AlterNet / By Robert Jensen
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Why White People Are Afraid

What do white people have to be afraid of in a world structured on white privilege? Their own fears.
June 7, 2006  |  
 
 
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It may seem self-indulgent to talk about the fears of white people in a white-supremacist society. After all, what do white people really have to be afraid of in a world structured on white privilege? It may be self-indulgent, but it's critical to understand because these fears are part of what keeps many white people from confronting ourselves and the system.

The first, and perhaps most crucial, fear is that of facing the fact that some of what we white people have is unearned. It's a truism that we don't really make it on our own; we all have plenty of help to achieve whatever we achieve. That means that some of what we have is the product of the work of others, distributed unevenly across society, over which we may have little or no control individually. No matter how hard we work or how smart we are, we all know -- when we are honest with ourselves -- that we did not get where we are by merit alone. And many white people are afraid of that fact.

A second fear is crasser: White people's fear of losing what we have -- literally the fear of losing things we own if at some point the economic, political, and social systems in which we live become more just and equitable. That fear is not completely irrational; if white privilege -- along with the other kinds of privilege many of us have living in the middle class and above in an imperialist country that dominates much of the rest of the world -- were to evaporate, the distribution of resources in the United States and in the world would change, and that would be a good thing. We would have less. That redistribution of wealth would be fairer and more just. But in a world in which people have become used to affluence and material comfort, that possibility can be scary.

A third fear involves a slightly different scenario -- a world in which non-white people might someday gain the kind of power over whites that whites have long monopolized. One hears this constantly in the conversation about immigration, the lingering fear that somehow "they" (meaning not just Mexican-Americans and Latinos more generally, but any non-white immigrants) are going to keep moving to this country and at some point become the majority demographically.

Even though whites likely can maintain a disproportionate share of wealth, those numbers will eventually translate into political, economic, and cultural power. And then what? Many whites fear that the result won't be a system that is more just, but a system in which white people become the minority and could be treated as whites have long treated non-whites. This is perhaps the deepest fear that lives in the heart of whiteness. It is not really a fear of non-white people. It's a fear of the depravity that lives in our own hearts: Are non-white people capable of doing to us the barbaric things we have done to them?

A final fear has probably always haunted white people but has become more powerful since the society has formally rejected overt racism: The fear of being seen, and seen-through, by non-white people. Virtually every white person I know, including white people fighting for racial justice and including myself, carries some level of racism in our minds and hearts and bodies. In our heads, we can pretend to eliminate it, but most of us know it is there. And because we are all supposed to be appropriately anti-racist, we carry that lingering racism with a new kind of fear: What if non-white people look at us and can see it? What if they can see through us? What if they can look past our anti-racist vocabulary and sense that we still don't really know how to treat them as equals? What if they know about us what we don't dare know about ourselves? What if they can see what we can't even voice?

I work in a large university with a stated commitment to racial justice. All of my faculty colleagues, even the most reactionary, have a stated commitment to racial justice. And yet the fear is palpable.

It is a fear I have struggled with, and I remember the first time I ever articulated that fear in public. I was on a panel with several other professors at the University of Texas discussing race and politics in the O.J. Simpson case. Next to me was an African American professor. I was talking about media; he was talking about the culture's treatment of the sexuality of black men. As we talked, I paid attention to what was happening in me as I sat next to him. I felt uneasy. I had no reason to be uncomfortable around him, but I wasn't completely comfortable. During the question-and-answer period -- I don't remember what question sparked my comment -- I turned to him and said something like, "It's important to talk about what really goes on between black and white people in this country. For instance, why am I feeling afraid of you? I know I have no reason to be afraid, but I am. Why is that?"

My reaction wasn't a crude physical fear, not some remnant of being taught that black men are dangerous (though I have had such reactions to black men on the street in certain circumstances). Instead, I think it was that fear of being seen through by non-white people, especially when we are talking about race. In that particular moment, for a white academic on an O.J. panel, my fear was of being exposed as a fraud or some kind of closet racist.

Even if I thought I knew what I was talking about and was being appropriately anti-racist in my analysis, I was afraid that some lingering trace of racism would show through, and that my black colleague would identify it for all in the room to see. After I publicly recognized the fear, I think I started to let go of some of it. Like anything, it's a struggle. I can see ways in which I have made progress. I can see that in many situations I speak more freely and honestly as I let go of the fear. I make mistakes, but as I become less terrified of making mistakes I find that I can trust my instincts more and be more open to critique when my instincts are wrong.
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Robert Jensen is a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of, most recently, The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege (City Lights Books), from which this essay is excerpted.
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Good Piece
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Posted by: alternateview on Jun 7, 2006 12:50 AM   
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I don't believe there are a lot of people who believe what Jensen has written, but it is true. There is that fear. It will become more pronounced when jobs get outsourced. White privilege will soon become a by-gone idea of the Baby Boomer generation. This doesn't mean there will be justice or equity. It just means Whites can't simply maintain positions of power forever. It is too fragile.

Ironically, one has to be a tenured (tenured track) professor in a somewhat cushy job to confess such a fear. Even the notion of tenured and who is rewarded those privileges will one day be questioned. The world is changing.

» RE: Good Piece Posted by: johnecolby
» RE: Good Piece Posted by: milchords

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Third Wave
[Report this comment]
Posted by: SBK on Jun 7, 2006 1:26 AM   
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Great piece! But this has little to do with me and my younger friends who have grown up in a world that has taught us from day one equality is real and possible. Professors like Jensen have reared a generation of students who are post-civil rights and honestly, do not have the left over lingering racism. We never had it in the first place; many of us were schooled as anti-racist allies from the start. Boomers need to remember that while white 40 somethings may have this problem, many of us 30 and under do not. Our consternation comes from knowing since we were kids institutional racism exists and realizing how long it will take to get rid of it. Fear? Only that the project won't be completed before something really bad happens to derail it--looks at the blazing lack of racial analysis in the immigration discussion!

» RE: Third Wave Posted by: lotus
» RE: Third Wave Posted by: Mountain Oracle
» RE: Third Wave Posted by: simplyme
» RE: Third Wave Posted by: jenvon

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You stereotype whites by attributing the attributes of the overclass to ordinary whites.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: cry0fan on Jun 7, 2006 1:44 AM   
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Let's see if we can somehow tease out the subtextual propaganda buried oh so deep in this article, written by a member of the upper class, a journalism professor. Now, it might hard to figure out the subtle underlying message the author is trying to pass on to us, so I have emphasized with BOLD font some key words. So very subtle!
Here are the excerpts from the article, with my responses:


Why White People Are Afraid

talk about the fears of white people in a white-supremacist society.


It is an OVERCLASS supremecist society. There are more white people at the top because there are more white people, period. And white people get along better with other white people, just like black people get along better with other black people. It's called SUBCULTURE. And getting to the top means getting along real well with other people at the top. So, guess what, genius? The largest group is disproportionately represented at the top. But let me guess? You wanna take it all out on middle class and lower class white Americans, right? How did I EVER guess?

Let's read some more of this overclass propagnda!

After all, what do white people really have to be afraid of in a world structured on white privilege?


Ummm...dying from lack of healthcare?


to understand because these fears
....
crucial, fear is that of facing the fact that some of what we white people have is unearned.

Speak for yourself.


many white people are afraid of that fact.

A second fear is crasser: White people's fear of losing what we have -- literally the fear of losing things we own if at some point the economic, political, and social systems in which we live become more just and equitable.


You want equity? How about we take a bunch of money from your overclass masters and give it to the bottom half? But let me guess--instead of doing that, you wanna make white people at the bottom take the brunt of the race crimes of the overclass? How did I EVER guess?

That fear

white privilege

imperialist country that dominates


You mean the privilege of working our asses off while europe takes 2 months off per year, with universal healthcare and social welfare state security?


A third fear ....the kind of power over whites that whites have long monopolized.


You confuse the overclass with whites in general. You are STEREOTYPING.

the lingering fear

whites likely can maintain a disproportionate share of wealth,



Again, just because whites on AVERAGE have more wealth, does not mean that ALL whites are wealthy.


Many whites fear
deepest fear that lives in the heart of whiteness. It is not really a fear of non-white people. It's a fear of the depravity that lives in our own hearts: Are non-white people capable of doing to us the barbaric things we have done to them?


Again here we see a core tenet of the PseudoLeft created by the Overclass billions that have been used to generate propaganda via nonprofits--the idea that whites are somehow incorrigibly EVIL.

continued below

» RE: black slave owners Posted by: itzamirakul
» RE: black slave owners Posted by: InfinityInc
» history of US slavery Posted by: mokidugway
» RE: black slave owners Posted by: kimaszi
» RE: black slave owners Posted by: sterlingdave54
» RE: WELL SAID CryOfan!!! Posted by: Cathyc
» RE: Distribution of Wealth Posted by: gellero

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White Fears????
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Tom Degan on Jun 7, 2006 1:53 AM   
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This is an argument that I've been making for years: THE FEARS OF WHITE PEOPLE???? Are you kidding me? The only thing that we white prople need to be seriously afraid of is ourselves (well...OK...and Condi Rice). Who is doing more damage to our culture? Five black kids getting off of a subway in Bedford Sty at 12 midnight or five middle aged white men getting out of a limousine at Irving Trust at 12 noon? White fears? WHITE FEARS???? I need an asprin.

I couldn't even imagine how absolutely terrifying it is must be to live as an African American in this hideous culture. When are we going to wake up and realize that white people can only be as secure as society as a whole! Whites won't be free of fear until blacks are free of fear. This isn't rocket science, kiddies! It's called "Sociology 101"

We have made alot of progress in this country in my lifetime (I was born in 1958). I was just looking the other day at the liner notes of an old Dick Grergory album that I have, circa 1959, where he is actually referred to as the "negro comedian" I mean, can you imagine? It was well intentioned but it's a laugh riot to read now. But as much progress as we've made in the last 45 years, the job isn't, as many believe, over. In fact, it's barely begun. Let's get cooking!

