I'm exhausted by attempts to pretend discrimination doesn't exist in America
You know what I'm tired of? The MAGA movement twisting and co-opting language used to help Americans cope with racism and turning it back on them.
The latest example is "Black fatigue." In 2020, author Mary-Frances Winters defined the term in her book of the same name, describing it as a form of psychological and emotional exhaustion from persistent racism and microaggressions.
This fatigue can impact one's mental and spiritual well-being, and if left unaddressed, it could also affect physical health and shorten life expectancy. Today, the term has been co-opted by the right – and even people unwittingly using it against themselves.
For instance, when five girls attack a woman at the opening night of the Milwaukee Night Market, it is labeled "Black fatigue."
When some boys drive recklessly in a stolen car, it is also called "Black fatigue."
When a 39-year-old man is arrested in the shooting of a Milwaukee police officer, you guessed it.
I reached out to Winters, 74, who said she was not surprised to learn the MAGA crowd had co-opted the term. However, she is disheartened that some are using it against their fellow African Americans.
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While it's understandable for people to feel frustrated and speak out when they witness something bad happen, it's important to recognize that no single group has a monopoly on bad behavior.
The bigger question is why do Black people often find themselves under greater scrutiny? I believe we know the answer to that.
This disparity is precisely why Winters coined the term in the first place, capturing the struggles faced by the Black community in a world that is quick to pass judgment.
Ironically, the movement co-opting the term is the one inflicting the pain by pretending bigotry doesn't exist by President Donald Trump's attempt to erase diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
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When Winters' book was released, America was grappling with a global pandemic and confronting systemic racism after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who sparked nationwide protests.
When she was writing the book, many expressed to Winters, the founder and CEO of The Winters Group, Inc., a 40-year-old global organization development and DEI consulting firm, that they felt exhausted by microaggressions, conveying a sense of pressure to excel at work but thought they were only making minimal progress.
Think of it as constantly walking on a new carpet. Over time, you don't realize how the fibers are worn down until you compare before-and-after pictures and see how your repeated steps have diminished the carpet's beauty. That's what racism does.
Since Trump took office again, Winters noted that real Black fatigue has intensified due to his rhetoric and policies, which have escalated racial tensions and eroded civil rights protections, further compounding a long history of unacknowledged, unaddressed racism and discrimination.
'He's hurting people. Just think about all the government jobs that have been eliminated," Winters said. "A lot of those employees were Black men and women who now must figure out what they want to do."
There are dozens of videos online featuring people discussing the co-opted concept of Black fatigue, and to be honest, it makes me angry. It's not surprising, though, as there are even more videos and websites seemingly dedicated to showcasing the worst behaviors. Sites like Worldstar.com and 'Ghetto Fights' often highlight instances of fighting, or just being unkind to each other.
Given that our country is so hypersegregated, it's no wonder that people watch these clips and conclude this is representative. And the thing that is so tiring is how the term has been twisted so silently.
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Dynasty Ceasar, a local community activist who has studied race and racism, was unaware that the definition had changed. She described the issue as 'complex and sensitive,' making it difficult to grasp.
'We need to be mindful of the impact of such statements and avoid language that reinforces negative stereotypes or internalizes racism,' Ceasar said.
It's important to clarify that I'm not suggesting that Black people should avoid accountability for their negative actions. What I mean is that everyone, regardless of their race, should be held accountable for their actions but should not be subjected to a different standard than anyone else.
When I spoke to Winters, I had to be entirely transparent and shared with her that I had inadvertently fallen into the trap. I shared an incident I witnessed while shopping at Plato's Closet, a resale shop in Greenfield.
I was about to buy some shoes when I noticed an elderly White woman with her grandson. She was purchasing a pair of sunglasses for him, and I let them skip ahead of me in line because her grandson was very antsy.
While we were waiting, a Black woman was selling some shoes and seemed unhappy with what was being offered to her. When the cashier called for the next customer, the older woman accidentally bumped into her, which sparked a verbal altercation.
The Black woman began cursing, expressing her frustration about people who bump into her without saying "excuse me." Although the older woman apologized, it only seemed to escalate the situation, as the woman continued to curse and insult her.
After both women left the store, several employees asked what had just happened, and I felt compelled to explain the situation.
After the incident, I called my cousin and mentioned that I had experienced "Black fatigue" because I felt that the woman's behavior was out of line. My cousin told me that I was misusing the term.
Winters and Ceasar both agreed that racism is rarely the result of a single action; it is much more complex than that. While they did not condone the actions of the woman for shouting, Ceasar acknowledged that her outburst might have stemmed from the many times she had been ignored, overlooked as if she did not exist, or made to feel devalued.
If Black fatigue can negatively impact on a person's mind, body and spirit, it can also lead to diminished emotional well-being, sometimes manifesting as outbursts to seek acknowledgment.
If you find yourself using the term to express disappointment about something bad happening in the world, take a moment to consider how you express that. If your feelings are not specifically related to race, then your fatigue may not be about racial issues at all. It might be about human nature.
However, if you believe that only Black people are capable of negative actions and continue to use the term in that context, it might be necessary to reflect on your own biases. That's what I'm tired of.
James E. Causey is an Ideas Lab reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where this column originally appeared. Reach him at jcausey@jrnhttps://x.com/jecausey?lang=en.com or follow him on X: @jecausey
You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump, MAGA pretend Black fatigue is something it's not | Opinion
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