Destructive Shame: The Silent Struggle of Minority Groups

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Aspects of the Radical Idea in the Twenty-first Century
Negative Impacts of Shame
What it means for Minorities to ‘Destroy with no Shame.’
How Shame Plays a Role in Minorities’ Struggles
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Shame is an emotion in a human being associated with feeling defective and unacceptable. People of minority groups experience shame due to challenges such as discrimination, rejection, violence, stigmatization, and exclusion. In an article by Bell Hooks, she talks about a scene in a Beyonce Album where a female character smashed cars with a baseball bat ‘with no shame’. This unusual scene reflects a woman showcasing power and dominance, an uncommon expectation from minorities in the present society. This paper discusses shame in the present world and how it affects lives, especially for minority groups.

Aspects of the Radical Idea in the Twenty-first Century

Radial ideas are new and different concepts that are against what people believe and think. This occurrence is a radical idea in the 21 century as Bell Hooks, in her ‘Moving beyond pain’ talks about a woman who shows power and resists invisibility. As the album begins, the female character shares a story of pain and trauma from her male counterpart (Hooks, 2016). The woman then recollects herself and stunts boldly in the streets, randomly smashing cars, glass windows, surveillance cameras, and the recording camera with no shame. The woman seems free, reflecting motivation and empowerment to take her place against her oppressor. The woman is emotionally hurt, but in the video, she uses the baseball bat to smash glasses with a smile in her face, indicating her sense of potence.

This situation is radical as this is not the present-day representation of women, especially ones of black ethnicity. The world is still dominated by patriarchy and the devaluation of the female gender. Women are members of a minority and do not seize such levels of power and dominance, especially over men. Many women face invisibility and are marginalized in the communities. In public and private spheres, women face multiple barriers, such as occupational segregation, lack of access to capital, technology, land, and financial resources, and gender-based violence, especially due to stereotypes and cultural mindsets.

Negative Impacts of Shame

Shame is defined as the persuasive and underlying belief that a person is somehow unacceptable and defective. Shame in humans can result from feelings of being very shy, not smart enough, more emotional, having an unapproved body type, or less talkative. Shame is also experienced when individuals engage in shameful acts such as addiction, crime, and mental illnesses. Shame can manifest after trauma, and the individual feels terrible for what happened. Shame is a strong emotion that significantly shapes people’s lives differently. These emotions are very powerful and can impact the general trajectory of an individual’s life. Every person has experienced shame at one point or another, even in basic life situations such as being teased for wrongly pronouncing a word, lying in front of loved ones, or how one looks in a swimsuit. Shame progresses as an uncomfortable sensation in the stomach, and one feels less safe in other people’s gaze. Shame is considered a negative human emotion and adversely affects people’s lives.

Persons living in shame tend to feel vulnerable and avoid relations and societies. A study by Wertheim et al. (2018) shows that shame can make people self-conceal and hide from other humans. This situation results in individuals shying away from friendships, interactions, and communities. The person avoids being vulnerable and cannot share their true identity and self with the world. They are prone to suppressing emotions which may affect them psychologically. The suppression is more common in women, who tend to keep feelings and thoughts inside them. Living in shame is commonly associated with feelings of worthlessness, uselessness, anxiety, and depression. Wertheim et al. (2018) note that shame is a major contributing factor to poor mental health related to anxiety, stress, and depression. The person is highly susceptible to living with degrading emotions and having mental battles daily. Shame may make humans less likely to take health risks as they fear being devalued by others. They may end up losing major opportunities relating to jobs, schools, or relationships. Additionally, shame leads to relapse into problem behavior. A reach by Garner et al. (2020) indicates that an alcoholic is more likely to relapse if they face shame. Other people abuse drugs to cope with shame, humiliation, and embarrassment. People living in shame tend to feel worthless and tend to engage in behaviors they know are bad for their health and well being

What it means for Minorities to ‘Destroy with no Shame.’

In the article, Hooks discusses how ordinary black people are portrayed. She focuses on the scene where the character in the video smashes cars and destroys them with no shame. In the previous video scenes, Beyoncé has been hurt by her cheating boyfriend, leaving her in a state of emotional pain. She experiences anger and betrayal, and the video is emotional about her anguish. She expresses her healing and taking charge of her life experiences. Smashing cars is symbolic of her trying to smash the patriarchy in society. The scene indicates being able to move over a society and system of patriarchal domination. The album reflects a public moment of personal healing. The black woman is more empowered to leave the world of male stereotyping.

