Discussion Provocation #2
White individuals are often raised blind and sheltered from the reality that surrounds our prilleges. Peggy MacIntosh explains how she “was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group.”(MacIntosh, 1). This is also the case for the majority of people which has created a negative association with racism and being a “racist,” when actually “racism is a form of oppression in which one racial group dominates over others,” with this dominating group being white people(DiAngelo & Sensoy, 144).
DiAngelo suggests that we need to understand that “being a good person and being complicit with racism are mutually exclusive.”(2015). This is because racism is a whole system that manipulates and forms societies norms, as well as the rights and opportunities for white individuals over others. Because of the misrepresentation of racism, if a white person is accused of being racist they immediately get offended and defend themselves. Personally, since I was led to believe racism as attacking single individuals before these conversations and readings in ECS 101 & 102, I as well would have taken being called racist as a serious insult.
When someone brings up the problematic conversations surrounding racism and white privilege, white people tend to “turn away”, deny and escape it at all costs. As much as I hate to admit it, I also used to refrain from these conversations because they always made me feel very uncomfortable. By avoiding these conversations it protects the white peoples view of themselves of being honest, noble, and ethical individuals. This is equivalent to when white people make the excuse that there are a few “bad apples” when white individuals are in problematic situations. Their goal is to defend the universal white reputation and standard that has set them to be known as the “good people,” who do not do anything bad, despite our history which proves otherwise(but we tend to hide this as well).
By never addressing the truths behind the system of racism we are never going to help the issues that are based around it. We need to educate and understand what effects our white privilege has over others in order to ever progress and experience change. Having said that, what issues may arise from the strong opinions white people already have embedded within them? How are we going to deal with denial they might express or even their willingness to accept the concept of systematic racism?
I enjoyed your writing; I think it is true that you said that “White individuals are often raised blind and sheltered from the reality that surrounds our prilleges.” In the society dominated by white people, white people are regarded as the normal standard, so the inherent hidden interests of white people are regarded as the privilege of white people by other ethnic groups. The use of white privilege may be conscious or unconscious. Racism is characterized by initiative, behavior and choice, which usually causes harm to the vulnerable ethnic groups; white privilege is passive, inherent and hidden benefits, and many people often do not realize that they are enjoying these hidden assets. The fact that white people tent to turn away from this type of conversation, they want to defend the general reputation and standards of white people. But escape or turning away will not solve system of racism.
Renjie, you had some excellent points about white privilege and its effects that are completely true in the world we live in. I like how you stated that the use of white privilege may be conscious or unconscious, because we have examples in class and in our daily lives where both can be possible.
You are so right when mentioning about how white people turn away from the hard conversations and make excuses such as the bad apple example. It is our job as future educators to contribute to the fight against racism and to help teach the future generations about how to appropriately approach the hard conversations that our generation tries to avoid. Renjie is right about white people being viewed as the normal standard and I believe that within our fight against racism we need to adjust that standard to a culturally diverse picture.
I totally agree with you Christa, about everything regarding the statement that it is our job as future educators to contribute to the fight against racism.