Toby (NC):White studies, what an interesting concept. Those who subscribe to White Studies are the first to tell you that there is Race is not a viable construct, except, of course-the White Race.John L.: Toby's comments above ARE NOT TRUE."Whiteness" refers to a set of behaviors, beliefs, customs, and/or practices.The term has NOTHING TO DO WITH BIOLOGY.Toby: Hidden in this insanity is the popular trope that only white's can be racist (except the chosen white feminists.John L.: The movie "Crash" did a great dis-service to efforts directed towards decreasing racism.The movie displays how members of ALL groups can hold prejudices towards other people.What "Crash" didn't show us is how White people benefit from institutional or systemic discrimination/racism....such as discrimination in employment, racial profiling, sub-prime loans aimed at "Communities of Color", the "racial" or ethnic disparity in "whom is given the death penalty, gerrymandering, low expectations for Students of Color held by White teachers, etc., etc., etc.Unlike the individual examples shown in "Crash," the preceding examples involves policies and practices that disadvantage People of Color in large numbers.Hence, "Crash" is whiteness at its best: projects the message that all people can harbor prejudices while concealing examples of systemic discrimination that advantages Whites over People of Color.Toby: Though the white studies people claim that {race) is a social construct this construct appears only to white people. This can mean only one thing blacks, asians, hispanics and others are merely victims of their own biological nature.John L.: Wrong, yet again."Races" of humans is indeed a social construct, and thus means only one thing: all humans are of the same species.If ALL humans on the Earth today can....TRACE THEIR ANCESTRY BACK TO A WOMAN WHO LIVED IN AFRICA 80,000 years ago...this means that there was NOT a "multi-genesis of different races of human."We all came from the same source.Google California Newsreel and then search for "Race: The Power of An Illusion."Two, "Whiteness" doesn't "appear to White people"...it is PRACTICED AND BLINDLY ACCEPTED by White people.For example, Whites control ALL mainstream media, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.Only certain types of information...that does not contradict the dominant group's view of life....is regularly paraded before viewers, readers, or listeners.For example, why do most Whites tend to believe that "most of the people receiving welfare in America are Black?!"That's because Blacks are far, far more likely to be depicted in the media as receiving welfare.In reality, Whites are the largest group receiving welfare.Of the 180 million Whites in America, about 15% or 27 million are poor.Of the 40 million Blacks in America, about 25% or 10 million live in poverty.We can state based on the stats above that Blacks are disproportionately represented among people who receive welfare.We also can just as accurately state that...numerically, Whites are the largest group receiving welfare.The former statement (disproportionate) is more likely to be used by media outlets...than the numerical statement.Another myth motivated by the practitioners of whiteness...is the belief that "a large percentage of Whites have lost jobs to Blacks because of affirmative action."How can so many "Blacks be on welfare" (from research polls/surveys of Whites)...yet simultaneously be taking so many jobs away from Whites?!"Just doesn't make statistical sense, does it?! Yet, many Whites hold these dueling beliefs simultaneously.Where do these beliefs come from?They come from the distorted ways White-controlled media broadcast or publish info about affirmative action.Two, Blacks are NOT even the largest group benefiting from affirmative action. White women are the largest group. (e-mail me at
[email protected] for more info)The overwhelming majority of people opposed to affirmative action have...NEVER even read the legislation....but instead rely on people like Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly, etc. to interpret it for them.The legislation very clearly conveys that "this legislation was enacted to counter problems of discrimination targeting women and minorities."Three, in psychology there is a term known as "internalization of racism."This refers to people that "accept the negative images they see of their group in the media, i.e. textbooks, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, etc.How is this definition reflective of whiteness?Well, there are 2 issues.One, if people can internalize negative images and begin to believe that "they are inferior to others"....what is the opposite of that?!Those who receive only positive images of themselves...tend to believe that "they are superior to other people."Two, the definition puts the burden for change...on those who internalize the images rather than on those who PRODUCE the images.Every time I raise this issue in psychology classes, traditional psychology professors always answer in the same way: "I never thought about that."Of course they haven't...because you cannot start out with whiteness and arrive at such an analysis.As Audre Lorde once said, "The master's tools...will never dismantle the master's house.I wonder if whiteness will play a role in whether my review gets posted to this page.I'll be glad to be proven wrong on this one. :>)