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
Degan's Daily Rant
http://tomdegan.blogspot.com/

PS - To DISSIDENTPOET: You gave me some heartfelt, constructive and surprisingly gentle criticism a few days ago with regard of my use of the term "house n****r with respect (or lack thereof) to Dr. Rice. I'll tone it down in the future. It's just that this Bush crowd gets me a tad testy at times. Forgive me for taking this long to respond but I only read your post this morning.
Cheers!
Tom

» RE: White Fears???? Posted by: adocann
» Truth Seeker Posted by: johnniewalker
» RE: Truth Seeker Posted by: Tom Degan
» RE: Personal Color Chart Posted by: BlueTigress
» It was a great article, though Posted by: Tom Degan
» RE: White Fears???? Posted by: ALANHESTER
» RE: White Fears???? Posted by: Tam
» RE: White Fears???? Posted by: Tam

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The Destructive Pathology of White Privilege
[Report this comment]
Posted by: brownboytokyo on Jun 7, 2006 2:37 AM   
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here is a great video, the fear is a a destructive element for the
priviledged race even if inviduals themselves are not priviledged.
based on this fear, they are causing more damage to themsleves
while voting against their own interests as an economic class.
excellent video, i urge all of you to watch. http://tinyurl.com/dmx35

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dumb article.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: EasterBunny on Jun 7, 2006 2:59 AM   
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dumbest line from a dumb article

"It is not really a fear of non-white people. It's a fear of the depravity that lives in our own hearts: Are non-white people capable of doing to us the barbaric things we have done to them?"

capable?, you got to be kidding, spend 2 seconds reading history and you'll see that every group is capable of barbaric acts. do ya really think that europeans are the only ones who ever oppressed anyone? whatever "depravity" lives in the hearts of whites is there in everyone else too, it's just a matter of having the power to get away with it.

» RE: dumb article. Posted by: mokidugway
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: medstudgeek
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: weiwuwei
» RE: dumb article. opression Posted by: itzamirakul
» RE: dumb article. opression Posted by: BlueTigress
» RE: dumb article. opression Posted by: harris
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: mysticpal
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: jesme
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: mokidugway
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: mysticpal

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truth in race
[Report this comment]
Posted by: rsaxto on Jun 7, 2006 3:56 AM   
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We are finally receiving some truth in race from many Americans of differing backgrounds. The whole truth is still a long ways off but we are slowly getting there. It is comforting to read these various racial viewpoints, a comfort that was totally absent when I was a teen because racism then was overt and disgusting. Progress in multicultural understanding is probably our most important product.

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Excellent article!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Lizmv on Jun 7, 2006 4:20 AM   
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It is so good to read an honest article like this.
The War on Terror is a racist reaction to white fear. Another poster ststed that there are more whites than non-whites. True in the US and Europe, who economically dominate. However, the Third World is actualy the Two-thirds World. Two-thirds of the Earth's population are non-white. And that population is starting to empower itself. Look at what is happening in South America. 80% of the population is now governed by elected social democratic governments. It is not suprising that the US is very afraid of Chevaz, a non-white.
The 9/11 attack on the US was an attack on the military-industrial complex that enforces racism and drains the resources that rightly belong to non-whites. Attacking the World Trade Center and the Pentagon is so obviously symbolic!
As a half-black friend of mine said "When the white man has had his foot on the neck of the black man for so long, he is too afraid to remove that foot. The white man knows that the minute he does, the black man is going to fight back and rightly so."

White fear is very real and needs to be brought out in the open and dealt with. I often hear progressives bemoaning the fact that the progressive movement is not diversified. Well, people of color KNOW all about white fear. They experience it on a daily basis.

I do recommend Arnold Mindell's excellent book 'Sitting in the Fire'.

» RE: xcellent article! Posted by: brunowe
» RE: xcellent article! Posted by: Lizmv
» RE: xcellent article! Posted by: brunowe
» RE: xcellent article! Posted by: itzamirakul
» RE: xcellent article! Posted by: trachys

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Our privilege is a public trust
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Posted by: pgj on Jun 7, 2006 4:34 AM   
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It is undeniable that, as European-Americans, many of us have accumulated over many generations a family legacy of education, property, assertive self-confidence, and political power: In a word, privilege. People like us have built a political, economic, and legal structure that is strongly tilted in favor of us retaining that privilege.
After my ancestors came to this continent in the early 1600s, we dispossesed other people and farmed their land, starting in New England and ending in my grandfather's generation in Montana. My family has been the benficiaries of affirmative action for almost 400 years.
In the meantime, other people were stolen from themselves, enslaved, their family structures and cultural traditions distroyed, and forced to create wealth for their masters. While my ancestors may not have owned slaves (though they may have helped to transhipped some), I cannot deny that my family's relative privilege benefited from their labor and their submission. If nothing else, the laws that Congress made--and continues to make--that benefit people of privilege are debated and passed in a building constructed by slaves. I cannot deny that my children are further ahead than others in the race for a comfortable life because of my family's accumulated social advantage.
What is a white American of conscience to do with his privilege? That, to me, is a key question. Impoverishing myself and paying personal reparations for slavery and the devestation of native Americans would do little to add social advantage to those groups descendants.
I believe that a moral response to my privilege is to view it as something that I hold in trust. If I have greater wealth than others, I have an obligation to use it for the benefit of everyone--even if that means acting against my own financial advantage. I have an obligation to use my relatively greater social and political power in a conscious fashion to benefit the relatively powerless. I also have a distinct obligation to actively support effective affirmative action to help the descendants of those who have been held up to catch up.

» Where did they get that dough? Posted by: YogiBear

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IMO
[Report this comment]
Posted by: latisha1903 on Jun 7, 2006 5:26 AM   
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Sometimes the most you can hope for is simple acknowledgement.

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I can't be color blind.
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Posted by: LMNOP on Jun 7, 2006 5:40 AM   
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I am a white male, and I have no overt or malicious racial prejudice. But like everyone else, as the author suggests, there is a lingering racist element that keeps me always aware of somebody's color and whether it is the same or different from mine just as I notice if the person is a male or female. It is impossible for me to be color blind or to view people of color the same as white people.

But paradoxically, and I think that this may be a common phenomenon, I am MORE TOLERANT of people of color than white people, and I do the same thing with women even though I don't think that that is fair either. I am less quick to judgment or anger, and I realize that this is a type of racism as well. I don't discriminate against people of color (in fact, I discriminate in their behalf), but I 'm sure that I'm patronizing them somewhat as well.

I can find no way out of this conundrum because I am simply unable to be color blind. I would rather be patronizing than afraid or hateful, so I have settled on my present mindset which some would call white guilt. I'll just call it my own personal affirmative action.

» genetic lineages vs. social stereotypes Posted by: thoughtcriminal
» RE: I can't be color blind. Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: I can't be color blind. Posted by: aussidawg
» RE: I can't be color blind. Posted by: aussidawg
» RE: I can't be color blind. Posted by: aussidawg
» RE: I can't be color blind. Posted by: lbamusical
» On the other hand... Posted by: rclord
» author needs empathy Posted by: rclord

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Afraid at a more basic level
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Posted by: mysticpal on Jun 7, 2006 5:40 AM   
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As a white person who's always lived in racially-mixed neighborhoods (unlike the author, I'm sure) & never had much money, I'm afraid of getting stabbed, robbed at gunpoint, beaten up, etc., all of which have happened. Yes, I understand (or try to) the larger economic forces. And of course non-whites face the same crime, only generally much worse, in totally non-white neighborhoods. And the police attitude and response is historically part of the problem. And the drug war is a BIG part of the problem. But this article seems incredibly naive to me.

"My reaction wasn't a crude physical fear, not some remnant of being taught that black men are dangerous (though I have had such reactions to black men on the street in certain circumstances)..." Translation: nothing bad ever did happen so crime is just an abstract "fear" to him. If he ever has a crime-related hospital stay, he'll take it seriously?

The author's discomfort during a discussion of media depictions of black male sexuality -- well, this is just ridiculous. It's one thing for academics to glean over such relatively trivial subjects, but oh my my, the prof felt uncomfortable! Still, he doesn't even report his black colleague's response to his "apology" for feeling uncomfortable. We're supposed to applaud him for the "apology" without even wondering what the black guy said? Now there's an example of self-centered whiteness.

I do see at the root, anti-black racism that has always worked to prevent economic advancement. But being poor doesn't automatically lead to crime.

» RE: Afraid at a more basic level Posted by: Lincoln fan
» Interesting comment on the drug war Posted by: thoughtcriminal
» Methadone? Posted by: aussidawg
» Awesome post Posted by: Kelly

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A good analogy and comparison is prison
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Posted by: oldsmobile on Jun 7, 2006 5:46 AM   
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I think a good, perhaps simplified and extreme, yet accurate comparison and analogy to what kind of situation working class white people find themselves in, is what happens in prison.

When you go to prison, you really don't have much choice. If you want to be protected and survive, you have to get together with your racial group, if you are white you join the Aryan Brotherhood. It is not about being a racist, it is about living in a structured system, and if you want to be part of that system, no matter what your personal beliefs are, you have to do what you need to survive.

It works the same way in society, though there is more variety and people have more choice. Even so, if you want to be a part of society, and especially if you are working class and struggling in the first place, you are forced to become a part of the system.

