Whiteness Studies

As do I, snood.

I have decided that the number one concrete and visible thing I can do to help out with this problem is to treat everyone equally in my everyday life and stick to my guns about it whether it's in my comfort zone or not, putting my foot on no ones neck, or allowing special treatment to any individual.

I owe everyone an equal playing field in the way I conduct my life, no more no less. treat me fairly, be treated fairly. Just don't fu@k with me.

Of course I sometimes fail at sticking to this enlightened attitude and behavior, but i can honestly say I try my best.

What else can I do in the end?

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For those of us that recognize the issue as a black/white one, all we can do is do our best to not allow it in our lives. If we personally observe racist or discriminatory action toward blacks (or anybody else for that matter), we should challenge it always. It's not easy to do; most of us that live in communities like ours in Silicon Valley where we have limited exposure to that kind of racist/discriminatory activity. In our area, the majority is made up of minorities. As a matter of fact, there's a article in today's San Jose Mercury News that reflects the change of Asians in Cupertino to 46 percent of the population. However, if I personally observe any racist/discriminatory activity towards any minority, I will challenge it, because I abhor any type of discrimination. c.i.

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Snood wrote:

Several Universities are teaching a Course in "White Studies", about how race was a construct of white people, and how they are the unthinking beneficiaries of privilege.

Which privileges do I have as a White man? The very assumption that the White people have some privileges stemming from their being a part of certain race are intended to impugn culpability.

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I should've mentioned that I attended an excellent dinner theatre in my city last night called "Fifties Do-Wop".

Not only did the performers sing and dance all that great music from the '50s but the play also centered around rock-and-roll's impact on society; how Alan Freed brought the black music to the white kids, Little Richard being ripped off by Pat Boone, etc.

Sidebar: when Alan Freed's TV show broadcast a black boy dancing with a white girl, he was fired and the show was cancelled the very next day (provided my theatre company's take on this history is accurate).

The same kind of 'creep' is still going on in music today: Eminem is somewhat derisively called 'Elvis' for insinuating himself to the top of the rap charts.

Good for music? Good for society? Good for black rap artists? Or just another ripoff? Does an appreciation for black music make a white kid more racially sensitive?

Hell, I don't know...

I do know country music doesn't seem to be helping... :wink:

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snood wrote:

It's a little ironic to me to be saying that classes on "white studies" (which, by the way, are in my estimation not a treatment generally on "racism" as much as they are a tutorial about white privilege in the US)

How does one seperate "white priviledge" from "racism"? They seem, to me at least, to be terms for opposite sides of the same coin.

Quote:

...should strive to be inclusive of the entirety of the spectrum of events and perspectives encompassing the race issue, when their very existence is an attempt to address omissions and inaccuracies in all of American education, since before blacks were whipped for trying to read, until now.

Shouldn't the coverage be complete? If Jefferson's views on race are going to be brought up shouldn't there be a discussion of how he came to hold those views? Jefferson was a great writer and orator but he had few original thoughts.

Earlier in this thread I mention Dr. William Petty and Charles Linnaeus. These are the two people who wrote the theological and scientific works that created the concept of race we have today. Linnaeus was the one who first wrote of the 4 races in the world ("White" Europeans, "Red" Americans, "Yellow" Asians and "Black" Africans..) in his 1740 publishing of "General System of Nature". The works of Petty and Linnaeus were a few of many that were published during the European Enlightenment which were read by many, inculding Jefferson. How can they cover Jefferson's thoughts and writings in these classes without covering how he came to his ideas? If they don't, another incomplete history full of ommissions and inaccuracies is being taught.

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fishin' You bring up an interesting point; we need not go back that far to see it in contemporary times. A professor at Harvard Univesrity wrote a book with the main thesis being that blacks have lower intelligence. How does one battle ignorance when a premier university allows such trash? c.i.

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This particular professor should be sued for libel toward large group of people. But this particular episode does not imply that all the White people are racist bigots.

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steissd, Where in my post did I even suggest that all white people are racist bigots? c.i.

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steissd wrote:

I consider myself color blind in anything that pertains to race. That is why I oppose both racial discrimination and race-based affirmative action.

You have not lived in the U.S. nor, apparently, are you well-versed in our history. Race-based affirmative action, as you put it, is necessary to redress the damage that long-term institutional racism has caused in my country.

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Fishin included the following sentence in a recent post:

"Interestingly, Jew's seem to be the only "group" where race and religion align. I don't know of any other group that this still holds for..)."

