TW- Racism, mention of trauma
There has been a lot of discussion surrounding racism recently along with the BLM protests. This has sparked conversation about race across all platforms and all communities. Racism is a huge issue in our society and we need to fight for a change. Your worth and value is not defined by the colour of your skin. We are human and we need to be treated as equals. I have been using my platform both private and in the mental health community to raise awareness for this injustice and have signed many petitions for change here in Australia and in other countries.
Now, with all this being brought to light and with this much needed discussion happening, there has been a debate as to whether those with DID, that have alters that identify with different skin tones, are racist. And the simple answer is no. But things like this need more than a simple answer.
When alters are developed, they often take on the traits of those around the child. This can be a variety of people for an array of reasons. An example of this could be that the trauma was occurring at home and when the child went to school their black, female teacher would be there to comfort them and make them feel safe. The child could then develop and alter with these kind and caring traits and the mind has associated these traits with the gender and skin colour of this teacher. This doesn't made the child racist, this is just the way their mind has formed these alters as a way to cope. It took someone from the real world and the positive traits that they had and tried its best to replicate that internally.
Another example would be that an abuser was a person of colour. The traits of manipulation and danger could then be associated with that skin colour. An alter with those aggressive and angry traits could then be developed and they may also take on that skin colour. This once again isn't racist, this is just how a child's mind has adapted to the abuse that they endured. When the mind does things like this and essentially duplicates a real person it is referred to as an introject. This can happen regardless of colour, gender, age, sexuality and appearance. This introject isn't aggressive due to skin colour, that is just a trait a past abuser may have had so the mind has simply duplicated the abuser regardless of race.
Children are not born racist. A child experiencing trauma, enough to develop DID, is not going to be concerned with what the skin colour of their alters is. The only thing that matters is survival and if forming alters that have different skin colours internally, is what that child needs then so be it. These alters have a purpose and a reason. The first example of the caring teacher figure, could hold the position of keeping grounded and safe. Where as the aggressive alter in the second example could hold on to a lot of trauma memories and not know how to cope with those memories yet so they try to be bigger than the abuser and try to show strength in their aggression as its what they have been exposed to. Regardless of appearance of these alters and what skin colour they have inner-world, they are what they child needed when they where in danger.
These alters and systems with these alters can become racist if they try to identify with the cultures and past of that race. If you are in a white body, you can not possibly know what it is like to be black. Its that simple. If an alter starts to claim to be a race other than the bodys race, that is when problems arise. It is important to know that, yes your alter may appear black internally, but on the outside you have a white body. This means you are seen by others as white, raised as white, and treated as white. You can not claim to have struggled with and lived as a black individual when you haven't. That would be the equivalent of claiming that you are gay and have struggled with your homosexuality, when in reality you are straight and just saying that you are gay to get sympathy, which in-itself is homophobic. I hope this is making sense.
To try an summarize this up. You and your alters are valid, no matter what gender, sexuality, skin colour, age, etc. What isn't okay is claiming that you 'know what its like to be a person of colour' or thinking that you can use racial slurs when you are a white appearing person. You need to remember to separate the inner world from reality. What you look like inside isn't accurate to what everyone else sees in reality. Don't constantly talk about your inner-world appearance like it makes you better or worse off that someone else because in reality you loo like the body and are responsible for the body.
I hope that this made as much sense to you guys as it does to me and if you would like me to change any of the words i have used eg. people of colour or black, then please let me know.
Also just for some background information, I am white, with a white body and white alters. I just believe that racism is disgusting and is an issue that we need to keep talking about. Things need to change and we need to be treated equally.
Thank you so much for reading. If you would like to donate to a BLM charity, you can do so at one of the links below.
Jen xx
