Friday, February 25, 2011

Being American, Being a Black American, Being a Female American

Brittany’s post from last week got me thinking. A few classes ago we were talking about W.E.B. Du Bois, I think, and were discussing what it is to be “American”. We discussed how being an American in a way presupposes being a white male. Due to this individuals must identify with not only being American but also with whatever it is that makes them deviate from the “norm”. This leads to a black male to identify himself as “black” in addition to being “American”, and a white female to indentify as both a “woman” and an “American”. If this is the case, women and non-white individuals must be aware of these roles with which they identify. White males, on the other hand, merely identify with being “American” and do not have to deal with the conflicting identities. This relates back to Brittany’s post because while maybe children aren’t aware of it, they might still experience the conflicts of identities that we described in class. While white children aren’t aware of racial injustice as they are not subject to it, black children see it more readily and experience it in some capacity. I think this difference persists into young adulthood to the point that white college students might disagree with what is the supposed “norm” of racial interactions while black students tend to agree with them. Whites, especially males, are just less aware of social inequalities and such because they are not on the receiving end. Whites who believe they don’t treat people different based on race (regardless of if they do) are always going to refute certain claims of how people act because they are not subject to social inequalities and identify with the race that is responsible for most social injustice, yet they do not participate in it. A black or female student might be more willing to agree with certain assertions because while they might not participate in it, they definitely experience being subjected. It can be very difficult for whites to recognize social inequalities when they are never subject to them.

8 comments:

  1. I do agree with you. I do not know from experience because I am not white or male, but I can understand how recognizing social inequalities could be harder because you are never subject to them, but at times I don't think that recognizing social inequalities is a worry for white males. Even if a white male was asked to recognize social inequalities, he does not have to worry about it and can choose not to because of his status in society. I think this can change the way social inequalities are thought of. If someone who is privelege actually worried about it then maybe there can be change, but not recognizing it because it has never been experienced doesn't change anything.

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  2. I am in another Anthropology class of race and ethnic human relations, and as I was reading this post the term color blindness popped up in my mind. This is because whites are blind to the fact that these social inequalities exist, they become color blind with the fact that people of color still are subject to disadvantages today. If whites continue to be unaware of the inequalities, then they will soon come to reject that they have a certain privilege as well. This continues to be an on going process, and the issue of racial inequalities grows deeper.

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  3. Kip, I definitely agree with your post. I took a counseling psychology course last semester, in which we learned about white privilege. Unfortunately, white males often take for granted the daily privileges they experience because they have never been denied them. My counseling psych professor asked each student go to Walgreens and find specific products for African Americans. I was astonished to find that the variety of products, for example band-aids, make up, and holiday cards, were extremely limited and more expensive for African Americans. Despite having shopped at the same Walgreens since freshman year, I never noticed the inequality between products for white americans and black americans. White privilege undoubtedly exists and often goes unnoticed by those who benefit from it.

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  4. I also want to point out another extreme to how the privileged race isn't as aware of social inequalities as their counterparts, their counterparts also suffer from blaming social inequalities for everything to the point where that is all they see, thus limiting themselves. So while whites may not see the problem, blacks wade in the problem. I believe that gets to a point where you're trying to pull teeth... you can't fix a problem that the majority do not recognize and you can't fix something the underprivileged race is always referencing to the problem unable to see any change. Both sides have to consider in order for social inequalities to even begin to see better days.

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  5. Lots of good points in here. I guess in response I am left wondering what does make the difference between people who accept privilege and those who begin to question it. Is it only a matter of awareness? Or is there a larger moral obligation to look examine our lives and the implications that they have on others. Thinking in terms of Memmi, can there be a white heterosexual male who accepts and a white heterosexual male who rejects, and if so, does it matter, or are both positions essentially the same?

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  6. I agree Kip, that this is the fascinating dynamic at work in any group discussing race. I white male, having never had to admit himself as a male or white because the society is organized around him, has an almost impossible time understanding what being a in an oppressed, segregated, or prejudiced group is like. The best a white male can do is listen to other pople and attempt to understand what they go through. Its the same thing as someone saying, 'I know how you feel' to a friend who has unexpectedly lost their mother when the person offering condolences has never actually dealt with an equally tragic loss themselves. We only know that to say to try and lend support, but what really needs to be said to people facing prejudice is not, 'I'm sorry, I know it's difficult for you,' but instead;
    'I understand your life is more difficult then mine, not because of who you are as an individual, but for reasons outside your control and completely within mine as a privileged party in this society, so I'm sorry my race and gender has made the fact you are your's so difficult, but I accept the blame and will try to be the solution.'
    And that's really all we can offer as white males, being a part of the solution and realizing what is at fault for prejudice is that we are perpetuating a society that favors ourselves and provides us with opportunities.
    Oh, and two last points from your post, Kip. First, you said that men associate themselves as male, and not American. I would argue that being white and male is what is seen as American, so males don't really associate themselves as any one of the three, but rather a male or white or American. Also, I think that children, especially of other races, are forced to experience prejudice at a young age. Have you ever tried to buy a bandage of a skin tone for black children? What about one that has a black princess on it instead of a white Disney princess? Yes, it's very difficult. Imagine as a child if everyone around you wore dark brown bangages, but the dark brown matched their skin tone, and you had to wear them too, but it din't match yours because you were white. That is clear to a child that they are different and not allowed to be 'normal' because of their skin color.

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  7. As a white male I feel the tension you mention of recognizing the social inequality that those who look like me have supported in the past. This has always made me feel uncomfortable, like I am stained to look like a racist because of my own color. It begs the question of how to handle oneself knowing the hateful past that I am lumped into because of the race category that I get put it. In thinking about this over the years I have realized this is not something I need to feel bad about, or awkward about; but instead I need to understand and embrace my positioning and move forward. If I dwell on the negative implications of my own race then we are still stuck in the same cycle where a non-scientific category in race has too much of a deciding factor and influence in society.

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  8. It is interesting that you put it like this kip, because I feel that these categories really are just additions by society, in order to make an already complex society even more stratified. I wonder how we can raise awareness of race to the general population so that people of all walks of life are aware of (at least a few of) the biases which affect our everyday life, because it seems as if this awareness is all that is required to start an honest debate.

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