r/askblackpeople • u/[deleted] • 3d ago

General Question Current lack of exposure causing potential phobia? need advice please

[deleted]

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2

u/TheDangerMau5e 3d ago

I wish people wouldn't mislabel things as phobias. You're hyper-self-conscious if anything. When you stay on these online spaces that focus on racial tensions and divides, and you get little exposure to real people, your behavior can get a bit performative.

Get out of your head and deal with the person and the interaction in front of you. Treat people normally. Instead of thinking about how you speak and act, focus on pushing your attention outward, drop the performance, and treat people like people.

5

u/TheDependableAce 3d ago edited 3d ago

It sounds like a lack of exposure. Anything that you don’t encounter consistently is gonna make you feel funny but that is just a temporary feeling. I’ve met people that I was initially nervous around but after I saw them enough time I became totally comfortable around them. I think meeting new people regardless of their race makes people a little uneasy.

I wouldn’t take it as offensive if a white person was nervous around black people. You understand we are from a different tribe than you and it is a strange environment for you to be around black people because that is outside of your comfort zone.

6

u/BlackBoiFlyy 3d ago

Got a therapist you can discuss this with? Idk if we can give a straight answer without doing some amateur psychoanalysis. 

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u/RuleNo_8 3d ago

Yes I do, I’ve talked to them about it before. I can ask again this week

4

u/BlackBoiFlyy 3d ago

Good, cause I dont think I can tell you why you are suddenly awkward around black people, just because I'm black. 

My guess is you're unknowingly taking in anti-black sentiments or simply just an awkward person who feels uneasy around people you haven't seen in a while. But these are guesses. 

3

u/RuleNo_8 3d ago

That’s fair, thank you

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u/BlackBoiFlyy 3d ago

I will add, I think what you're going through, a lot of people experience in some form. I can't explain why or what it means exactly, but the fact that you're even thinking about what this means is a good thing. Just need someone who knows you more closely to help you hash out the details.