» Crossing the lines requires courage Posted by: thoughtcriminal

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If this is what "professors" think........
[Report this comment]
Posted by: GoodByeToAmerica on Jun 7, 2006 5:48 AM   
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No wonder America is losing the plot, even her own citizens will not defend her. Racism is wrong, but whites have good reason to Fear Blacks and others, just take a look in your prisons for goodness sake.
Whites are at the top, will be there always, the bell curve will see to that. Do you really think the immigrants will really be able to run your country? Have you even heard of Zimbabwe? Once they reach critical mass, you contry will head straight down the 3rd world route.
Be afraid.

Be very afraid.

» RACISM ALERT Posted by: Longdream
» And by the way... Posted by: Longdream
» RE: And by the way... Posted by: insulafortune

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Truth Seeker
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Posted by: johnniewalker on Jun 7, 2006 5:54 AM   
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Oh, reading "white privilege." It's a white world, itsn't it!? I thought that this was a given.

Johnnie Walker

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Drivel
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Posted by: Stano on Jun 7, 2006 6:01 AM   
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Why waste time and space writing such drivel. There are so many other issues to be concerned with. Racism isn't just a white person phenonmenon. People of color also display racisim. I've been a victim of it and I know others who have too. And as one reader already mentioned, there are more white people at the top because there are more white people.
Further, I think everyone, white black brown whatever, is feeling scared about losing what they have. The pie is getting smaller.

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misleading and destructive
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Posted by: daw13 on Jun 7, 2006 6:23 AM   
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Professor Jensen may be sincere, but his message is damaging to those suffering from racial discrimination. This discrimination is now largely invisibilized and operates quite indpendently of individual white prejudice. To combat it the white citizenry (Inot the elite) would have do do far more than get over prejudice. They would have to make common cause with Blacks and Latinos in an effort to empower all little people in the US. This would require Whites to acknowledge not their almost meaningless (in this sense) superiority, but they're lack of real power in this country. In a very real sense, Whites possess only the power to bully others, and to accept the privilege of bullying toward realization of very small economic gains -- in exchange for going along with The Program.

In short, it's not White Supremacy that's the problem, its white white powerlessness. And this is what really frightens many white people. It was this fear that gave rise to the KKK, undermined Populism's short flirtation with cross-racial identification, and now shunts so many poor white people towards US fascism -- the fear that the only way to keep one's head above water is to accept membership, however lowly, in the Gang.

Encouraging whites to confront their own prejudice rather than acknowledge their powerlessness is misleading, distractive and counterproductive. It serves the interests of Power well. Its called Fake Activism.

» RE: misleading and destructive Posted by: bornxeyed

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White Privilege and White Fear
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Posted by: tiellis on Jun 7, 2006 6:25 AM   
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I read this article with some interest; it made a number of interesting points. But I generally find this kind of self-flagellatory discourse by white scholars a bit neurotic. And I'm quite sure that most black people would agree with me.

I am a middle-class white (Anglo-American) professor, the beneficiary of all sorts of built-in, culturally ingrained privileges--including not only my mainstream ethnicity, but also my commanding height, my mainstream English name, and my deep, resonant voice--that have made my life and career path far easier than it would have been if I had been born either working-class white, black, Hispanic, gay, or female, short, fat, or with a high nasal tenor voice like Truman Capote. In short, first impressions, over which people have relatively little control, give people like me--white, male, mainstream, speaking standard English--an enormous, and unearned, initial advantage over others. But none of this is my own doing, nor--more to the point--is it my fault. In these respects, I am simply lucky.

So what is my point? I have gotten to know African Americans quite well, having taught for the past 17 years at colleges where African Americans were the majority--including 11 years full-time at an entirely black university, where the only white people to be found comprised about 30 percent of the faculty. From this extensive experience, I largely overcame the ingrained fear of black people that most white people have.

What I have found is that the secret for getting along well with black people--or any other "other" for that matter, is simply to treat them like human beings--smile, say hello, make smalltalk, be there if they need you, and leave them alone if they want to be left alone. Nothing else matters. When I go into my local supermarket (in a city which is 70% black) I watch other white people instinctively withdraw into themselves and subtly avoid the black people all around them, causing the black people to do likewise. But instead, when I encounter a black person (or white person for that matter), I gauge their comfort level, and if it is sufficient, I make eye contact, smile slightly, and say "how ya doin'?" What I have found from this simple practice is that by and large, the black people are far more gracious, far less frightened, than the white people I have met. In fact, they seem delighted that a white man even acknowledges their existence, since most white people are too afraid to do so. This allows me to get along quite effortlessly with black people, and feel compassion, rather than scorn, for the fearful white people.

In short, I don't think that white guilt or self-flagellation serves any adaptive purpose. I cannot help the fact that I was born to privilege; it was not my doing, nor is it my fault. And if others resent me for it, all I can do is continue to treat them like human beings, in the hope that they will return the favor, and realize that I am just another human being like themselves, and not simply "The White Man." But if they don't see this, and persist in projecting their own stereotype of "The White Man" on me, I need not resent them for this, nor apologize for being white. I'll simply try to empathize with the pain that led them to this perception, and show compassion for them in whatever way they will allow--or leave them alone if they want to be left alone. As Lao Tzu said, all we really need to do is to "take care of everyone and abandon no one."

» What a great comment! Posted by: thoughtcriminal
» A+ for tiellis Posted by: ArnoldArnoldBobarnold
» RE: White Privilege and White Fear Posted by: whiteboomer

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Wrong Frame: It's Class, not Race
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Posted by: ChicagoCarless on Jun 7, 2006 6:31 AM   
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Race is nothing but a decoy in the post-industrial economy. An oversimplification, certainly, but essentially the moneyed (or at least employed) classes fear incursions -- or having to pay for -- the less moneyed / underpaid / unemployed / illegal (take your pick).

Blacks and whites could both be purple in this economy and nothing would change. It's been a demographic conflict for a long time, and constantly harping on whites being afraid of blacks or reverse racism from blacks and hispanics misses the boat entirely.

To my mind, this refusal to talk about this potent societal cleavage in economic terms is what keeps many poor urban blacks from truly believing that they can ever rise above, simply due to their skin color. It's also what keeps generating a base of support for racist politicians and hate groups among economically disenfranchised whites looking for someone to blame for their woes.

It may be tough to get there when you're not white, but ask any middle-class black or hispanic how they got that way and they'll tell you through hard work, not through some mystical transcendence of omnipresent societal racism.

Or, in the sage words of RuPaul, no matter your color, "You better work."

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Your fears not mine
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Posted by: solrev on Jun 7, 2006 7:11 AM   
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I do not know what planet you people live on but all the fear you keep talking about is BS. Unfortunately, the truth is that there is not enough fear in the US. Eighty percent of the people in this country claim to be apart of the Christian faith. Very few denominations actually preach and teach the gospel, but they sure teach hell and damnation. So all the good Christians through religion overcome their fear of eternal damnation. What fear could be as great as that? Not all the fears that you dream up are real. You would be better off substituting the word hate for fear. The war on terror is not about fear of terrorists. It is about creating a group to hate. Let me protect you from the blacks, Muslims, Jews or some other group to be named later. Fear is a weak motivator. Evolution programmed us to flee from fear. Hate can turn us into mad dogs and Englishmen. Global warming no fear, no hate, no action. That is how it is with most of the problems facing society. Divide and conquer, I do not believe you realize that, forty eight percent of the people in this country do not view any thing happening on this planet as affecting their lives. I do not care what laws you pass, I do not care who your judges are, and I do not care what wars you fight, I am going to do what ever I want, so just leave me alone. We are without fear to the degree that we are useless. We exist within your society but we are not a part of it. If it becomes difficult for us to exist, then we will fight. In our world, the sword is mightier than the pen. The overclass that you fear knows this. They will not risk their own destruction until the end. Some of you talk about somebody building places to contain you. They may be building places to keep us out. We are divided and none of your fears is real to us.

» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: Scientz
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: solrev
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: Scientz
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: solrev
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: solrev
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: Scientz
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: solrev
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: Scientz
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: Scientz

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SOLUTION: GROW UP IN TORONTO
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Posted by: Scientz on Jun 7, 2006 7:12 AM   
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That whites might feel the way the article insinuates might have something to do with the insular world they grow in, only being "forced" to deal with "minorities" upon late adolescence and adulthood.

I speak from experience.

In my lower-middle-class neighbourhood in Toronto (and all of a sudden I'm thinking, wrong frame--class not race, but I digress) I grew in a public school system where every class of mine consisted of six white kids, five Orientals, five South Asians, four black kids, two Latinos, two Filipinos, an Arab and a Native American.

I'm not kidding.

The idea that there was somehow anything "different" about my classmates didn't take shape until the anti-racism summits of my early teens.

In my head, I contrast this experience with that of my cousins who grew up in northern Ontario in a insulated little white world, and some of whom are embarassingly racist and intolerant of other cultures.

My opinion: It starts young.

» RE: SOLUTION: GROW UP IN TORONTO Posted by: sixtiesqueen
» Left in Canada to blame Posted by: Bobsays
» Left in Canada to blame Posted by: Bobsays
» Left in Canada to blame Posted by: Bobsays
» RE: SOLUTION: GROW UP IN TORONTO Posted by: daniel1982

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Truth Seeker
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Posted by: johnniewalker on Jun 7, 2006 7:58 AM   
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Readers,
Regarding any topic, I think that it would go a long way if we all tried to "hear" (understand?) what a contributer is saying ("where they are 'coming from'" as it were) before we evaluate from our preconceived notions what has been said regareding the given topic. In short, a little "openness" may go a "long way" in these discussions. Just a thought.

