Morgan Parker’s latest memoir-in-essays argues how mental health therapy should really be a form of reparations.
A prominent figure in the poetry world, Morgan Parker, the author of critically-acclaimed collections that include There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé, Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night and Magical Negro, has just released You Get What You Pay For, a compilation of thought-provoking essays that examines the cultural legacy of Black people, and the idea of our finding “well-being” in a world that was not designed for us.
The book follows Parker as she digs into the intersection of Blackness and mental health in America while exploring her own personal experiences with depression, therapy and the challenges of being a Black individual in society. She uses it as an invitation to think about what it would be like for Black individuals to be psychologically free in America and why it could lead to a brighter future of fulfillment and more possibilities.
With the essay, Are We Not Entertainers? Parker dissects the cultural influence of Bill Cosby’s fall from grace in a world based on acceptance through respectability. In George Bush Doesn’t Care About Black People, she delves into the Kanye West moment and Black mourning. She also touches on the unjust beauty standards that Black women are often subjected to, as well as the pitfalls of when they’re thrust into the limelight, exemplifying how public figures such as Serena Williams are seen as too ambitious and are iconic only once in a while. Parker encapsulates rarely-discussed aspects of the emotional burdens Black people carry on a daily basis, and how they lend themselves to the many misunderstandings about us.
“I think it’s less about knowing things, because a lot of what I’m talking about we already know, and it’s just a matter of, How often does that come into your brain?,” Parker shares in a recent interview with Vogue. “I’m looking for a more holistic and present and permanent consideration, rather than, Oh, I know that fact, or, I heard someone mention in an article that doctors under-prescribe to Black women. I think sometimes we can get lost under facts; the physicality of a [Black] individual can get lost under that, so for me, it’s really just about paying attention to the person in front of you.”
Parker is referring to the notion of creating a space of non-judgment and context, one where Black people make the most sense, just like everybody else. The idea also ties into how she chose the title of the book. On the one hand, it has an obscure, humorous connotation—like the thought of slaves being bought and sold with the implication that buyers shouldn’t complain about what they’ve purchased. But at the same time, it also points to a deeper issue: the exorbitant expense of mental health care that we pay for on our own.
In the book’s final essay, Cheaper Than Therapy, Parker makes a case for the concept of “therapy as reparations” and how its inspiration actually started from her having a white therapist who made her explain the Ferguson unrest. “I was like, I should be paid for that,” she told the South Seattle Emerald. “Then I was thinking, how many hours have I lost? You know, because I would leave these sessions being like, we never talked about how I’m supposed to get a date. [laughs] Like what the f*ck? So, thinking about how much money I spent in therapy—which I’m paying to heal myself and move forward in my life—but I can’t because I’m in there talking about how cops kill Black people. That’s crazy. That feels like I should be reimbursed.”
Morgan Parker’s You Get What You Pay For is chocked full of witty, insightful perspectives that blend into her personal stories and wonderfully sharp cultural critiques. It is a truly compelling read, and is available at all major retailers where books are sold, including the following Black-owned bookstores:
