(An Ode to Black Women's Depression)
Depression hit my sister Nell
(with Mel G. in the news)
Black women know this pain quite well
(but Mel is in the news)
Can’t find no stats on her dis-ease
(while Mel is in the news)
Don’t mean she’s not in misery
(and Mel is in the news)
They tell her “just get over it”
(while Mel is in the news)
'Cause black girls can’t be mentally sick
(but Mel’s still in the news)
Gotta be a strong sis, wife and mother
(and Mel is in the news)
When she’d rather stay under her covers
(with Mel G. in the news)
Wondering if she’d be better off dead
She finally took Zoloft instead
But she refuses to go get therapy
‘Cause that’s a white girl thing, you see
Depression hit my sister Nell
(with Mel G. in the news)
Black women know this pain quite well
(but Mel is in the news)
Never will she give her sickness voice
(hmmm! Mel is in the news)
Just put on her game face and rejoice
(while Mel’s still in the news)
**A shout out to Gil Scott-Heron's "Whitey on the Moon"
6 comments:
It is disturbing that what consumes attention is distraction. Mel is not the boogeyman, a single man cannot trump the dis ease that is epidemic in our midst.
This Mel fixation is telling how our media works. Let's continue obsessing over Britney Spears or Tom Cruise while our constitution rights are chipped away in secret and new powers are passed to our government which immune them from responsibilities toward democracy and we endeavor to new wars.
Who cares right? MEL IS IN THE NEWS!!!!!
Aren't we the reason Mel is in the news? If we were not so quick to treat "celebs" as idols they wouldn't get the attention that keeps "Mel in the news".
They are doing a job just like the rest of us yet I haven't seen an award show for the common man or women.
Stop glorifing the wrong achievments and maybe "Mel will not be in the news".
It's a sad testament to the fact that we have become "bottom feeders" concerning the news media when "Mel" can command so large a portion of it for a single comment. No wonder rags like "Star" and "The National Inquirer" remain in print. How many readers of those two tabloids vote or even have a library card? Bad news, like bad press, travels at the speed of light. As long as the public settles for reading and/or hearing about it, news like this will continue to sell.
Thanks for your comments. I’d like to point out that the ode is not just about the Mel Gibson incident being in heavy rotation in the mainstream media, it’s also about how little media attention is given to serious issues impacting women of color. Why is it that CNN and MSNBC and other news sources publish daily "updates" on the Mel scandal, yet, statistics about black women’s depression are virtually non-existent? Why are we so hard pressed to find any nugget of information about black women’s mental health issues, but Mel’s still in the news?
We are partly to blame for not getting our stories out there. A black male friend and I were having a discussion about black women’s depression, and he observed that many sisters don’t have the access to health care. I agree with him to a point, but black women are graduating from college in record numbers, and entering the boardrooms and upper echelons of corporate America. If we can afford to rock Prada, we can afford a PPO. I have to surmise that sisters are reluctant to voice their pain, either from fear of judgment or fear of being regarded as weak. But to paraphrase bell hooks, it’s a sign of empowerment to be able to ask for help when you need it. And to quote Carmen de Monteflores, "Oppression can only survive through silence."
Here's to living out loud!
A fine ode to a song that resonates as much today-- with a different, arguably less important topic--as it did back then. How sad, though. "Whitey On The Moon" vs. "Gibson In The News" reflects upon the sorry state of public interest in America today. We need more literature, more music, more humor, less celebrity bullshit. More art and artists. Less celebrity obsession.
Thank you. --wendi www.strawberryblog.com
A fine ode to a song that resonates as much today-- with a different, arguably less important topic--as it did back then. How sad, though. "Whitey On The Moon" vs. "Gibson In The News" reflects upon the sorry state of public interest in America today. We need more literature, more music, more humor, less celebrity bullshit. More art and artists. Less celebrity obsession.
Thank you. --wendi www.strawberryblog.com
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