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BEING WHITE IN AMER.
Term Paper ID:22872
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Essay Subject:
Examines experience of whites in contrast to blacks. Issues of class, education, employment, psychology, history, racism, culture, entertainment.... More...
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6 Pages / 1350 Words
5 sources, 19 Citations,
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Paper Abstract:
Examines experience of whites in contrast to blacks. Issues of class, education, employment, psychology, history, racism, culture, entertainment.
Paper Introduction:
This paper is an analysis of the experience of being white in America and the significance this has for white individuals across a broad spectrum of class, education, gender, and employment. This study is based on Andrew Hacker's book, Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal. Hacker contends that, even at the lowest economic level, being white offers advantages not available to black members of American society. He suggests that, despite the wide range of cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds represented within the United States population, the historical relationship between the former owners of slaves and the people they forcibly brought to America remains an insurmountable obstacle. He contends that immigrants from other countries, as well as the native population forced to surrender its land, have been able to assimilate into an white,
Text of the Paper:
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References Dyer, Richard. In Two Nations, Andrew Hacker (1995) states, "What white peopleseldom stop to ask is how they may benefit from belonging to their race . As the civil rights movement has raised public distaste for openbigotry, white America has come to believe that racism is a thing of thepast. Hecontends that immigrants from other countries, as well as the nativepopulation forced to surrender its land, have been able to assimilate intoan white, Western, Eurocentric culture. R., & Sikes, M. 11).White America may be unwilling or unable to admit its ongoing racism, yetits prejudice is evident in what it can do to those under its control. 44). 12) in the beginning. White Americadenigrates African culture, continues to put subtle institutionalroadblocks in the paths of black Americans, and encourages seeing skincolor as a symbol of personal inferiority. 23). . Essed (199 ) differentiates amongcultural, institutional, and individual racism (pp. x). yet even for those who fall to the bottom, being white has worth" (p.35). 16). .. 3). He begins his discussion with an attempt to define "white"; the termhas undergone a gradual expansion from its original designation primarilyfor those of English extraction. The enforced servitude which turned so many Africans into Americansagainst their will changed forever the lives of the Africans and theircaptors. WhiteAmerica, enjoying the benefits of the dominant power, can pretend thatracism no longer exists. He includes in his discussion the film Night of the Living Dead,which has a black man as its hero, menaced and eventually devoured by anall-white horde of zombies. Hacker suggests that the problem may be unsolvable but that whiteAmerica should be responsible for the brunt of the solution, since theproblem was first created by their aggression and inhumanity. African American cultureproceeds from a different worldview and even, literally, a different rhythmthan that of whites. Screen 29 (4) (Autumn 1988): 44-65. JoeR. White America continues to hold power over those brought across theAtlantic as unwilling property. Novick (1995) observes, "One of theappeals of the racist right forces . 6). . Yet they operate from the position of privilegegiven to them by being white and by being surrounded by whites in positionsof authority and power. does come into focus, itis often revealed as emptiness, absence, denial or even a kind of death"(p. Black and white styles in conflict. In the mid-199 s, DenzelWashington has become a powerful enough star to be able to "open" a film toaudiences of all colors, yet he is not allowed to share an on-screenromance with the very white Julia Roberts, even when that romance was partof the original best-selling book. Because blacks have never been permitted to fullyassimilate, their perspective has given them an outsider's view, one thatwhite America may find exotic and intriguing but also sees as dangerous ifonly because it is unknown. . This low-budget horror filmstill stands as a compelling reflection of the white-vs.-black situation inAmerica. Blacks continued to be seen as aninferior species, not only unsuited for equality but not even meriting achance to show their worth" (pp. Philomena Essed (199 ) points out how essential power is to theequation of racism: The concept of "power" (the oppression of other racial/ethnic groups based on one's own position of power) is fundamental to understanding the meaning and function of racism. Hacker, A. (199 ). . Claremont, CA: Hunter House. Keeping power over that unknown continues tobe of desperate importance for whites; Hacker (1995) contends that thisextends to offering a "consolation prize" to even the lowliest members ofwhite society: "No matter to what depth one descends, no white person canever become black" (p. As ill-timed as his protest was (comingwhen the Oscar ceremonies were being produced by a black man and hosted bya black woman), Jesse Jackson nonetheless had a valid point in noting thedearth of African American nominees for Academy Awards in 1996: one blacknominee among the entire field. African Americans, however, wereabducted and brought to the United States against their will. New York: Ballantine Books. The film offers an interesting metaphor forthe white fear of blacks, especially black males, and society's power todestroy those by whom it feels threatened. 