Also, just to add some clarity to the topic of racism, discrimination and "white privilege." Racism is based on POWER. Discrimination is not. For example, POWER + DISCRIMINATION = RACISM. To be racist, one has to have the power to (potentially) subjugate (overtly or covertly). Lastly, you can be prejudice without being racist, but you cannot be racist without being prejudice. In short, can those persons not in power be racist? Just a thought.

Regarding the "luck" of being white, white guilt or interacting with the way things are--"white privilege" is a very important topic regarding discourse over many of the problems facing these United States. Any society built on power and discrimination is racist. Put another way, any society that allocates resources and/or one that hands out "benefits" (e.g., jobs, club memberships, neighborhoods, etc., etc. = i.e., "privileges") based on discrimination of skin color is racist. Are all those persons who live in American society racist? Depends on whether you are benefiting from "the way things are." If American society hands out benefits and priviliges based on (white) skin color, and you are white, most likely you are benefiting from this system. Whether you are aware of it or not. Are individual white people responsible for the way things are? Should one feel GUILTY if one was born white and therefore an earlier commentator states, "I cannot help the fact that I was born (white...and...) with privilege." As the writer of this article is attempting to do--you need to come to terms with not only your whiteness (I've had to come to terms with my... "blackness"--and I continue to come to terms with it in this society), but the matter of white privilege. Not only is racism and white privilege wrong--for it is a distorted way of allocating resources, one based on power versus competition and/or merit--but it's a tool that allows "those in ultimate power" to pit members of the American electorate against one another. Racism (a system that white privilege is based upon) is only overshadowed by sexism and classism. Just a thought.

Sadly, as alluded to above, what about the white American WHO DOES NOT BENEFIT from "the way things are?" For a system based on "white privilege" does NOT benefit all whites! Unfortunately, the white poor (and possibly mainstream working class/local middle class white groups) are probably the most neglected in American society. Who speaks for them despite the fact that they continue to be manipulated to vote REPUBLICAN? Such is the cruelty of American society and the discussion of white privilege.

Johnnie Walker

» RE: Truth Seeker Posted by: Scientz

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the USA is a very racist nation - policy
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Posted by: Ghoulman on Jun 7, 2006 8:13 AM   
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Being Canadian, as Scientz up above noted, we live in an official "multi-cultural" nation. All federal institutions try to promote community instead of segregating people into racial groups.

The USA has only barely accepted the Civil Rights movement, and many people died during those years, years which began only some 40 years ago. It was a war zone in Detriot. California riots, Washington marches. It wasn't easy in the US in the past, and it's not over. The USA still has ghettos, still has official racist policy (if less obvious), and police still pick people up for mearly being brown. Take my advice, if you're brown and new york cop car drives up... run.

The USA is a nation of fear and racial fears are simply one of the most powerful, and traditional, fears employed by the US elite to foster support from a vast majority of Americans who truely believe that America is, or should be, a white, Christian, homeland.

Note... you've already started to call it a homeland... even though it never was.

Considering the racist rhetoric from Washington about "Islamo-fascism" and trumped up fears, even colour coded, of muslims I can only think the fears Americans fear are thier own fault, culture, and delusion.

A friend of mine, a pretty girl, was working in Georgia and used to shock the hell out of her black co-workers when she'd joke around with them... they told her it's just not what the white folk usually do (they were especially shocked she demanded a drag from the spliff she caught them having on the garage... something to the tune of "don't bogart that bone homie, pass it to da left", which sounds much funnier comming from a small Canadian girl). She called me and said; "You know how we think of Americans as racist sometimes"?

"Yea".

"Well, they're way, way, worse. It's creepy down here".

» Easy Posted by: Kelly

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IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT THE DRAFT AND COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC
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Posted by: albiegf13 on Jun 7, 2006 8:16 AM   
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I WAS NOT AWARE THAT IT IS A LEGAL REQUIREMENT FOR MEN AGES 18 TO 25 TO REGISTER FOR THE DRAFT.. I PICKED UP A FORM AT THE POST OFFICE THIS MORNING. LOOK IN www.sss.gov... I thought (assumed), that this was a relic of the past... Geezzz Louise....

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I Fear the Ruling Class not other Races
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Posted by: gar on Jun 7, 2006 8:23 AM   
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Racism is very real - but it is not unique to the US. Slavery in the US is just one of the most recent historical examples of racism and, therefore, one of the easiest to set up as a "strawman" when talking about racism. Racism, however, goes much deeper than that and it certainly goes much further back in history than the plantation days of the southern United States.

Racism is a "them" and "us" gut reaction inbred in the human race. Every mother teaches her offspring that "stranger means danger." Every linguist will tell you that no matter what individual tribes called themselves, be it tribes native of Africa, aborigines in Australia, or so-called "native" Americans, 99.99% of the time, their tribal name translates as "The People” or some variation. Therefore, everybody outside the tribe is, by unspoken definition, not "People."

For some, so-called educated professor to sit in his privileged ivory tower with his tenured, secure, and well-paid job and talk about "White fear" while completely ignoring the historical, cultural, and even linguistic basis of universal racism and stereotyping is to show that he is either ignorant of what he speaks or he is attempting to insure even more division between races.

I would suspect the later. After all, if the ruling class - and their lackeys - can keep the lower classes divided and fighting along racial lines, the lower classes will fail to see that equality, wealth and power are not a struggle between races but a struggle between those who have and those who have not.

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Truth Seeker
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Posted by: johnniewalker on Jun 7, 2006 8:41 AM   
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RACISM = DISCRIMINATION + POWER

A (power) system that allocates benefits, resources, rewards and privileges based on skin color/ethnicity/culture (discrimination) is racist. A system that allocates benefits, resources, rewards and privileges based on sex is sexist. And, similarly, a system that allocates benefits, resources, rewards and privileges based on class is classist. There are variations of these themes, but they are basic.

RACISM, SEXISM and CLASSISM.

Three heads of the same demon. Unfortunately, not to sound simplistic (for this doesn't exhaust our society's or the many and varied impediments to the humankind), overwhelmingly, America has all three elements.

Johnnie Walker

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bikey
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Posted by: bikey on Jun 7, 2006 8:56 AM   
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Arguably, this fear (and frankly, I think it is a white man thing, women are busy) has driven domestic and international politics since Ronald Reagan. Anti-abortion as forced breeding, anyone? A pathetic last attempt to control to the world? To 'get them before they get you'? To call this a culture of life is a joke. Lenny Bruce said it all half a century ago (ohmygod). Worshipping a means of execution, drinking blood and eating body, and the perpetual drive to war (by the way, has anyone noticed the US is increasingly referring to its soldiers as 'warriors'?) - only forced procreation explains anti-abortion politics in such a cultural environment. 'Pro-life' just doesn't fit. Someone has estimated that at the present rate of reproduction, the last blond baby will be born around 2050. That's fine (surely blonds have had their day), but 'our fearless leaders' don't seem to think so. Before you point out that they impose anti-abortion politics on the rest of the world too, yes, but just some stances are even too hypocritical for the neocons (at least it seemed so before Cheney in Lithuania). White fear is real. The problem is containing its effects.

» RE: bikey Posted by: BlueTigress

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Jeez, what a load of drivel
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Posted by: jesme on Jun 7, 2006 9:04 AM   
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I'm a black guy who has many a merry chuckle reading of white people who feel ashamed of their racial privileges. It's amusing, but ultimately worthless. Leave me free to live as I please, and I don't give a rip about your racial privileges. You wanna feel guilty about being white? Go right ahead. It's fun to watch. But it doesn't matter a damn, one way or the other. Black folks must take care of ourselves. White people really can't help very much, even if they want to. So this masturbatory guilt trip is mainly good for entertainment. And very entertaining it is too.

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What black guy calls himself "a black guy"?
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Posted by: ArnoldArnoldBobarnold on Jun 7, 2006 9:20 AM   
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(I doubt you are homey. You are a jive ass white reactionary. As most of us are.)

Now regarding trellis note way above ...

People! ... Listen up!

Trellis is an example of one's brain off, I say OFF! of that irrational, guilt-fuelled, paranoia we in America call normal. [Normal? ... Compared to what?! Maybe normal compared to standing on a window's ledge on the 105th floor of the south WTC tower on 9/11. Perhaps.]

The cognitive dissonance between how we know we oughta feel, and how we do feel, is, in fact, a very deep neurosis. A normal neurosis.

Let it go, people. You only think you are comfortable in your life-long racist-zone. It's all you know. Not your fault. You were aided by your friend(s), your parents, extended relatives, the church, society, history and a plethora of dysfunctional minorities on "COPS".

Whites are no better, nor any worse than any other race. Whites just had a better system for achieving long-term goals, at any and everyone's expense: Want land? Have gun? Will travel? Take land. Want labor? Have gun? Will travel? Take labor.

White history has been one of the greatest exercises of hubris and egomania ever. So what? Let's move on. Bygones. No American of any color legitimately owns slaves today, though most Americans are wage-slaves. But that's another story.

Back to white fear.

Everyone is afraid. America is built on fear. Non-specific, all consuming fear. Yellow fear. Red, black, white, brown fear. It's America's fuel.

So obviate the irrational fear of niggers, chinks, redskins, kikes, wops, spics. mics, crackers, limeys (Limeys?! Sounds so bloody benign. Let's say WASPs as in White ASshole Protestants).

You need to fear the super-rich, my friend. Because our "democracy" has become a snake-pit into which the average American is hurled for the super-rich's further enrichment, if not sport.

The elite love to watch the Healthcare Python strangle the life out of your majorly sick kid when your coverage maxes out. What about the Ammo-Zone Viper which punctures anyone at anytime in America with gunshot wounds. How about the Pension Tarantula which sucks the life-juice out of your retirement fund, leaves you old, decrepid, wizened and broke.

No, people: Americans have much larger fish to fry than the black moving in next door.

