Quote:
Originally posted by Little E
I like how you said this. I was trying to formulate a response and it wasn't working.
The reality is that I am a white American. I have Irish, Scottish and English heritage. While I did spend 6 months living there, I'm hardly British or Irish, I really am just a white American. I'm not evil, I don't think whites should rule the world, nor do I think it should be ruled by Asians, Blacks or Latinos. This country focus' on race so much we forget that there are VERY few people who are of one ethinic orgin. People travel, they have sex. That is how the world works.
OPhiARen3- when you tell people they can't be proud of being 'white' because it is inherently racisit, at a level you are telling people to deny who they are. You identify me as white, I identify me as white, but you just said white is bad. That frustrates me. Why can't we embrace ourselves and accept each other?
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I don't think, looking at the development of whiteness and the priviledge that is associated with it, that it is something that should be embraced. I honestly feel that the world would be a better place if we could all just move past whiteness. I'm not saying that's the easiest thing to do, and I certainly don't have an easy answer of how to do it, but it's how I feel and it's something that I am committed to.
Race isn't inherent; it's a social construct. As the people who make up society, we do play some role in choosing to continue or discontinue racial ideologies. If we can deconstruct white, that would be the first step toward breaking down so many barriers. Society defines me as white, and therefore associates me with certain behaviors, etc. - that doesn't mean that I have to think of myself that way. People assume that they can say certain things around me, do certain things around me, whatever, because I have pale skin - but I don't have to go along with that, and I can choose to break those expectations. Those are the kinds of things I am talking about.
I don't know how much sense all that made, and I know this has gotten so horribly off topic ... if anyone really wants to talk more about this kind of stuff, it'd probably be better if you PM'd me, I don't know if the whole board wants to hear me go on about it (these are the things I focus on in school ...).