Minorities are prone to social inequalities, vulnerability, avoidance, minimal interactions, worthlessness, anxiety, depression, addiction, and substance abuse. Shame results in minority groups hiding behind violence and aggression. Destroy with no shame relates to minorities seizing power to overcome challenges they face. A lack of shame will boost their self-worth and give them a voice against oppression. They need inner and outer transformation to make the world a better place. Destruction of inequalities will enable them to gain freedom and a construct of power against violence and cruelty.

How Shame Plays a Role in Minorities’ Struggles

Minorities of age, race, sexual orientation, gender, and others experience external and internal shame. Most of the time, these communities face discrimination and rejection, which significantly impacts their level of shame. Most times, minorities are ascribed and seen as stigmatized identities, which promotes expectations and reinforces negative stereotypes, acceptance, and social rejection. According to Johnson (2020), black people have experienced recurring shame due to negative expectations and stereotypes embedded in society’s beliefs and disseminated through mass media, interpersonal interaction, and institutional policies.

Shame is an endless cycle of psychological injury for minority groups. African women have often been associated with restraining their emotions, resulting in shame. African hair is, at times, seen as unprofessional and less attractive. People of the African American identity often fear being referred to as the angry black woman. Shame becomes internationalized when it becomes part of the individual’s identity. Shame results in low self-esteem in minority groups which influences their interaction with the social environment. Previous studies have shown that shame experiences directly correlate with self-esteem (Comas-Díaz et al., 2019). The persons use psychological mechanisms to cope with shame, such as avoidance and withdrawal.

Females have been seen as weak individuals in society. The male stereotype in most societies has affected women’s position in society. Women are discriminated against and dominated by men rendering them to be placed in inferior positions. Gender-based violence mostly affects women, as well as structural violence that limits the female gender. Patriarchal societies and communities have resulted in psychological effects on women, such as low esteem, depression, anxiety, psychosis, helplessness, and fear of men. These circumstances have highly promoted shame in women. Females sometimes experience physical abuse and violence without disclosure due to shame. Additionally, they are limited to gender and leadership roles in society.

Members of the LGBT community are another group of minorities that experience shame due to rejection, discrimination, and violence. Many people of diverse sexuality fear coming out due to the shame and stigmatization related to sexual orientation. Research by Medina-Martínez et al. (2021) shows that the LGBT community is highly prone to the risk of depression, unsafe sex, addiction, suicide, and anxiety. Additionally, some members cannot seek healthcare resources due to shame. These emotions result in poor physical and mental health outcomes.

Conclusion

Shame is a strong emotion that significantly shapes people’s lives differently. The unusual scene in Beyoncé’s album reflects a woman showcasing power and dominance, an uncommon expectation from minorities in the present society. Shame has a significant negative impact on the lives of individuals. The feeling relates to vulnerability, avoidance, minimal interactions, worthlessness, anxiety, depression, addiction, and substance abuse. Minority groups face shame which plays a major role in their present struggles and affects social, economic, physical, and mental outcomes.

References

Comas-Díaz, L., Hall, G. N., & Neville, H. A. (2019). Racial trauma: Theory, research, and healing: Introduction to the special issue. American Psychologist, 74(1), 1. Web.

Garner, A. R., Gilbert, S. E., Shorey, R. C., Gordon, K. C., Moore, T. M., & Stuart, G. L. (2020). A longitudinal investigation on the relation between self-compassion and alcohol use in a treatment sample: a brief report. Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, 14, 1178221820909356. Web.

Hooks, B. (2016). Moving beyond pain. The bell hooks institute, 9.

Johnson, A. J. (2020). Examining associations between racism, internalized shame, and self-esteem among African Americans. Cogent Psychology, 7(1), 1757857. Web.

Medina-Martínez, J., Saus-Ortega, C., Sánchez-Lorente, M. M., Sosa-Palanca, E. M., García-Martínez, P., & Mármol-López, M. I. (2021). Health inequities in LGBT people and nursing interventions to reduce them: a systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(22), 11801. Web.

Salzano, M. (2020). Lemons or Lemonade? Beyoncé, killjoy style, and neoliberalism. Women’s Studies in Communication, 43(1), 45-66. Web.

Wertheim, R., Hasson-Ohayon, I., Mashiach-Eizenberg, M., Pizem, N., Shacham-Shmueli, E., & Goldzweig, G. (2018). Hide and “sick”: Self-concealment, shame and distress in the setting of psycho-oncology. Palliative & Supportive Care, 16(4), 461-469. Web.

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