Address the REAL problem: On W's watch America has actually become a certified Banana Republic of the oligarchs.

News Flash: There is a better place; and you can get there. Breathe: Inhale. Exhale. Now ... Focus: No healthcare. Bad. ... that's it! ... Guns for all. Bad! By jove, I think you've got it! More tax breaks for the super-rich while my pension remains un-funded. Awful. Yes. That's it!

Stop being an American Idiot. Blacks are not the problem. Clinton's spooge on Monica's dress is merely amusing. Outting CIA agents. Tax breaks for Cheney. Sacraficing your son in a trumped up war. These are problems.

On the letter: Well said, broheim.

Cheers,
Arnold Tracey

» RE: What black guy calls himself "a black guy"? Posted by: ArnoldArnoldBobarnold
» If he talks like a duck ... Posted by: ArnoldArnoldBobarnold

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The Medium-Sized Picture
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Posted by: earnesteliot on Jun 7, 2006 9:26 AM   
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We're getting there, but there is still too much fragmentation in our discussion. I'm grateful to Robert Jensen for re-framing this discussion in terms of fear. As a privileged white male, I acknowlege at least some of my fears, admit that I don't want to give up all my privilege for the sake of some unpredictable "fairness" but also see that white privilege - at the grander scale - is at the root of all the world's problems. The privileged class is resistant to acknowledging the roots of their fears because it would mean taking responsibility for them. We will not be fully able to overturn the neo-fascist dominance in US politics unless and until we can discuss publicly how the irrational fear of our "leaders" are at the root of our foreign policy. It's an ironic condition of educated privilege to have access to the tools for uncovering the mysteries of the unconscious, and to be victims of the ignorant unconscious motives of most in power; more ironic still that the un-privileged, who live day to day with real risk and justified fear, have neither the means nor the interest in understanding the role of fear in the world at large. The Big Picture discussion must address racism, privilege and fear as components in a large scale battle between: a. centralized wealth and power, and b. the life of the planet and the rights of every sentient being. Earnest Eliot

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Your some kind of racist.
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Posted by: popsicle67 on Jun 7, 2006 9:26 AM   
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I don't know who put the silver spoon in your mouth but white people where I am only get rich if they work their asses off.
And please tell why you being a dickhead and fearing anybody
means all of us have the same problem. I have never even exchanged a cross word with a black man but a red-neck piece of shit with a gambling problem did rob me once and try to kill me so I do have a healthy fear of crazy white people. In closing I would just like to point out that generalization is the evil we must fight, don't always assume that you are the smartest person in the room, you admit to making an ass out of yourself too quickly.

» Thank you Posted by: Ayla87

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I can't buy it
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Posted by: negrita7 on Jun 7, 2006 9:32 AM   
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I'd like to think that was true, but I am thirty-two teaching eighteen to ninety year olds everyday and I see a lot more denial of racism than I see lack of it. My students also find this to be true for the most part.

» RE: I can't buy it Posted by: negrita7
» RE: I can't buy it Posted by: owleyes

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good article, except...
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Posted by: jessicalh on Jun 7, 2006 9:49 AM   
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I thought much of the article -- about the wheres and whys of lost priviledge -- was dead on. I thought the fear part was unadulterated nonsense, by and large, and the author was quite rude to her copanelist. Why did he need to hear about her fear? WTF is her problem? I think many people start out afraid of minorities or the majority that is different from them or the other in her/his many forms. I think that fear can almost always be overcome permanently, it isn't some mystical white guilt or male guilt or female guilt. It takes some work, but (a) it is NOT the job of any individual member of that minority to mentor you through your anxiety generated fear one on one, and (b) it seems to me an expression of priviledge that so many white people (straight people, rich people) talk so much about some deep seated irrational unremovable stain of prejudice. By its very nature, it becomes a kind of prejudice, a white man's burden to be on constant guard against. Phooey. That just ensrhines your prejdice as a constant battle. Its the priviledge that's the constant battle. Keep looking.

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I'm not African-American, I'm Haitian- Big Difference
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Posted by: InfinityInc on Jun 7, 2006 9:55 AM   
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I just wanted to say that, I thought this was a good article, and I do wish there were more discussions like this. We always focus on the fact that America is racist. Ok, great, we already know that. I like to see how people feel about it and what they are willing to do about it, and I think this is a good first step. Anyway, I just wanted to make one small point. Robert Jensen said that one of the fears of white people is that non-whites might one day discover that very small part of them that is racist. Although I don't believe all white people are racist, I don't mean to bust his bubble here but, we have already made that discovery (please see Souls of Balck Folk by W.E.B. DuBois and Within the Veil by Pamela Newkirk). Speaking from a black, female, Caribbean point of view (that THREE strikes against me. Ain't that a b!+@& !!) trust me, even though a white person is truly and wholeheartedly not a racist, when they fumble and make a little comment, we know. We just don't say anything...sometimes.

And whoever thinks that this issue has very little or nothing to do with race but is exclusively a class issue, you are in denial. You're right that class plays a major role, but you can never abolish the issue of race. NEVER. And to do so is a slap in the face to all those who have suffered the hands of physical, mental, and emotional racists. Nuff said. I'm out. Peace

» Back of the bus for classism Posted by: YogiBear

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helpful?
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Posted by: owleyes on Jun 7, 2006 10:23 AM   
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Notice that Jensen offers no evidence for his claims outside his own personal experience. The whole premise of the article, while weighty in appearance, is actually very insubstantial because his central claim--that white people are afraid--lacks all sense of definition or intellectual rigor. While you're getting your PhD, you have to scrupulously support and document every claim you make. Once you have it and you get a tenure-track job, that requirement is relaxed somewhat. However, if you should ever become a celebrity, even a minor one, then you can say whatever you want, referring only to your own expertise for confirmation. That part where he looks at his black co-panelist and says "I feel uncomfortable sitting next to you because you're black" is very telling. It is an inappropriate comment, one designed specifically to make others feel uneasy and draw the spectators' attention to himself. If Jensen were serious, he would cite and interpret empirical evidence in support of his claims. But he's gotten a lot of mileage, apparently, out of not being serious. The panel he is referring to would have to have taken place over 11 years ago. He's still milking it.

» RE: helpful? Posted by: mokidugway

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Really, Fear fear itself and ignorance.
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Posted by: omelvz on Jun 7, 2006 10:38 AM   
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Check this statement out: "African American's are the most imitated people in America". Why? Certainly many reasons. How so imitated? Again, certainly many reasons. An aspect of looking at this is to see the very larger picture, I think.
Planet Earth and biological regenerative life process's inherent within many contexts of "successfulness", i.e. survival and flourishing. Our world too is inside multi-faceted, multi-layered and profound evolutionary transformative activities. We human's are decidedly young, meaning new and growing in this whole scheme. Any bird that you see is into it's life process somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty-million years. We know at present that that birds origins began some one-hundred thirty million years back. We humans are simply a bit of a blip on that kind of scale upon this planet and even though we are indeed endowed with conscious awareness we are indeed most assuredly young still.
With that all in mind, I would suggest we truly root out amongst us those who are yielding the club, the sword, the bomb and the psychological poisons, not to mention those poisons that are destructive in the long-long run to the very Earth we are inter-dependent upon. I am speaking here precisely about the ontological realities that embody life process. Please, consider this statement:
"life has no weight". When I die, minutes afterwards there will be no difference in my body weight. Yes, in time, dependent on the ambient temperature the H2O that my body is constituted with shall transform and leave and therefore my body will become less of it's original weight. Then in the longer time my body shall simply not be and only the very infrastructure will remain, for another period of time. What might be the point? The yielder's of the club, the sword, the bomb and the psychological poison's are not going to buy into the fact that life has no weight. For their ignorance is the seam that is what our societal construct in fact are. Weight equals life, in their judgement and therefore to have things because we are as life forms things, then we must at all and any costs devote our life process's in the pursuit of things and those who then yield the controls are going to lose considerable because they no longer have purpose. Consider also, if we as intelligent, self-aware, life forms practiced all those precepts of what we call good that are trumpeted constantly in the literatures and gospels and good books, those ideals that heretofore have constituted world religiosity, then possibly we would become over-all success-
full upon planet Earth and we would then have over-come all (every, each) detail of our slovenly destructive, controlling ways and means and therefore,
animals, rivers, oceans, troposphere, and all things myriad in the whole life scene would then be involved with the process's of life flourishing to the max.
Instead we allow to continue to embellish our ignorance to such a degree that we in fact destroy wantonly, in design, in rationale, in beastly means. Please then consider this last perspective: " Fear fear itself and ignorance". We all eventually get to die and the larger picture allows for no discernment about how we live or how we die. Unless we individually make the choices. Those choices are coming to the fore, in an ontological sense, as well the evolutionary workings that are our interdependent heritage. Please, let us learn to think the whole all the way through, long before. Long before we collectively discontinue inside the biological life regenerative paradigms. There is no black and white here! There is phenomenal multi-hued coloration, deep and abiding, yet, delicate, even pure, even. We need to see all that is and overcome the stupid. And do so individually as well as collectively.

» Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: Longdream
» RE: Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: owleyes
» RE: Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: Longdream
» RE: Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: owleyes
» RE: Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: Longdream
» RE: Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: owleyes

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Why white?
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Posted by: ahmlco on Jun 7, 2006 10:57 AM   
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Who among us, white, black, brown, or green for that matter, isn't afraid of losing that which they have gained? What successful person, again of any color, doesn't harbor fears that perhaps their success is unwarrented? Or wonder if some unknown force may appear to take it away?

To me, these fears exist in all of us, as part of the human condition. The only racism I see here is that the article, in attempting to limit these fears solely to "whites", is in itself demonstrating its own racial bias.

