black man

Orville Lloyd Douglas is a black man living in Toronto. He’s 6 feet tall, and has candidly expressed his struggle with a taboo issue. In his article, originally published in The Guardian, Douglas details experiences and circumstances leading up to one key fact. He hates being a black man.

From The Guardian:

The issue of black self-hatred is something I am supposed to pretend does not exist…The black man internalizes the perspectives of white society and its negative thoughts about blackness affect his psyche.

There is also a fear by some black people that discussing the issue of self-hatred is a sign of weakness. There is a discourse that black people engender: that black is beautiful. But the truth is, the image of blackness is ugly – at least it’s perceived that way. There is nothing special or wonderful about being a black male – it is a life of misery and shame.

Read more at The Guardian

Douglas goes on to discuss how the issue of black self-hatred is usually presented from a female point of view, and that a lot of black men don’t want to acknowledge the feelings of disgust they have for themselves.

“Honestly, who would want to be black? Who would want people to be terrified of you and not want to sit next to you on public transportation?,” he continues.

Thoughts on Douglas’ point of view?

Is black self-hate too taboo of a topic to the point where it is damaging the black community? Or is Douglas case rare?

Sound off below!