--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It shames me to admit that in the…" description: "\"“It shames me to admit that in the white-defined society in which I was raised, blacks were considered merely background. This was worse than physical ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/jonathan-odell-33736_author-note_it-shames-me-to-admit-that-in-the-white_566608.jpg" --- # It shames me to admit that in the white-defined society in… ![“It shames me to admit that in the white-defined society in which I was raised, blacks were considered merely background. This was worse than physical segregation. This was psychological segregation. It wasn't that we were taught not to associate with blacks: close association was unavoidable…” quote by Jonathan Odell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/jonathan-odell-33736_author-note_it-shames-me-to-admit-that-in-the-white_566608.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/jonathan-odell-33736_author-note_it-shames-me-to-admit-that-in-the-white_566608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/jonathan-odell-33736_author-note_it-shames-me-to-admit-that-in-the-white_566608.jpg) > ““It shames me to admit that in the white-defined society in which I was raised, blacks were considered merely background. This was worse than physical segregation. This was psychological segregation. It wasn't that we were taught not to associate with blacks: close association was unavoidable. Instead, we were taught to see half the population not as individuals but as functionaries - maids, yardmen, etc.”” [Jonathan Odell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-odell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal conditioning reduces a group to background roles, creating deep psychological segregation. **In simple terms:** People are taught to see others as stereotypes. Key Takeaway Challenge ingrained biases. Themes racism psychology identity stereotyping Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - education reform - media representation - community dialogue Key Concepts Social conditioning implicit bias Questions to Reflect On - What personal biases do you recognize? - How can institutions undo psychological segregation? A Different Perspective Changing deep-rooted attitudes is slow and meets resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Author-note](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author-note-12782/) [Physical Segregation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-segregation-4686299/) [Psychological Segregation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological-segregation-4686297/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Segregation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/segregation/) [Segregation Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/segregation-psychological-4686298/) [Segregation Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/segregation-wasn-4686296/) ## Related quotes > [Young people think Rosa Parks just sat down on a bus and ended segregation, but that wasn't the case at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudette-colvin/young-people-think-rosa-parks-just-sat-down-on-a-bus-and-ended/) [Claudette Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudette-colvin/) > [ \[Barack Obama\] grew up in Hawaii, far, far removed from the most, you know, sort of violent, you know, tendencies of Jim Crow and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/barack-obama-grew-up-in-hawaii-far-far-removed-from-the-most-you-know/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [“So while I dedicated this book to myself, it’s also dedicated to you. 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