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"What you mean 'we' White Man?"
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Posted by: gar on Jun 7, 2006 11:01 AM   
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Nobody ever gave me anything just because I am "white." Well, I'm sort of white - really more pinkish, but not really pink either. Actually I'm kind of light brownish-tan most of the time because of the Cherokee I got from my grandfather and then, I once heard my daddy talking about a black guy (he said the N word) in some woodpile that might be in my ancestory. HOWEVER, if it really makes any difference, my butt is kind of white. Does that count for anything? I think with a white butt and five dollars, I can get a Vinta Latte at Starbucks. Whatever.

Anyway, whatever I've got, I got it the old fashion way. I worked for it. My parents and my whole family were too busy picking and hoeing other "white" men's crops to bother much about having a fear that we would lose our "status" to someone of a different color.

Frankly, I can't think of anyone who would have wanted our status. We did jobs even the illegal aliens wouldn't do.

Now, we get peckerheads like this telling us that "we whites" fear losing our "power" to people of a different color. All I've got to say to that is Tonto's last words to the Lone Ranger.

The famous duo were being attacked by a thousand ticked-off Indians. Lone Ranger looked at Tonto and said, "What are we going to do now, Tonto?"

Tonto looked at the screaming horde of Indians, then he looked at the Lone Ranger. "What you mean 'we', white man?" Tonto said.

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RE: acist Piece of Trash
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Posted by: yesman on Jun 7, 2006 7:01 PM   
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Absolutely correct. It's just unfortunate that people like him are in positions where they can exact the price of their self-loathing from others.

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Any Real Issues?
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Posted by: saramarie on Jun 7, 2006 12:18 PM   
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Instead of talking about how meat eaters are evil, or white people are evil, etc. etc., why can't Alternet post more articles about issues that really, really matter? Like healthcare, sprawl, energy issues, war on drugs, so on and so on.

Then again, I feel like giving up on most of the "progressives" who incessantly bitch about what they think is wrong rather than provide better answers as to how to fix things. Keep telling everyone they're "bad", and they'll run straight for the Republican camp! Think I'm wrong? Talk to a poor, white Republican... they will almost always tell you that they are sick of being told how wrong everything is about the way they live. What a wonder.

» E-coffee is cheaper! Posted by: YogiBear

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To: Jesme the self-proclaimed "black guy"
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Posted by: ArnoldArnoldBobarnold on Jun 7, 2006 12:39 PM   
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You are a fraud, my friend. Your herky-jerky phrasing, as black as Conan O'Brien. No flava, broheim.

Your fake ass umbrage. Your choice of words, e.g. "Brilliant". ... Gimme a break. Brilliant, my hindparts.

Even your ragging on me for removing your mask is white.

You're about as black as rappers Marshall Mathers & Vanilla Ice.

You don't even understand racism, because you are too busy dispensing it, masquerading as a black.

You should be ashamed of yourself for this half-baked spoof.

Your sorry butt is as transparent as Saran Wrap, pal. Even the name "jesme" ... spare us. Why didn't you just call yourself "Stymie", for chrissake.

You, my friend, are not bona fide.

You are an imposter. Bigtime.

Go sell crazy somewhere else.

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So right on target!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: brucem on Jun 7, 2006 12:56 PM   
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This is a wonderful piece that captures the fear I see in myself and my mostly liberal white friends as well. That inner knowledge that despite my actions and deep intentions, I have not truly and fully let go of the racism I learned as a child creates a palpable fear of being exposed as still harboring some racist (or homophobic or sexist) feelings. It actually is a relief to hear it expressed so well and know others share it. I have heard about "liberal white guilt" and other explanations that just don't ring as true as this one.

As for the fear of losing material trappings evidence of prvilege, well, I've handled that by being broke (nothin' to lose).

» RE: So right on target! Posted by: yesman

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RACE IS WHAT CLASS USES TO DIVIDE AND DESTROY US
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Posted by: RhodesVan3000 on Jun 7, 2006 1:18 PM   
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Don't fall for this! Race and guilt are tools of the ruling class.
The fact that most people in power are white and racist is not the point. They use race, religion, cast, tribes, class and geography as weapons to divide and destroy us.

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crap piece
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Posted by: Houtx on Jun 7, 2006 1:34 PM   
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40 years ago relavent.
Today nope.

Whites shouldn't feel guilty at their accomplishments.
On a side note why can you say 'Black, yellow, or hispanic pride' but you can't say 'White pride' hmmmm

Today in the USA anyone can strive and work hard and live a comfortable life.

thanks drive through
A non white person who doesn't buy it.

» RE: crap piece Posted by: gar

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An Article that Needs to Really Be Understood, not Criticized
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Posted by: Kym525 on Jun 7, 2006 1:36 PM   
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This is an excellent article, and reminds me very much of anti-racist educator Tim Wise. It takes a certain amount of bravery to admit that white privilege does indeed exist, that whites have greatly benefitted from it, and that many whites are afraid of losing it (hence the fight over illegal immigration). The question begs to be asked, if white privilege is just a figment of our imaginations, why do so many poor and working-class whites overwhelming vote for political parties (namely Republicans) who always side with big business and who believe in slashing social programs that could benefit them and their families?

The answer is very simple - WHITE PRIVILEGE. The same political parties that screw over the little guy is the same one that runs campaigns based on race-baiting and fear-mongering. Remember Jesse Helms' infamous 'white hands' campaign ad, in which he blames Affirmative Action/quotas as to why the white male hands holding a rejection notice didn't get the job? Of course who could ever forget Willie Horton or Reagan's attack on 'welfare queens' (who were always pictured as black)? Talk about exploiting white fears?

I'm always amazed at the level of denial some liberal whites show when it comes to staring their own issues with race in the eye. We get the typical reactions:

"it's not about race, but about class"
"whites were slaves too"
"other groups can be racist too"
"i'm not racist, but..."

Once again these folks prove they're not interested in what others have to say about the privilege they hold so dear. If it's all about class, perhaps they should read 'The Rage of the Priviliged Class' by Ellis Cose, which speaks to the level of racism experienced by blacks who have 'made it'.

What really bothers me is that these so-called 'liberal' whites are so arrogant in their dismissal of anything in regards to race, and they are a big part of the problem.

» Duh! Posted by: YogiBear
» Smile Posted by: Kelly
» By The Way... Posted by: Kym525
» RE: By The Way... Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: By The Way... Posted by: gar

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White fear: it's not just about race
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Posted by: Bobsays on Jun 7, 2006 3:08 PM   
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White people have every reason to be afraid of the future. This is not only about their shear numbers - as can be seen with Russian, white populations are stagnant or shrinking - but also about so-called 'white' values. The European culture inheritance brought an unparalled period of stability and prosperity to many countries. Now that it is on the wane, we must see what will replace it.

Judging from the state of western cities, the immediate future doesn't look that good. Crime and poverty increase in urban and semi-urban areas.

Greater racial and ethnic diversity has also brought more strife in the short -term. Will all this bed down to bring a society like say Brazil? It is hard to say that Brazil offers the peace and stability many whites seek.

It is a country racked with gang wars and has made little progress with its poverty.

I think we will see the rise of more groups to protect 'white' culture. It won't just be the usual racist groups, but new ones who will see that preserving white culture is important and just as legitimate as preserving African culture.

This may be a bright new future.

» There is no white culture Posted by: Kelly
» RE: There is no white culture Posted by: kittynboi
» St Patricks day etc. Posted by: Bobsays
» RE: St Patricks day etc. Posted by: Kym525
» RE: St Patricks day etc. Posted by: YogiBear

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ignorant twat alert
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Posted by: Ghoulman on Jun 7, 2006 5:26 PM   
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^^^
Buddy, you are talking to Canadians here. You can't pull this ignorant shit on one of us. We actually do go to the USA every day, and get citizenship easily. Actually, we often don't even bother to apply and STILL live in the US, sometimes for decades. Luckily, we aren't Mexicans, so we can get away with it. Ask Bill Shatner.

Piss off liar.

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Ooops ^^^
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Ghoulman on Jun 7, 2006 5:28 PM   
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Posted in the wrong place there. Please, ignore. Or delete. Smudge. Maybe smear? Blank out. White out. Avert your eyes. Think of nice places.

» RE: Ooops ^^^ Posted by: Longdream

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I love this essay! I thank you so much for your honesty.
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Posted by: Betsy L. Angert on Jun 7, 2006 5:59 PM   
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Dear Robert Jensen . . .

I love this essay! I thank you so much for your honesty.

For the first five and one half years of my life, a Black family raised me as much as my own. This gave me a strange perspective. I struggle with being white and not liking what white people do.

I have written exposés on immigration issues and in each, I touch on xenophobia. A very progressive friend of mine wants a wall between the nation of Mexico and the United States. He was outraged when I posed the possibility of his racism. Yet, speaking of OJ, “if the glove does not fit, then you must acquit.” I acknowledge that he, as many, does not wish to be; nevertheless, I thought him guilty.

I have penned many missives on Black Americans. The inequity our society and systems delivers to our “equals” irks me. As I stated during a discussion on our colorblind society, “When a black person walks in the room, what do you see?” If a white individual enters, do you have similar thoughts?

I invite you to review some of my sentiments.
• Black History, Past, Present
• ”Illegal” Immigration

It is only the giving that makes us what [who] we are. - Ian Anderson. Jethro Tull. . . Betsy
Betsy L. Angert Be-Think

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Just Change White to "Elites" & Fair Article on Class
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Posted by: fairleft on Jun 7, 2006 6:01 PM   
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Rather than complain about the groundless anti-white racism in the article, just make that little change:

Examples:

"Elites fear losing what we have -- literally the fear of losing things we own if at some point the economic, political, and social systems in which we live become more just and equitable."

