Black Male Depression
Telling someone “yeah, I’m good” after being asked “Are you okay?” is the most repeated lie told in our communities. We love our families, our friends, & significant others, and we pretend to talk about any & everything. But when it comes to depression, we’re legitimately embarrassed to speak on it. Why? Is it because we’re supposed to be tough, “manly”, & strong all the time? 24/7, we are programmed to be Macho Man Randy Savage. We’re supposed to provide, protect, & pretend like everything is everything. Never speak how it feels to see my shorty flirt with another guy because “Jealousy is a female trait”. Never pout, never cry, & whatever you do, never double text!Well fuck that, I’m going to double text, I’m going to cry tears of joy and sadness, got a problem with it? You can’t whoop my ass.
See. Why’d I have to follow up my emotional truths with such a bravado statement? It was second nature to attempt to mask my emotional rant with a violent threat because we’re wired to never show weakness. I’m a man. A damn good 1 at that. Speaking on the condition of my mental health shouldn’t make me feel less of a man, but sadly it does. I’m intelligent enough to realize I’m not weak BECAUSE I’m depressed, but rather, I’m weak because I’m afraid to do anything about it. I’m not alone, I’m not the Only Black man in America going through shit, LITERALLY we all are.
With that being said, I’m no longer pretending to be anything I’m not & you shouldn’t either. Next time a friend or relative ask you “Are you good?”, tell them precisely what’s on your mind. There’s nothing wrong with being depressed, there’s something wrong with denial.
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