The Crooked Room a.k.a America
In Melissa Harris-Perry’s Book Sister Citizen – Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America Harris-Perry uses an experiment known as the Crooked Room to illustrate the world in which Black Women in America are expected to live their lives while standing in tilted rooms. In the experiment people were put into a literal Crooked Room. They were expected to figure out how to stand up straight despite the challenge of the crooked room. Some people in the crooked room saw themselves as standing straight up, but it was in relation to what they saw at their eye level.
The photo shown above is an actual list of reasons women were admitted into a mental health facility in West Virginia back in the late 1800’s. When I first saw this image being shared across several social media platforms I laughed, loud and hard. Because how is this real, how can anyone take this list serious? But after a quick google search I learned that this is in fact a real list taken from the notes of MALE doctors who were in charge of admitting FEMALE patients. I find this list to be disgusting and down right degrading to the humanity of Women. Take for instance how many references there are to the female body, clearly showing that women have never been allowed control over their own bodies. The Crooked Room! Mentioned above they say a Woman taking “Medicine to prevent conception” is clearly out of her mind, because after all what else are Women good for besides giving birth? WTF! The sad thing here is that this is still the case today in the 21st Century. The mental stability of Women or lack there of also continues to be on trial and scrutinized by public opinion in this country. The list proves the fact that, in America Women, Especially Black Women have no right to feel. I guess its that “Female Disease” they referenced. I mean seriously what the FUCK is “Imaginary Female Trouble.” When you find out please report back.
Now, it is not lost on me that Black Women were probably not the Women who were being admitted to this hospital and obviously were not the subject on these documents; because quite frankly the mental health of Black Women during those times was never important enough to be documented. But the larger point I am going to make here is that we are women, and no matter how strong, motivated, educated, and independent we are, we will always be expected to be perfect, therefore perpetually trying to stand up straight in a crooked room.
“We can better understand sisters as citizens when we appreciate the crooked room in which they struggle to stand upright.” -Melissa Harris-Perry
Tuesday August 11, 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden announced that he has chosen Senator Kamala Harris a Jamaican-Indian American Woman as his Vice-Presidential running mate for the 2020 election.
At this moment we will take a break and let all the Black and Brown Women in this Country and abroad scream, holler, jump, shout, cry, and rejoice. Congratulations Senator Kamala Harris!
Okay we’re back… You see even in a moment of celebration Women in powerful positions are always reminded to not be too happy, don’t get too emotional, don’t be cocky, etc… But of course we should smile. I could write a book on the ridiculous premise that Women, especially Black Women should smile at all times despite the shit we deal with on a day to day basis. I’m sure that all Women have heard this once or twice from random men telling us to smile, as if it is their responsibility to check us about our facial expressions. If we reference the list above “Political Excitement” and “Egotism” can get you admitted into a mental health facility, so we can’t win. Let’s go back a few years to when First Lady Michelle Obama was dragged across media platforms by men who said she should smile more and she was too aggressive. So, we can’t be emotional and we can’t be aggressive, so the question here is Who will you allow us to be America? How can we ever stand up straight in this Crooked Room you’ve created for us? I digress.
After Senator Harris was chosen as the Vice-Presidential Candidate it only took a few minutes for the nasty comments to come flowing in. Now, there were comments about her record as a prosecutor and Attorney General. I get that! We should all hold our elected leaders and those in positions of power to a higher standard. They represent the people so we should have a say in how they govern, that is Democracy. But we should also know the actual facts about her record, and not take our facts from memes being shared on social media. However, that’s not what we’re talking about here. We are talking about the attacks on her as a Woman and especially as a Woman of Color. Let’s start at the top or should I say bottom, with 45 (Ya’ll know who I’m talking about) calling the Senator a “Nasty Woman.” I’m surprised “Nasty Woman” isn’t listed on the above list. It almost seems like this would be a list he created as we know how he feels about outspoken women. Again, I digress!
The attacks on Senator Harris hurt me as a Woman, a Black Woman. Why is the discussion focused on whether she’s Black enough? Why are we talking about if she’s emotionally stable, and even discussions about her menstrual cycle. Seriously?! News Flash! Women are the creators of LIFE. Without Women having their PERIODS you would not be here. Because as you see from the list above, Women sometimes suffer from something called “Menstrual Deranged.” I guess that’s the disease that disqualifies us from being in positions of power. Let’s just say what it is, men and some Women are uncomfortable with Women being comfortable in their own skin. The Crooked Room!
Just days before Senator Harris was chosen as the Vice-Presidential Candidate, Cardi-B and Meg Thee Stallion released their new song entitled W.A.P. (Wet Ass Pussy). This song spurred up a tidal wave of emotions. Why? Because how dare Women, especially Black Women speak so candidly about their bodies? Going back to that list above you will see that there are several references to masturbation and Women being sexual beings. Who knew that our sexual expression could land us in a mental institution. The release of this song angered people far and wide. It really is remarkable that for decades Women’s bodies have been the subject of hundreds of songs by men, many of which are downright disrespectful and degrading, it is only when Women express themselves sexually that the world loses its shit, but if a man does it then that’s okay. Wrong! The Crooked Room!
“To understand why Black Women’s public actions and political strategies sometimes seem tilted in ways that accommodate the degrading stereotypes about them, it is important to appreciate the structural constraints that influence their behavior. It can be hard to stand up straight in a crooked room.” -Melissa Harris-Perry
The Woman’s body is and has always been political. Back in September of 2018 during her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh who was nominated by 45 (ya’ll know who I’m talking about) to be the next Supreme Court Justice, Senator Kamala Harris asked him a simple question. “Can you think of any laws that gives the Government the power to make decisions about the male body?” His answer… Studdering and then eventually admitted that he couldn’t think of any. Why? Because there are NONE. Our bodies have NEVER belonged to us and obviously from the list above our minds don’t belong to us either. The Crooked Room!
Some would say well if Women are uncomfortable with the way in which they are portrayed in mainstream media then why partake in it? Because Women are the owners of their bodies. That’s why! We stole the narrative and we changed the energy. In the 21st Century Women now enter crooked rooms and Twerk all over them.
Zen Culture 