"A third fear involves a slightly different scenario -- a world in which non-elites might someday gain the kind of power over elites that elites have long monopolized."

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Equality would be nice
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Posted by: Chuck Norris on Jun 7, 2006 7:09 PM   
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Equality would be nice, but it has yet to happen in the roughly 8000 years of civilization, even by fairer-minded socieites than the United States's, and history shows that it isn't likely to happen in a complete fashion.

If you haven't read the book Defensive Racism, you should. I personally haven't read it, but I read excerpts, and it makes quite a few valid points all over the spectrum.

Affirmative action may seem like a way to equality, but in reality, it places priority on race, not ability. The core ideal is, in iteslf, racist. This is saying that minorities cannot achieve as well as whites, and therefore handicaps the job market.

Minorities can recieve government aid much easier than whites. Why? Because of their race. This is saying that all minorities are poor and cannot make their salt. Once again, this is racist, in the opinion of the author of Defensive Racism, Edgar J. Steele, and after reading it, it makes sense to me, too.

Also, I have white neighbors with several African-American foster children. Why? Because they receive a larger welfare check for housing African-American children. Is the government saying that African-American children will grow up to become hoodlums, and that these people deserve more money for housing them? It sure as hell seems that way!

The government sets up minority races for failure, it seems...And that is racist. Imagine if you were an African American and on welfare, and you were approached by a rich man in a nice Armani suit, and told: "You poor Negro...You can never be as rich as me...You can't do it!...But since I feel sorry for you, let me hand you some money." This is basically what the government is saying by affirmative action and certain welfare programs.

Find more information or to purchase Edgar J. Steele's book, Defensive Racism, go to www.defensiveracism.com

» RE: quality would be nice Posted by: Longdream

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Little blue ball...
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Posted by: J- on Jun 7, 2006 8:28 PM   
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We're all floating on a little blue ball in the infinite vastness of a universe we have yet to explore because of articles and ideas like this.

We will all rise together as brothers, or will fall to failure apart as fools.

Look at the picture of Earth from space, and then tell me that the Boomer tenured professor's diatribe has any meaning what so ever.

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What more needs to be said?
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Posted by: Sojourner on Jun 7, 2006 8:37 PM   
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"On the question of racial discrimination, the Addis Ababa Conference taught, to those who will learn, this further lesson: That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned: That until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil.”
--H.I.M. Haile Selassie, Speech to the United Nations, New York City, NY, October 4, 1963

» And in order to Free thos Africans....... Posted by: GoodByeToAmerica
» And in order to Free thos Africans....... Posted by: GoodByeToAmerica

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It's Obvious.
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Posted by: Longdream on Jun 7, 2006 8:54 PM   
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Take white people.

Put them in a pile, with the smart, good-hearted ones on top, the ones who know a thing or two about life from experience in the middle, and the smart assholes and dumb as dirt ones on the bottom. Tell the top half of the pile to get up and go home, because they know themselves, and can't be intimidated by hype and humbug.

The bottom half contains the ones who are creating the immigration hysteria. Their racist feelings, projected outward, tell them that when whites are no longer in the majority in this country, a lot of pissed-off people of color will somehow be able to treat them badly.

Nothing fancy. Just stupidity and mean-spiritedness looking past the horizon, seeing itself, and blinking.

» RE: It's Obvious. Posted by: YogiBear

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Why White societies have failed in the last few centuries
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Posted by: ecofascist on Jun 7, 2006 10:15 PM   
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White societies have failed primarily due to internal problems. White Power groups, White nationalists and White supremacists blame non-Whites for most of their problems.

White Power

White Power movements originated in the United States and United Kingdom during the 1970s which, as exactly one generation past World War II, represented the first stirrings of awareness in mainstream populations that perhaps our great democratic crusade in Europe was going to come back and bite us on the hindquarters. The result was the modern "white power" organization, which combines aspects of KKK, National Socialist, radical conservative and ethnic socialist rhetoric to form an entity patterned after the "Black Power" movements of the 1960s. Herein is the basic problem with white power groups: they are another partisan movement desiring political power, and do not represent any kind of solution for the whole.

Standard white power rhetoric is as follows: non-white races are inferior, but white races are superior, therefore we need to band together all whites and exclude these others. Generally, outside of mention of homosexuals and Jews (who are as white as most Southern or Eastern Europeans at this point) that is where the dogma ends. These movements attempt to justify their beliefs through scientific and sociological research, and often point to the high rates of crime, disease, poverty, illiteracy, and low IQs of other groups such as African-Americans (Jews, while often seen as more intelligent than average, are condemned on the basis of their intent). These movements are increasing in power and must be combatted with whatever resources we have.

Their first error is a failure to note the origin of all white problems: namely, that among white people there are many who are inferior, and that these not only breed more inferiors, but have reduced society in complexity to the point that it rewards inferiors: those shuffling untermenschen who go off to bureaucratic, pointless, lazy jobs and are content to write blockhead memoranda and enforce rigid rules unthinkingly; this is The Establishment Man whether he is black, white, Chinese or from Planet Xerxon. This mentality of being happy with a trivial empty life in a decaying society causes the proliferation of inferiors, because only a true brick-stupid untermensch could find such a life acceptable or desirable. However, millions of them have, from the uptight white guy wimps of the 1950s to our current multicultural bureaucrat; nothing has changed, because the position in which these people serve requires nothing more than obedience and minimal thinking skills. It appeals to the inferior among all races.

White people have suffered this decline for many centuries, and with each passing year, it gets closer to domination. Whether it is the execution of nobles in the French Revolution, or the destruction of the last independent aristocracy in America during the Civil War, white people have been in cannibal mode by empowering the workers, the disaffected, and lazy suburban "activists" to blame many complex problems on a simple source: Elites. The Elites, they have told us for centuries, are manipulating you, causing problems... the solution is to dethrone the elites and let the people rule! Oh joyous day... but then century after century the problem persists. Luckily for his manipulators, the average white person at this point has the attention span of a gnat, and therefore can pass this process down the line. White people are consequently, in terms of population quality, descending toward inferior.

LINK

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Yes, it is time for white people to pack it in......
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Posted by: mrcentrist on Jun 7, 2006 11:35 PM   
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....and let enlightened, empathetic, honest, wonderful people of color like Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell to take over the United States. I can't wait!!

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White People Fear
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Posted by: Peter Boyd on Jun 7, 2006 11:52 PM   
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Losing what they have. Privilege, position, material possessions and above all control.
However fear will not prevent them losing it.

» RE: White People Fear Posted by: kittynboi
» RE: White People Fear Posted by: mrcentrist
» RE: White People Fear Posted by: YogiBear

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Didn't take long for the R word to pop up, did it?
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Posted by: GoodByeToAmerica on Jun 8, 2006 12:39 AM   
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As soon as anyone says some approaching the truth, there it is, there "R" word. Use that about somebody and everything they say becomes meaningless. Hah!
To answer a few of these posts, Gould was discredited many years ago by, what I might call "peers", but as Gould was no real Scientist, but a dabbler in things evolutionary/biological, I have to say his "betters". (Go look it up. it is well documented)
IQ affected by socio-economic factors? Health? Nutrition? Of course, just look at what you call your "trailer trash" citizens.
I don't say that having a low IQ is bad (in fact, as it is many here who think low IQ is bad, you condem all those of any race with a low IQ), but I do say you have to recognise it as a fact, before you can expect to help these people (see the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Scholarship), once you recognise the problem, you can do something about it. Keep you head in the sand, and you condem them by trying to condem me.
The original piece has to be the worst yet example I have read anywhere on how people refuse to believe what is plainly laid out in their sight, everyday.

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For more Robert Jensen...
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Posted by: addictedtorace on Jun 8, 2006 9:49 AM   
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Another great essay by Robert Jensen -- thank you so much for continuing to push people's buttons and for forcing us to actually TALK about race. My co-host and I had the honor of interviewing Robert Jensen a few months ago on our podcast, Addicted to Race. If you'd like to listen to our audio interview with him, please click here. Our show is about America's obsession with race, with a specific emphasis on mixed race identity and interracial relationships.

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Important topic, but Robert Jensen personalizes too much
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Posted by: rclord on Jun 8, 2006 1:53 PM   
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I agree that something has to be done about racism. But I find Robert Jensen's piece too subjective and self-absorbed for my taste, which to my mind does make it come across as self-indulgent and patronizing. For this reason, I don't blame Jesme for reacting the way he did.

For example, Jensen does not mention how the African-American professor reacted to Jensen's comment about "being afraid of you." I am curious how this professor felt.

Did Jensen ever discuss this with other colleagues, besides the professor? What were their thoughts? What were their experiences like, compared to his? Did he ever try to find any studies done on this issue? None of this is mentioned. If Jensen focused more on interactions with others and less on his own perceptions, this article wouldn't make him sound so defensive, or like it was too much about him.

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Mr.
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Posted by: I-RIGHT-I on Jun 8, 2006 2:20 PM   
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I totally reject the notion that our society is based upon race supremacy or that there is ANY fear in the white man save the fear of an over controlling government that seems determined to level a playing field that is already leveled by the greatest document the mind of man has ever produced.

What I believe is that some people want an edge and will resort to race baiting to get it. Everybody wants to be a victim.....and so they shall be.

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It's Obvious that many Whites Don't Even Understand...
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Posted by: Kym525 on Jun 8, 2006 3:56 PM   
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...what they're criticising. In their zeal to prove "it's all about class not race", they fail to understand the everyday examples of white privilege they and others operate under and indeed, benefit from.

Whites have the freedom to be judged as INDIVIDUALS, unlike blacks and other groups, who are seen as a monolithic collective. This is privilege.

