Socialization and Deprogramming After Believing America’s Myth

Saturday, November 6, 2010 | 5:30pm-8:30pm

Minds & Self-Images Part 2:

Socialization and Deprogramming After Believing America’s Myth

“Generally, the victims of a system of oppression have no alternative other than to accept blindly the patterns of symbols, logic, thought, speech, emotional responses and perceptions that are imposed forcefully upon them by their oppressors. After hundreds of years of oppression, the oppressed, having lost the sense of their own identity, begin to believe that the brain-products of their oppressors are one and the same with their own, failing completely to realize that they do not control their own brain-computers nor their brain-computers’ output. The slave’s fate is not to see nor reason why, but only to do or die.” ~ Dr. Francess Cress Welsing

Whether you have been told that we live in a post-racial society, most black people are criminal and lazy, or Jesus died for our sins – all of these are messages that inform or misinform the individual. True or false, messages are key elements in the socialization process. This process influences our thoughts, speech, actions, self-perception and how we relate to others. In American society, we are told that we live in a land of freedom and equality; however, some would argue that there is ample evidence to disprove this myth. Although our experiences may contradict these ideals, many of us still believe these myths and pass them on to our children.  Has mass socialization disabled our abilities to sense reality, reason and think freely?  Are we programmed? If so, is it possible to deprogram?

The discussion will focus on:

• • Socialization’s purpose, history and role in the Western world
  • Parental influence vs. Societal influence over children’s socialization
  • Our individual experiences with socialization (positive and negative)
  • Ways to deprogram after being improperly socialized
    

All questions (“Food for Enlightenment”) for the dialogue will be submitted by participants for the group to answer and discuss. Each participant’s “Food for Enlightenment” should relate to the topic and/or readings.

Okay…Back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Readings to be Discussed

• “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing” (excerpt), Joy Degruy Leary, Ph.D.
• “The United Independent Compensatory Code/Sytem/Concept” (excerpt), Neely Fuller, Jr.
• “The White Problem,” James Baldwin
• “Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority” (excerpt), Tom Burrell

Click link to view readings: PreReading-November Talking Black Series