July 15, 2007

The Reality of Race: Is the Problem That White People Don't Know or Don't Care?

A recent study exploring white peoples' understanding of the black experience in America reveals that whites still drastically underestimate the cost of being black because they don't want to know or can't face the consequences.

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White Americans are mean and uncaring, morally bankrupt and ethically flawed, because white supremacy has taken a huge toll on white people's capacity to be fully human.

My reasoning is simple: Given all the data and stories available to us about the reality of racism in the United States, if at this point white people (myself included) underestimate the costs of being black it's either because (1) we have made a choice not to know, or (2) we know but can't face the consequences of that knowledge.

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

While I hate to wear it, let me affix my "minority" hat squarely on my head.

The only thing I find more unappealing than a racist white guy is a non-racist white guy complaining about the white power structure. Actually, that's not the only thing I find more unappealing, for instance, genocide is more unappealing... but I think the phrasing makes the point I want to make ;)

I can see how this will play out: this guy will go through years of guilt over his position of privilege. He will raise his kids to feel the same guilt, and they will do the same in kind. After generations, all similar white folks will come to blame minorities for their guilt complexes, and compensation will be demanded.

This whole "white guilt" thing is just another way for the man to keep me down :)