A question. A thought process many likely find themselves pondering in times of much division and uncertainty. This phenomenon of us all being divided is nothing new- when we examine history we can see with more clarity how things came to be and that ‘divide and conquer’ has been a recurrent mentality by those who have maintained power.
The ways in which every person responds to or feels about the present state of the times is dependent upon their life experience and what matters to them - what directly impacts them.
Apathy is the easy way out. Tuning out. Distancing and desensitizing ourselves from things that make us feel uneasy, or things we simply don’t want to confront or see. And it makes sense- we do what helps us feel better.
Self preservation itself is not necessarily problematic. It can be a natural sought outcome. However, the decision to not care at all contributes to the conditions of society remaining stagnant. Turning a blind eye, or placing false blame will not produce any sort of remedying solution.
Awareness is vital. I need this to reach anyone and everyone that it can. I hope this message is able to find those who might not have found the care within themselves (yet) to direct towards those who don’t look like them.
If this message offends or creates a reaction of discomfort within you- then it was most likely intended for you.
People walk through the world a different color than you and as white people we are not forced to fear for our lives due to racism. No one is against you.
This is not an attack on you and is nothing against you individually. It is ok to be offended. As long as you can breathe, take a step back, self-reflect and critically assess where this feeling stems from. Self awareness is critical.
The topics I am about to discuss are touchy, hot-button topics. I don't believe they should solely be social media trends nor can they be resolved by exchanging opinions. They are systemic issues that permeate the world regardless of whether we share a post or comment our viewpoint on an internet site. They do not end or cease to exist once we put them out of our heads.
First off- yes! It is ok to be white. No one is saying that it is not (however I have seen quite a few posts by white people stating that they feel they are being expected to apologize or feel bad for their skin color); though I could see why societal pressure to end racism may be construed as making you feel guilty for your complexion- I assure you the issues in society will more likely be resolved by allowing your pride to subside and do the work on yourself.
It should not be burdensome to admit your own identity. Of course no one can be faulted for being born the way that they are born- as we have no control over our origins of creation. It is ok to acknowledge “hey, I‘m white”. That is perfectly acceptable. This is such a given, that many refuse or are fearful to speak into existence due to the negative connotation it warrants. And I can see why as white people we don’t have to reflect much on possessing the skin color we do.
If we’re from an area with mainly white people we aren’t forced to contemplate how those of a different racial community are treated by society. Because we don't interact with those who appear different from us on a daily basis. We don't get to hear their stories or purposely take notice to how their identity differs from ours, because we are separated physcially. We may come from different areas, environments and upbringings.
Where being white becomes problematic is when we do not take into account the implications of what it means to be white in this world- specifically in the context of how our existence impacts black people and other non-white people of color; whether we realize it or not. Whether we think we are contributing to systemic racism or not. We can be not-racist, but what does that accomplish other than removing ourselves from the solution? After all- white people created the problem.
It is more productive to be anti-racist. It may seem sufficient to some white people to simply claim, "I'm not racist" because they may feel they are not outwardly expressing hatred to others. However, racism takes many forms, and is an internalized bias we do not always consciously realize the implications of. We have been exposed to certain themes and beliefs, throughout our formative years that may have gone unchallenged and fit a mold. We may not have always had the information at our fingertips like we do now. We may not have had the wherewithal to challenge our internalized stereotypes.
On another note: you can be proud to be who you are- your identity may entail being white. But the reason it is ludicrous to go around claiming “white pride” is because much of the world already revolves around white people. White people colonized the world- (PLEASE study history) we have learned some of it, but it has been taught to us from a purposeful lens. here is a great resource:
http://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/ushistory/chapter/the-impact-of-colonization/
whether this is a comfortable fact for you or not it is how many things same to be. So yes, other cultures encourage themselves to take pride in their authenticity because they have been conditioned to assimilate to the white agenda for years and they want to reclaim their roots. Black people proclaiming their pride in themselves should not make you feel inferior or attacked.
No- white people nor black people should be the enemy. It is true that we are time and time again turned against one another. But we have to acknowledge how long this conflict has been around for, where it comes from, and why we can’t ignore it and/or pretend like it doesn't exist.
As white people- (and I am directly speaking to those I have seen attempt to do what I am about to list) it is easy for us to discredit the experiences and/or voices of black people. It is easy to downplay the racial tension that exists in society because we benefit from a system that caters to us.
This notion may not be visibly clear to some that such a system is in place- but a few minutes of research may help bring you to this conclusion. It is hard to hold ourselves accountable because that required admitting we have a problem. We don’t like unsettling truths, we don’t like facing discomfort. Not only that, it is very unnerving to acknowledge that we have participated in perpetuating the problem. Whether we purposely chose to, or not.
When we hear the word system we think that it is this un-touchable force. Something we have no influence over because we are not major players in the system. The reality is that we all are participants in this system; we have the power to rid of it.
Let’s address white privilege and how the concept itself sparks discomfort. Myself, I acknowledge that I have it. For others though, it can be challenging to grapple with. And I understand. I was not always able to see that I had it; hell I was not even familiar with the concept of it for most of my life.
And when we walk through the world as white people- unchallenged by systems of authority or simply not judged by our complexion it can be difficult to even see what we were born with. Having privilege does not mean our lives have been easy. White people experience trauma and can have very difficult experiences throughout life. This is valid. In the context of privilege however- none of these negative things we encounter are due to our skin color. And at the end of the day, we have the power in a racial hierarchal system despite our own tribulations. Whether that means we received swifter justice or are believed as having more valid viewpoints. There are common themes we see over and over again in the world.
a resource to learn about white privilege:
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really
Most white people have never even thought about race before because we haven’t had to. It can be difficult to find empathy when some of us are conditioned to only care about things that directly impact us, we must step outside of our worldview and examine someone else’s experience.
