Quote:
Originally Posted by PiKA2001
No I took issue because it has happened to ALL cultures here in America, not just the ones THEY consider ethnic. It's not just a black thing or a latino thing, its something that Europeans have faced as well. That needs to be known.
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If this was your only point then you need to read Ignatiev's "How The Irish Became White." What happened to "white" ethnic groups is nothing like what happened to racial and ethnic minority groups.
The following is the background logic behind the commercialization/cannibalization/Americanization of cultures:
It is true that ethnic groups like Italian Americans are considered white and, like you are saying, members who choose to highlight their ethnic identity (instead of completely assimilate into whiteness 100% of the time) are often stereotyped as an "other." The same goes for other white ethnic groups, including extreme representations of Jewish Americans. STILL not the same as what occurred with racial and ethnic minorities because members of white ethnic groups know exactly when to play up or play down their group traits (with exception for those who have to work extra hard to account for physical characteristics). When white privilege and group advantage based on whiteness are at stake, you won't find too much confusion on how to play the "white game." Racial and ethnic minorities (who can't pass for white) never have the ability to assimilate 100% and forego everything that makes them identifiable as an "other."
Everyone is part of a socially constructed racial and ethnic grouping--even "mixed people." The problem is that whiteness is considered mainstream and void of race and ethnicity. This gave whiteness power and "make believe" racial and cultural ambiguity. "I'm white so I can objectively talk about topics without 'race' clouding my perspective" is the same thing as men saying "I'm a man so I can objectively talk about topics without 'gender' clouding my perspective."
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