an article, or expose yourself directly if you are unable to. Take a break from media for a day or two, or even turn off notifications.
Did you know that it is possible to traumatize yourself watching the trauma of others?
Information is education and activism rejects bias, but your mental health comes first and is essential if you are to be of any use to a cause.
While many argue that we must stand on the front line in solidarity when atrocities occur, I believe we all have a special role in this fight. For those who are activists on the front line it is also important to avoid marginalizing those who have greater emotional difficulty with recurring triggers.
Your mental health matters and it begins with you honoring yourself and your needs.
Again, I appreciate our utilization of humor to mitigate our distress and minimize our triggers. This is how we cope, this is a part of our self-care, and this is how we heal.
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