Claiming that black people are equal to us is of course an affirmation I wish rung true. However, the notion of equality is far from achieved realistically and black people are not treated as our equals- mainly by us white folk- time and time again. This is evident with a simple evaluation of how this country- the USA- came to be. It was built off of slavery.
https://api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/news/2003/1/how-slavery-helped-build-a-world-economy
Yes- human beings were enslaved among other horrific practices. Black people were not considered people- but deemed property.
As white people- it is easy to clap back with “that was so long ago” or “it is irrelevant because I am not my ancestors” while you yourself may not have directly contributed to the enslavement of Black people - someone who looked like you did. Generational trauma. As white people we directly benefit from a system that our ancestors created. Because it was designed for us. That in itself is pure fact that should not necessarily enrage you to admit. But it does add understanding to the way the world operates today. Once slavery was abolished, there was a loophole in the 13th amendment. Then mass incarceration. Redlining, and housing laws, plus other various tactics over time to keep black and brown people without personal and economic power and or in poorer conditions environment and health wise - that brought us to where we are today.
For myself, I acknowledge that I was raised in a predominantly white community- this means that the majority of my teachers, peers, and those I interacted with on a daily basis were white. Now, there is nothing wrong with simply speaking the truth how it is. It is how it happened, I had no control over where I was born and raised.
However, the reality is that I lived in skewed my lens. I was not exposed to many cultures that differ from my own. I was not privy to the way in which most of the world appears- in multiple shades of color. And this is a true experience for many of us that come from small towns. The US population is majority white- but the rest of the world is not. We cannot solely exist in a bubble or vacuum where we pretend as though we are the center of the world- while there is a whole globe full of people out there.
Upon early adulthood - I came to a new frame. Sure, my best childhood friend was of a mixed race but as white children many of us are taught not to see color this is problematic (and I will explain why later) Therefore I was not educated on why racial differences matter. It is easy to say race does not matter; however even if we as individuals choose not to acknowledge the prevalence of race- people of color have no choice but to walk through the world everyday and face challenges and inequity due to their complexions. And I can see why some people want to claim race is irrelevant. It is a social construct and there is no biological data to back up that it exists nor deems one person better than the other. However it is a construct still alive today and it has a history of oppressing people. It was created with that purpose. Let us not neglect history as it was the precursor that set in motion today. We as a society are still dealing with the residual impact of who came before us. Engrained with a way of thinking that has been translated to present day.
We must choose to see color because:
1.) those of us who are able-bodied and still have our eyesight can see plain as day the complexion of one’s skin. We don’t have to understand someone as a person to simply acknowledge their physical appearance.
2.) by claiming we don’t see color, we are simultaneously discounting people of colors’ life experiences and invalidating their existence.
I implore every single one of us inhabiting the planet together to care. If not for the simple fact of human rights, then I will provide some other reasons as to why you should care about living on this planet alongside those who appear physically different from you:
1.) because it’s the right thing to do (however this still doesn’t seem to be valid enough)
2.) because “treat people how you would want to be treated”
say a “freaky Friday” situation spontaneously occurred. Would you be content with the way in which you would be treated by white people and other non-black people if you were in alternative shoes? think of the Jane Elliot experiment.
3.) all human beings living and breathing deserve the right to live their lives without fear of death due to another human being’s problematic thinking process
why reverse racism isn’t a thing you may feel attacked when someone reminds you that you’re white.
check out this link:
http://www.aclrc.com/myth-of-reverse-racism
For all the “all lives matter” folk- yes, every single human being holds value and purpose. However, if you read & do some research you will find yourself questioning if all lives have been created equal or have endured equal circumstances due to the treatment people of color receive in their every day lives & systemic racism. You may not see it- it exists nonetheless. And if all lives were created equal and treated as such, we would not be facing these systemic issues today.
Why should you care- you might ask yourself. Because all lives DO matter! Not just the ones you come into contact with in your social circles. Not just your family members. Not just you. EVERY. SINGLE. HUMAN BEING. That includes black lives.
You can ignore or unfollow me but ask yourself how that will benefit you. Do you want to change, grow, evolve as a person? This requires work to be done on yourself. I will be ok regardless because I know I am doing the work that is required. The work that I need to do. As we all should be doing.
Self-Reflection is a very important tool to help us learn and grow. We are all at different process points of 'doing the work'. It is ok to admit you don't know something. Taking accountability - it’s easy to do it to others, but not to hold yourself responsible for problematic thinking patterns. Doing the work requires time and active effort, patience. You can’t just wake up and expect not to be racist anymore, that’s not how it works.
I don’t know everything, but I have done my research.
Change can occur everyday.
In our interactions with others is interpersonal change. We need systemic change.
You might wonder why I care, or invest interest or time in these matters I have mentioned. Or why I’m interrupting your scrolling of the typical Facebook post things. Because we have limited time here. Because I want things to look different in the world. Because I want to try and undo the damage and residual impact. I want everyone to be safe and valued and that’s just not the present reality.
We should be having these conversations more often because of all the humanity that exist in the world and not just when we feel like we have to have conversations.
here’s a link that makes to easy to view the data on the controversial topic of law enforcement officers disproportionately killing people of color:
https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/
Yorumlar