Through her first-hand accounts, Assata highlights the psychological effects of oppression that are experienced by the black community which stimulate the civil rights movement in the United States. Similar to the violence experienced by the Algerians during French colonization, violence experienced by the black community in the US is atmospheric. The atmospheric aspect of violence is characterized by the damage to the psyche of oppressed peoples as they develop an inferiority complex. For example, white, European culture was the social norm in the United States. People of color are considered “uncultured” in this climate when they fail to completely adopt white culture and belief systems. As a result of this forced assimilation of cultures, blacks in the US, like the Algerians, are unable to recognize their oppressor as the common enemy because believe they are inferior to their oppressor.

Young African Americans are heavily impacted psychologically, as they are forced to conform to white value systems and standards of beauty. For example, young girls tried to bleach their skin and straighten their hair in order to fit the socially determined image of beauty. The adoption of white value systems and social standards is evidence of the formation of an inferiority complex. Experiencing both physical and psychological violence causes oppressed people to accept their subordination by conforming to societal standards instead of resisting them. Assata states that during her childhood, she “never questioned things white people thought were good” as white culture was the only values system that was valid in this oppressive society.  In turn, she blamed her family for not providing the traditional white upbringing that was displayed in the popular media. The media is another means in which the white power structure oppressed minorities. Like in colonized Algeria, the richest individuals control society as a whole. In the US, the wealthiest 1% of the population, which consisted of whites, control the policies of media and news in order to shape the public opinion. This affected not only the social standards of beauty and living, but also the way minorities were depicted to the rest of society. For example, the Black Liberation Army is wrongly portrayed by the media as a militant organization. The BLA is a people’s movement that arose from the poor conditions in black communities as a result of political, social, & economic oppression.

The psychological effects of the inferiority complex that develops as a result of oppression are seen in the behavior of young individuals in society. The unjustified violence that occurs in the US not only dehumanizes minorities, but also desensitizes them. Many young boys participate in heinous activities like gang rape of African American females. Like many pre-war native Algerians, African Americans inflict violence toward each other due to their inferiority complex and inability to recognize a common enemy. The inferiority complex of the African American is long-lived, as it originated from slavery. Slaves were encouraged to project their misery toward each other, instead of their slave master, in the form of violence. Fanon would argue that this intercommunal violence and damage to the psyche fuels the movement for escaping oppression, as it triggers the spontaneity of the masses to act violently toward their oppressor. The masses become spontaneously violent, as seen in nationwide riots in the US, because they have exercised every nonviolent means toward achieving their goal of equality. Both Fanon and Shakur support the use of violence in order to make a strong political statement. Fanon was a member of the National Liberation Front, or FLN, which was an Algerian terrorist organization fighting for decolonization, and Shakur attended several political riots throughout her life, and was a member of the Black Panther Party.
