*Official* 6th week

I wanted to bring up something here that I did not have a chance to bring up in class about the reasons whites may have for giving up their white privilege.  It seems to be a tough sell to tell people to give up white privilege based on morality, and telling people it will improve society as a whole also seems not to receive much traction. Therefore, I think the strongest reason to deconstruct whiteness should be personal reasons. 

Historically, race has been constructed as a social divider. This was true at the foundation of whiteness and it is true today. These can be seen in historical examples throughout history, as wealthy whites, at the start of slavery, sought a solution that would separate the interests of poor whites and blacks, and this strategy was employed once more when unionization first began as working class whites were once again pitted against blacks. Race has been constructed as a difference that stands between what would normally be a more united working/middle class, but instead they are divided by a trivial difference such as race. (I say trivial in the sense that it is trivial in theory not in reality.) Considering that the greatest benefits of this racial state go to a small portion of wealthy whites I believe the argument to deconstruct whiteness would have significant benefits for many working class whites. 

In this sense, the deconstruction of whiteness among working class whites would prove to remove race a social divider among most of white America. Not only this, but without such a stark division by race and a more united working class, societal changes could be made not on race but instead on class. 

I think Obama is a good example of this as much of white America moved beyond an issue of race and voted for their personal interest. This same example can be applied to structures of power all over the country. 

Of course this surrender of white privilege does come at its cost. There is no longer that racial underclass that working class whites would always be above. But what will happen, as a result of societal changes that are sure to come from a more united working class, is an increased possibility for social mobility, for both whites and non-whites. 

The sell for upper-class whites is much harder. They will face increased competition from less class stratified society that would result from a more socially mobile middle/lower class. But they still will be upper class, which means they will still have money and as much a chance as anyone. It is capitalism after all so just compete. 

Official for 6th week

In what ways does what Tim Wise refers to as "White Bonding" (102-106) interact with Thandeka's concept of "White Shame" (12-13, etc.)? It seems to me that white bonding is the action which would cause the self to abandon parts of itself and to flee into whiteness seeking acceptance in a larger community. However, if this is how "whiteness" is formed it stands to reason that, just as operant conditioning requires occasional reinforcement, whiteness would require the same. Are instances such as racial jokes a form of reinforcement of the conditioned "whiteness"? Are they outlets for an individual to express that they are in fact part of that (white) community? Or do they serve both purposes, both representing and reinforcing that belonging?
Following the parallel to operant conditioning I feel that this experience of white bonding is the most likely suspect for the reinforcement of "whiteness" and from this follows that in order to break free from this racial conditioning is to confront it with punishment (either positive or negative) in order to bring about the extiction of the behavior.

Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 03 of 03 - The House We Live In

Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 03 of 03 - The House We Live In 1/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 03 of 03 - The House We Live In 2/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 03 of 03 - The House We Live In 3/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 03 of 03 - The House We Live In 4/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 03 of 03 - The House We Live In 5/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 03 of 03 - The House We Live In 6/6

Race the Power of Ilusion Part 2

Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 02 of 03 - The Story We Tell 1/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 02 of 03 - The Story We Tell 2/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 02 of 03 - The Story We Tell 3/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 02 of 03 - The Story We Tell 4/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 02 of 03 - The Story We Tell 5/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 02 of 03 - The Story We Tell 6/6

Race the Power of Illusion Part 1

Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 01 of 03 - The Difference Between Us 2/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 01 of 03 - The Difference Between Us 3/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 01 of 03 - The Difference Between Us 4/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 01 of 03 - The Difference Between Us 5/6



Race: The Power of an Illusion - Part 01 of 03 - The Difference Between Us 6/6

On that Race Minstrelsy Madea Meme

Here are some clips relevant to our talk today about race minstrelsy, Madea, etc. This has come up a few times so I thought some pieces on the range of conversation on the topic would be helpful.







Harmless fun?



Some articles/magazines pieces:

Tyler Perry: Representative of Black Womankind, or Minstrel in Panty Hose?

from Salon.com--The funny thing about black men in dresses: Why do black comedians like Tyler Perry, Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence don plus-size pantyhose and parade around as their feisty grandmas?

Interesting piece on Black Theater and Madea.

Next in line Experiencing the Madea effect

Madea Got a Dress on Point/Counterpoint

"some people"

I know this really doesn't directly have to do with race, but it comes back to that idea of using the phrase "these people" or "the white elite"; who are "these people" and what do they really feel?  I think this response from the Huffington Post to an Associated Press article fits well with the importance of defining terms such as these.  It's short, I'll admit, but I think it fits with some of the things we have been discussing in class.

AP: Obama "Seen By Some As Arrogant"

Racism and freedom of speech in Kalamazoo

Here is a viewpoint I wrote for the Kalamazoo Gazette last month:
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-5/123216961878710.xml&coll=7

Here is a published response (with online comments) from today's Gazette:
http://blog.mlive.com/readreact/2009/01/in_response_to_hussain_turks.html

Last night I was forcibly detained, arrested, and escorted off of campus by white WMU Police Officers when I quietly brought a sign (that read: AmeriKKKa Funds Israeli Terrorism) to WMU's presentation of "Israel 101." Supposedly my "organized protest" (which consisted of me, a sign, and absolutely no speaking) was "offensive and disruptive."

When an older veteran (who happened to be black) told the white police officer who was holding me up against a wall (and who did not witness me carrying any sign, because my sign was stolen by a white WMU student) that I had done nothing wrong, the black man was given 5-seconds to leave or be arrested as well.

I am now officially banned from any WMU campus facility. As I was being escorted/forced off of campus (the bruise on my arm speaks for itself) I had a brief but interesting exchange with a white officer, sergeant Brian Alofs.

I told him "You know its racist bigots like you that make America full of hate."
The white sergeant replied "You're mildly retarded."

I think this exposes the intellectual caliber of the American social justice system.

The race game last week got me thinking about where my race fits in the racial hierarchy. I was born in South Korea, and my parents adopted me at a young age. My parents have always been open with me and while my Asian identity is not a big part of who I am, other people will perceive me to be a model minority.

We have been talking a lot in class about black/white binary and how each group interact with each other. It seems that all other minority groups seem to shape their identity around this binary. As an Asian American I enjoy some white privilege, but I want to explore how whites create minority groups to fit in a racial category, and how minority groups reproduce this image.

The model minority myth hurts Asians because it confines individuals to a certain sphere of acting. If they deviate outside of this box, they are questioned by whites. To what extent do Asians perform this myth to comply with whites? And what are other myths that different minority groups get labeled with?

For me, I do not fit in with many of the Asian stereotypes. I was raised in an affluent area, which was mostly white. My parents and sisters are white. I don't have much value placed on my "Asian-ness." However, people I don't know still expect me to act a certain way. What are possible ways to overcome these labels that often are forgotten in the black/white binary?

Propaganda: Black Colleges During War Time

This is a video from 1944 put out by the US War Department. It discusses how African-American Universities were contributing to the war efforts. I think it's an interesting contrast to what we read about the GI Bill, White Veterans and Black opportunity at the time, and it's produced by the government.