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If white people only had an inking of the distrust and ambivalence that is a part of cross racial interactions due to the effluence of the legacy of white supremecy in this country. All the jargon about freedom and equality doesn't change the power differentials that are in play in all kinds of social, economic and political interchanges. Africam Americans are very sensitive to this and see certain institutions as bulwarks against the negative intrusion of white power and influence into their sphere of influence. In my experience this explains some of the ambivalence about whites in BGLOs. And, in my own experience, in my fraternity, I think there is a sense in which there is more acceptance of non-black "minority" members, ie, a sort of acknowledgment of "minority" status which gives one more credibility than if one was caucasian. Personally, I believe in inclusive membership, but to assert that there's a racial double standard if some blacks question white membership, needs to be nuanced and contextualized before that label is affixed to these attitudes.
An analogy would be how some in other parts of the world have negative or ambivalent feelings towards America and Americans. We see ourselves in terms of our ideology of freedom and democracy, while others experience of us is more in terms of the "imperialistic" influence of our economic, political and cultural power.
Last edited by Wolfman; 05-15-2007 at 12:15 AM.
Reason: typo
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Nuff said.
Hybrid Mode
