Interesting....do you really buy the idea that whiteness is "profoundly psychologically crippling" or was this meant to be taken with irony? Because that's the only way I can take it. Mildly and occasionally stomach wrenching, sometimes annoying and frustrating (especially when you try to say something that doesn't sound racist when you believe the person listening to you has already decided you are), but crippling? I don't experience shame in being white (well, I did after watching Hotel Rwanda), but at the same time I don't seem damaged by losing the opportunity to experience *pride* in being white. Those things of which I am proud don't have to do with my skin color, they have to do with my experiences and my associations with the accomplishments of my family and friends.
This reminds me of a class exercise you told me about once, where students were invited to write about themselves. Non-whites were more likely to identify themselves along the lines of race or ethnic heritage, women were more likely to identify with their gender, etc. One of the (many) privileges of being white (or male, to follow through on the exercise), then, is perhaps a broader freedom to self-identify, white still being the subconscious "default" option on what constitutes a person.
I'm guessing the student was an American (if not, make relevant changes); doesn't being a white American mean you can take pride in being American without worrying about the fact that lots of people don't think you're a "real American?" Or just take pride in western civilization generally; sure, like being American, it isn't a purely white phenomenon, but it's heavily white-identified. And this is assuming the student doesn't know anything about his ancestry; if he knows where his ancestors came from, it doesn't seem that people find it especially disturbing when someone takes pride in, say, their English or Swedish ancestry or something.
So, basically, as a white guy, I completely fail to see the student's problem. I suppose I tend myself to use my extensive freedom to self-identify, and think of myself in terms of my various chosen groups (as an academic, for instance) rather than any identity forced on me by my past.
Aaron,
Well, if you take seriously Aime Cesaire's critique of Western Civilization, which I do, then it is hard to not see W.C. as coextensive with colonization, slavery, and thereby racialization.
being white (or male, to follow through on the exercise), then, is perhaps a broader freedom to self-identify, white still being the subconscious "default" option on what constitutes a person.
Yep. But this is my point. We aren't proud of being "white." One can be proud of being Black--rooted perhaps in a sense of resilience in the face of racism. I am not talking about feeling good about the other parts of our identity--and yes, we are "free" to be "individuals." No one will start saying, for example, that we should never elect another white man for President after Bush leaves office. We aren't lumped in with every fucked up thing white people do.
But, if you asked yourself what is great about being "white," not about being an individual, then it is hard to see what is redeeming about whiteness.
Yep. But this is my point. We aren't proud of being "white."
I know. My point is, why do we need to be? I don't see this as any loss. Definitely not "psychologically crippling." Whiteness already seems to come with an undeserved sense of entitlement. Why need to be proud of an accident of birth?
I guess something closer to being proud of one's heritage that white people enjoy is being proud of being Swedish or Danish or Scottish or Irish or British or what have you. I still don't relate to it directly (except I kind of like the macho image of my Scottish Clan, the McBeans), but people do experience pride in their heritage in that way without it being an issue of skin color per se.
I've indicated my view before on a recent post, so I'll keep my contribution brief!
My hypothesis is two-fold, that students are resistant to it because (a) implications of moral responsibility and (b) implications of undeserved privilege.
In regards to (a), everyone in my generation knows that racism is wrong. It's a lesson we're taught from day one in most areas of the country now. The education involved in racism goes well beyond that of other types of discrimination. I think there is an increased sensitivity to the label "racist" for this reason, and so students tend to worry that the existence of deep, institutionalized racism (which therefore involves them in some indirect way) is the same or similar to being a "racist." The layers of moral responsibility involved here are complicated, and not immediately obvious (nor are they obvious even to those who spend a lot of time trying to think about what our responsibility is for our privilege).
As to (b), another lesson we are taught from a young age is the value of hard work. That's a good thing. What's not is the closely related lesson that that which we have is justifiably ours if we worked hard for it. The problem is that it is presumed that that which we have in middle class, Western society is directly proportional to how hard we work. Having a certain status due to both hard work and privilege undermines the legitimacy of our claim to have it.
As to the claim that whiteness is psychologically crippling, I'm not sure I've ever experienced anything like that. I'll have to watch the video in the newest post after the grading is done to get a sense of what that really means. At first glance, however, my reaction is that my "whiteness" has generally been psychologically liberating in that I have never felt confined in terms of personal identity. I'm in the powerful majority, and as Aaron Boyden said, this gives me the ability to self-identify with groups aligned with my interests. I'm far more challenged by the extent to which I have benefited from my social status, education, race, sex, etc. than the experience of being of my race as such. (Still, however, I want to avoid making a strawman of your student's argument, so I'll have to watch the video some time).
I, like Jeff, need to view the video, but I tend to agree that I am not mentally immobilized by my "whiteness." I am conscious of the fact that I am part of the majority as a male WASP. A group that doesn't necessarily have the largest numbers, just the most wealth and positions of power within society, and as a member of the majority there are inherent (unfairly) privileges.
I do agree that as a white male, I don't think of things in terms of white versus others. I don't think of Albert Einstein as a white scientist versus George Washington Carver as a black scientist, and thence Einstein made more important discoveries because he was white (foolish argument anyway, who wouldn't choose peanut butter over the theory of relativity). Nor do I feel shame over Adolph Hitler because he was Austrian and some of my relatives are/were Austrian.
What I do focus on relative to racism and sexism is where I have the most influence, my children. Getting our son and daughter to look past the color, race, gender, etc. and to look at the need for interpersonal relationships is where racism will find an end. Unfortunately, I fear that this will be a long time from now. This isn't a light switch that illuminates the darkness for the racist, but rather a slow process of understanding and changing attitudes.
Another point that has already been made is that history, and hence our present, is written from the victor's perspective. White males have dominated that discussion to date. BO's election does little to decrease that dominance. It does give one hope that we are at least moving in the right direction.
Tim Wise is a bully. Read this thing from CounterPunch that he wrote about how all the Hillary wimmins had better not refuse to vote for Obama.
http://www.counterpunch.org/
wise...se06072008.html
He's got a lot of gall, making a career for himself as "defender of the dark races."
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