Well, I am a Jew and I am of another religion. You might be familiar with the saying, "You don't have to be Jewish to be Buddhist, but it helps". BTW, I am not a Buddhist either, but it's an interesting saying. I, like many many "racial" Jews are not religious Jews. One can convert to the Jewish religion but that one will never be a "racial" Jew. (P.S. No need to remind me that converts were not provided much slack in Nazi Germany, that is not the subject to which I am commenting.)

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truth
Sweetcomplication, well put. Someday, affirmative action regulations and programs will be unnecessary, but for the time being it takes a lot of self deception to believe that without them minority peoples would not only achieve a degree of parity in society but would also resume their fall back to conditions before the 60s. And this is not because of inherent inequality; it's because the cards are stacked against them. I'm amused by the righteous indignation of whites when they feel they have been discriminated against by affirmative action policies. How do they think minorities feel when it happens to them?
I'll be back in a week to see how this thread progresses.

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Sofia wrote, in part, a while back:

"Even minor differences within races are enough for people to draw distinctions and claim some fake superiority. I was surprised and baffled when I discovered blacks have some type of hierarchy and discrimination within their race, based on skin lightness. I remember a conversation among black friends about the attractiveness of women we knew. One was dazzlingly beautiful, but the men agreed, "She's too dark." This stayed with me a long time. I still don't know how to process it. The lighter skinned women were much more popular."

Thank you, Sofia, for pointing out one issue that is very important. That is, when oppressed groups take on some of the ridiculous attitudes promulgated by the majority group; very damaging for, in this case, blacks.

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BPB included this sentence in a recent post:

"I owe everyone an equal playing field in the way I conduct my life, no more no less. treat me fairly, be treated fairly. Just don't fu@k with me."

Quite right, but IMO, we all have the duty to take a hard look at the sociological overview here, ie if everyone had your attitude, no problem. Everyone most certainly does not. Until they do, the society must address/redress the problem in tandem with you.

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Recently, Steissd wrote:

"Which privileges do I have as a White man? The very assumption that the White people have some privileges stemming from their being a part of certain race are intended to impugn culpability."

With all due respect, you are just plain wrong.

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sweetcomplication wrote:

Fishin included the following sentence in a recent post:

"Interestingly, Jew's seem to be the only "group" where race and religion align. I don't know of any other group that this still holds for..)."

Well, I am a Jew and I am of another religion. You might be familiar with the saying, "You don't have to be Jewish to be Buddhist, but it helps". BTW, I am not a Buddhist either, but it's an interesting saying. I, like many many "racial" Jews are not religious Jews. One can convert to the Jewish religion but that one will never be a "racial" Jew. (P.S. No need to remind me that converts were not provided much slack in Nazi Germany, that is not the subject to which I am commenting.)

Sweet - I wasn't referring to any specific individual. Was I was referring to is that someone can describe themselves as being a Jew and mean either they are of Jewish heritage, the Jewish faith, or both. The same doesn't hold for any other case that I know of. If someone says they are a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, etc.. it doesn't have the same implication of both religion and ethnicity as does the word "Jewish". There is no ethnic tie-in to being a Christian or Muslim.

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fishin', How about black and Asian Jews? c.i.

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PDiddie included the following in his recent post:

"Not only did the performers sing and dance all that great music from the '50s but the play also centered around rock-and-roll's impact on society; how Alan Freed brought the black music to the white kids, Little Richard being ripped off by Pat Boone, etc.

Sidebar: when Alan Freed's TV show broadcast a black boy dancing with a white girl, he was fired and the show was cancelled the very next day (provided my theatre company's take on this history is accurate)."

Sidebar, she said proudly, Alan Freed was a Jew. He was indeed fired exactly the way your theatre company stated.

Sidebar: I also saw the play to which you referred, however, I watched its last performance as filmed on cable tv. It was absolutely wonderful!

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I am glad you were so impressed with my post that you answered back so many times..... Very Happy

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BTW, for those that may be interested, there is a very good PBS show titled "Race: The Power of Illusion" that hits on many of the issues of scientific racism. You can check for a local showtime (for those in the US anyway.. Sad

) in your area here:

http://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-locallistings.htm

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Let me be perfectly clear...I don't think I am better than anyone else because of their race, gender, religion, education or economic status.

I'm better than all you assholes period. Razz

:wink:

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