Race & Whiteness

How does the idea of white identity tied up with structural and systemic racism? When thinking of the different ways systemic racism is formed. It shows up in our everyday lives by social, economic, and political systems. Systemic racism is formed in our everyday lives, but it focuses more on how people usually “white” judge non-white people on their colour or other things that are assumed on them, showing racism. One example is “non-white” people of colour are poorer, so they then live in a lower-income area. But many white people will call that area the “hood” as it usually tends to have a bad reputation to them as they experience white privilege in their daily life. I don’t have to worry about people avoiding or calling the area I live in, as it is considered a nicer and safer place to live. This shows how white privilege plays a part in how we see and treat others, as we don’t experience things like them.


In the article “Whiteness is a racial construct. It’s time to take it apart” in The Globe and Mail, she states “Western society maintains that racism is an act that individuals do, not a system that all of us exist in.” Which I feel is true, as not everyone is racist, but you also can be taught to be as well. One phrase I saw that I did not agree with was “if you’re a nice person, you can’t be racist” this made me think of the “bad apple” theory. You could have a “good apple” on the outside, but the inside of it is “rotten” or if there is a bunch of good apples, and one or two of them are “rotten” does not make them all bad. Saying this, racism exists more in the individual but will be looked on within the whole society. and trying to have a conversation about race can be hard for white people as they might feel attacked or get defensive when this topic comes up. As white people don’t have to confront their racial identity the same way people of colour have to.

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References

Balkissoon, D. (2016, October 11). Whiteness is a racial construct. It’s time to take it apart. https://spon.ca/whiteness-is-a-racial-construct-its-time-to-take-it-apart/2016/10/11/