The “acceptance” and compliance by the “dissed,” disrespected, (usually Black) of being disrespected. Psychological brainwashing through both internal/external and overt/covert means to CONTROL the perceptions of the “dissed” in order to CONTROL the response of the “dissed.”

 

“Mr. / Massa JIM CROW”

Psychological racism is a method of control as compelling and complete as physical racism. It perhaps is even more so because once the “dissed” has accepted being the “dissed” and acts accordingly in compliance with their “perceptions” only occasional reminders are necessary to control with little cost or effort for the perpetrator.

Jim Crow’ ism 

(Excerpt from my memoir)

Frankfurt, Kentucky

I also remember going into the big town of Frankfort, maybe ten miles away in the opposite direction towards Louisville, to go shopping with Mommy. That was considered “Big.” It really was an adventure for us. There were so many, many people there, “white” people.  It was, 1940’s in the South, and Mommy bought clothes from a department store where she wasn’t allowed to try them on.

I would wonder why all the other women shopping were trying on clothes in little rooms and we just bought ours and left the store.

Sometimes they didn’t fit quite right when she was finally able to put them on at home. Mommy would have to sew and alter them to fit her because the department store wouldn’t take returns from the Coloreds. She’d just pull out her old sewing machine that she still has, and cut and alter as she needed to, never complaining. In Frankfurt I was told to drink from a special water fountain that had a sign on it that read for “Colored Only.”  I couldn’t read so I didn’t know.

“Cheryl, baby, no that’s the wrong fountain,  come on over here. This is ours and let me lift you up,” as Mommy bent to pick me up and take me to the other water fountain.

When Mommy, Daddy and I would go to the movies we would go up the stairs to sit in the balcony with our friends, our people. Going to Frankfurt was special to me. I didn’t really understand what it all meant then. It was just what we did, what we had to do. Daddy, Mommy and I were different people somehow when we went there to Frankfurt, somehow different, somehow made to feel less.

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