2). White women, discriminated against because oftheir gender, nevertheless benefitted from affirmative action programswhich helped many of them get ahead in the workplace as much as, if notmore than, blacks. Kochman, T. Hacker observes, "[While] the nation'sdominant antecedents are European, as is its reliance on Western literatureand learning, this is seen as a cultural, not a racial heritage" (p. Blacks in particular are the most obvioustarget, simply because they are the easiest to identify. Everyday racism: Reports on women of twocultures. This paper is an analysis of the experience of being white in Americaand the significance this has for white individuals across a broad spectrumof class, education, gender, and employment. Feagin and Sikes (1994) point out, "Most whites sharea common historical and cultural heritage of racism centered on AfricanAmericans" (p. However, defining "white" has become anincreasingly difficult task. (1981). White. (1995). As Hacker (1995) frames theunspoken but always present question, "Might there be something about theblack race that suited them for slavery?" (p. Feagin and Melvin P. In troubled,uncertain times, extremists within white America develop sympathy for theircause by blaming the easily identified "other." Feagin and Sikes (1994) observe, "Today most white Americans do notsee racial discrimination as a widespread or deeply entrenched problem intraditionally white workplaces, law courts, schools, and otherinstitutions" (p. (1995). 1 ).Hacker contends that, throughout history, new immigrants from all cornersof the globe have "become white" through their willingness to assimilateinto the dominant culture, accepting "mistrust, not to mention violence andhostility" (p. even though many whites deny its presence or effects"(p. 34). 12). The delusion is easy enough to maintain, if leftunexamined: enough black faces appear on movie screens and in TV series,reading the news and making it, bouncing balls and calling plays, to makesociety appear to be fully integrated. Monroe, ME: Common CouragePress.----------------------- 8 12-28). 15-16). Michael Novick (1995) sees abroader picture but concurs with Hacker's view of slavery as a rootproblem: "The social formation which has sprung up in this country isbased on white supremacy and colonialism, slavery and the conquest of land"(p. Two nations: Black and white, separate,hostile, unequal. Richard Dyer, discussing the ways in whichwhite power is expressed in film, notes the difficulty, "partly becausewhite power secures its dominance by seeming not to be anything inparticular, but also because, when whiteness . Feagin and Sikes (1994) point out, "Racism is central to the lives ofwhite Americans . 7). This study is based on AndrewHacker's book, Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal.Hacker contends that, even at the lowest economic level, being white offersadvantages not available to black members of American society. Hacker makes a compelling point about the difficulty that slaverycontinues to pose in ending the separation of blacks and whites in America. . (1994). Novick, M. Feagin, J. Hacker writes, "Immigrants areallowed entry on the condition that they serve as cheap labor and liveunobtrusively" (p. Chicago:University of Chicago Press. This, morethan the color of their skin, continues to set them apart within society,preventing them, perhaps permanently, from participating in the Americandream. Nevertheless, the barriers remain. is that they offer simplisticsolutions for the problems of our society by providing scapegoats - Blacks,immigrants, Jews, gays" (p. 1 ). Thomas Kochman (1981) observes, "Black and white cultural differencesare generally ignored when attempts are made to understand how and whyblack and white communication fails" (p. He suggeststhat, despite the wide range of cultural, racial, and ethnic backgroundsrepresented within the United States population, the historicalrelationship between the former owners of slaves and the people theyforcibly brought to America remains an insurmountable obstacle. He writes, "The ideology that had provided therationale for slavery did not disappear. 3). As Feagin and Sikes (1994) contend, "When they think about it, themajority of whites tend to look at serious racism as the prejudices andactions of extreme bigots not considered to be representative of the whitemajority" (p. At the same time, radical white supremacist groups have begun to riseagain in prominence and membership. P. Essed, P. . Yet, in Hacker's (1995) words, "Race is a tense terrain,where we often try to hide crucial truths from ourselves" (p. Black America watches television and filmsof all colors; white America virtually ignores the films of Spike Lee andJohn Singleton and the all-black situation comedies that fill the lower endof the Nielsen ratings lists. Living with racism: Theblack middle class experience. Theshame of slavery continues to echo loudly throughout society. Boston: Beacon Press. 319). Sikes (1994) define racism, observing that itrefers "not only to the prejudices and discriminating actions of particularwhite bigots but also to institutionalized discrimination and to therecurring ways in which white people dominate black people in almost everymajor area of this society" (p. White lies, white power: The fight againstwhite supremacy and reactionary violence. Without access to the power to actually harm the "other" as a group, one may be guilty of pre- judgment - believing wrong or negative information about that group - and of individual discrimination, but not of racism (p. Racist distrust of the black man causes society to demonstrateits power, even from beyond the grave. He suggests that white America's unwillingness to welcome formerslaves into full society after the Civil War prevented them from enjoyingthe privileges of assimilation extended to all others who came freely tothe United States.
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