I have a confession: I don’t read and/or comment on every post on Beyond Black and White, even though I’m a senior editor here. Sometimes I feel that I’ve already discussed the topic of a post several times in the past and thus I don’t care to rehash the same argument; sometimes the post in question is too long and I don’t feel like reading all of it. There are other reasons I might not care to read or comment on a particular post, but I wont go into all of those reasons because I think you get the picture.

Some time ago, on a post I can’t remember, before I even became a senior editor here, I read a comment by a poster who said that they occasionally have to step away from reading BWE (Black Women’s Empowerment) Blogs. I’m not sure if they were also referring to Beyond Black and White as a BWE blog. But the reason they gave for stepping away from BWE blogs was a poignant one: They felt that at times the material on those blogs was too depressing, that the articles were making them angry about problems that they hadn’t even know existed (e.g., they had never heard of the “Mammy” or “Sapphire” stereotypes until encountering BWE blogs). In short, this commentor felt that too much time on BWE blogs was causing her to become ‘racialized,’ and thus she felt that she had begun looking for racism where it may or may not have even existed.

I can understand how reading about racism, sexism, or colorism on a daily or even weekly basis can become depressing. If you spend enough time reading certain material that you feel harps on certain issues it is easy to begin feeling as if those problems are all around you, waiting to jump out on you at every turn like the boogey-man or a carjacker. Read about certain problems long enough and you might even begin seeing those problems where they don’t exist–you begin reading between the lines where there is nothing between the lines to read; seeing the writing on the wall when the wall is bare.

I’ve never understood how people could make a career out of certain jobs. Can you imagine how depressing it must be to work as a homicide detective or a rape counselor? I know I can’t handle the intensity and the sadness of hearing the details of depressing situations and circumstances again and again everyday. Most people are not cut out for such jobs. So it’s not surprising that most people can’t stomach reading negative stories on the internet everyday–the bulk of people just aren’t cut out to stomach a mountain of negative information.

I say all of that to say this: It’s OK to give yourself a breather on reading about black women and issues that pertain to them. It’s better to take a step back and go on vacation (like I’m on vacation right now) and then come back after your break. Or, you can choose to read selectively–every post doesn’t require you to read it, every post doesn’t require you to comment.

We all have our limits. Know your limits and take a break when you need to.