ABSTRACT
Members of any discriminated against group are apt to be very sensitive to comments by others about their national, religious, or racial characteristics. Many Blacks became acutely aware of the centuries of discrimination to which their people had been subjected. In fact, as Blacks move up the socioeconomic ladder, thereby both threatening white positions of power while at the same time coming into greater contact with them, misunderstandings are likely to increase. The stereotype that Blacks have great sexual prowess is also highly questionable. In fact, psychologists Abram Kardiner and Lionel Ovesey suggest in their book Mark of Oppression that broken homes, lack of opportunity, and status anxieties often create impotence and passivity. Body odor is often associated with dirt in the way whites stereotype Blacks. This emerged in Europe during the period of exploration and maintained its primacy in the era of slavery. As the status of Blacks continues to improve, changes have been taking place in consumer tastes.