A simple example - When white children act up in public places (i.e. shopping malls), the onus is laid (and rightfully so) upon the parents. When black children act up in the same manner, the reaction from whites, even unconsciously, becomes an indictment not just of the parents, but of the ENTIRE race.

Every black male is viewed as a potential criminal, be they a rapper or a corporate businessman, whereas I seriously doubt that Ken Lay - one of the biggest corporate crooks in history - has ever incited an irrational fear in anyone. Again, privilege.

More examples: How often are whites the targets of racial profiling? How many white people do you personally know who have gone into a store and are followed around by security? How many times are whites prejudged as not being intelligent or articulate?

With blacks, this is a daily occurance, REGARDLESS of class. Blacks in positions of power have to prove themselves over and over that they earned their place, even though a less qualified white is already assumed to have what it takes. In the eductional arena, I specifically remember my Dean (a white male) who didn't think I had what it took to succeed in an Advanced Placement English class - though my grades for previous college-level courses were right there in front of him and were mainly 'A's'. Had I been a white student, this would have NEVER been an issue.

Wealth does not make privilege because after all, Oprah Winfrey is black and has more money than she knows what to do with. But that doesn't mean she cannot (and has not) ever been discriminated against.

» The horse is dead Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: The horse is dead Posted by: Kym525
» RE: The horse is dead Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: The horse is dead Posted by: Kym525
» RE: The horse is dead Posted by: YogiBear

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hhhmmmmmmmm????
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Posted by: zombi on Jun 8, 2006 4:35 PM   
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when i was 4 years old my parents divorced. i didn't see my dad for years after wards. my mother was forced to support us by either living w/ her parents (grandpa was on disability) or by getting a string of minimum wage jobs (she was a high school drop out). when he popped back up, dad took us to live in a dump in LA that was sandwiched between two factories & a low income housing project (but we had a dairy queen near by). dad was bumming on welfare & disability for a "back injury" (unspecified). he was a heroin addict. i didn't go to school most of the time. we would spend the week dumpster diving for junk to fix up & sell at the swap meet. in '85 my mother remarried to a factory worker (a good man) who worked 80+ hours a week (& still does) for around $6.50/hour. i have 4 younger brothers. in '91 we moved to fresno california (oohhh, ritzy) because of the low cost of housing (my father had been recently arrested for selling drugs). by the time i graduated high school, i went to apply for financial aid, & received $200.00....college was out of the question. i joined the army in 2000. since then i've never held a job that pays more than $7.25/hour. my ancestry is swedish, irish, french & german. what am i supposed to be afraid of again? i say this so that you may see that even white people can be stereotyped. oh, & one other thing. edward o. wilson (award winning biologist) says that racism is genetic & inherent in not only all humans, but in all animals, it was a survival trait that, in the age of nuclear arsenals, isn't quite as effective. but i have faith that human altruism (also a genetic trait---edward o. wilson) will enable us to overcome this conundrum. in fact, i've found a truly effective means to do this, don't think about a persons race when interacting w/ that person, even when they are white, it's not important (genetic differences between the races is less than 1%, between the sexes is less than 2%). if you actually listen to people, you'll find that skin color never even pops up.

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Yes, white fears - who can truthfully deny it?
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Posted by: HeidiLockwood on Jun 8, 2006 5:46 PM   
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Yes, white fears. The second type of fear discussed is very real and I would guess afflicts anyone who happens to think about what the reality would be for him/her and their families in a world where resources are equitably distributed. But this might be more acurately identified as "the fears of the privileged" which, admittedly, don't include everyone in the USA. But here, even the poorest of us can get healthcare if we're capable of working the system, sometimes more easily than working and middle-class folks who have to count on corrupt and stingy insurance outfits. Here, at least, many can get government medical coverage and assistance with living expenses, granted not enough to cover basics unless you're living in your car or under a bridge. And for those needy who cannot get assistance, for whatever reason, hospitals by law rmusr admit any treat any person, indigent or not, though of course they do not advertise the fact, the point being that things could get worse, even for those Americans who are already at the bottom.

It's a gut thing, maybe a struggle between principle and instinct, or simply a problem inherent in the desire to protect ones' family and progeny while also believing in justice and wanting to improve one's community and world. "I want an end to social and economic injustice, and I work for that", but also, "I want my kids/grand-kids/wife/husband/ sister/brother to live, and that means they get medical care if/when they need it and I would do anything to get it for them, including (fill in the blank)". Same goes for decent and sufficient food, housing, education and other cultural advantages - all the basics and more that we associate with an acceptable standard of living, or simply with survival. Think about it, folks - who of you can honestly say that you are above such contradictions?

But the fault is not in the wish and desire of those who want to do both, or who feel the stress of the contradictions, but in the social-economic-political context in which we live. We SHOULD be able to do both, and who in the world - of any culture or class or material circumstances, would not protect his/her own family first, if not his/herself?

The last fear is real, too, for anyone who is consciously aware of the power differential that exists between white and non-white populations in this land, and around the world, especially if that differential is unwanted (instead of "fear" maybe you could say "persistent worry", or "distress in certain situations"). I'm as uncomfortable as heck with it and always have been. It's embarassing, even humiliating for me as a white person, and often I don't know what's the best way to negotiate it with non-whites. Especially as I realize they are rightfully hyper-sensitive to whites' attitudes and signals, and to the subtexts of inter-racial interactions.

C'mon people - this stuff is woven into the woof and warp of our culture, of our time, the residue of the depravity, the real horrors of chattel-slavery, inherent in the colonialism that is still the basis of our economic system, still bringing suffering on our behalf to countless people around the world and here at home, even as we sit at our computers ernestly discussing the topic. I think that the only immune person would be one who is desperately ignornant, probably functionally illiterate, and/or brainwashed in some cult or otherwise culturally isolated, or perhaps developmentally impaired. Or who is unnaturally self-involved and amoral - a sociopath, in short, or someone who feels ripped-off by his/her life and is just hopelessly angry and needs a generalized target. Or one who, through faith or whatever means, truly has come to terms with the contradictions and is ready, if necessary, for self and family to suffer along with the rest of humanity, and to die rather than try to secure his/her own survival or his/her family's at the expense of some one else's.

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A young white male in a center position
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Posted by: Mr Christo on Jun 8, 2006 6:36 PM   
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This article stems from an at-least upple middleclass to upperclass professor at a fairly prestigious Southern University. His subject matter of white privelage is, agreeably, generalized and based on a demographic statistics. I would like to take this time to articulate my views on his essay and expend with personal exerience.

Jensen's first comments on white supremacy and his general outline of white privelage are largely stereotyped. Living in the NorthEast, north of Boston, it is primarily (more then 95%) white. The various classes are distinctive. There are those yuppies (or suburbanites) who commute the hour+ to Boston daily in hopes of attaining the American dream, this acquisition of wealth. From a subjective basis, as I feel Jensen's article is taken from, this wealth is strictly material, including cars, pools, yards, expensive landscaping and the nicest looking interior. It can also be construed as the acquistion of other properties as many people from Boston, NYC or those who are largely well off have summer houses or ski houses in Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont. So, this generalization of fear may be substantiated on the loss, competition or gain of such properties while competing with people of different ethnicities. It can also be thought of as competition to find highly paid positions in jobs.
Looking at the demographics of many state and private universities across the country, sans California and the Ivy's, I would presume that a majority of the students are white. California and the Ivy's, I believe, are different because California is so racially diverse that it skews the general demographics of most university populations. And, let's be honest folks, the Ivy's, even with minorities still have mostly privelaged students even if they are different ethnicities. Most students.
So, how can I justify these comments without simply attacking Jensen as some other posts have done? I'm a lower-middle class white college student as a predominantly white public university where most kids have an education paid for and who vacation regularly. Most other students at this school think hard times are a failing grade. They believe social justice falls in the ranks of civil disobedience and not giving up their education to someone from a different ethnicity. Having easily seen both sides of the coin, I beleive I can say the next few things.
My father is a construction work and my mother a part time social worker. They struggle yearly to send my to school. The thought of transfering to save money have crossed my mind, yet they believe attending this university will promote me to a position of higher earnings, so as to not repeat their hard lives. I live with students from across the country, including one from Colorado and one from Los Angeles. While my education of paid for by student loans and half-tuition grants, these two students have a varying perspective on privelage. The student from LA is paid by the university to attend the school, that is, being a minority student from 4000 miles away, the school pays her, for various reasons, to be a poster child of diversity of the school. Well, good for her, because she is taking advantage of this generosity and will hopefully one day be in political office changing attrocities both of the privelaged white class and the not privelaged white class.

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A white male in a center position- take 2
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Posted by: Mr Christo on Jun 8, 2006 6:36 PM   
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Oh, again, I have never been on a plane, or to Florida or on a vacation with scuba diving and crystal waters because my family could never afford it. I constantly hear about trips here or there to some tropical place by my fellow students.
The other girl, from Colorado, is taking a year off to travel abroad without worries of income. That is privelage. Under those conditions, white privelage is substantiated, and she hails from a predominately white state, not a city.
However, this question of privelage is not based on skin color, it is based on class. To those who have grown up privelaged, the idea of not vacationing does not process. Instead of attacking Jensen, who I agree should turn his argument toward himself and not society, we should ask ourselves whether we are mad at white privelage or privelage alone.
I can look around and see white privelage, and I have been mad it is for a very long period of my life, as I see friends travelling abroad, vacationing in the Caribbean, travelling to Europe and such. So, not everyone is in a position of privelage even being a white male. I think Jensen should not generalize as he does and look towards himself. Maybe with all of his money he'd like to support my way through college, being a privelaged white male as he is.

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Funny, I don't feel especially privileged
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Posted by: ToolPackinMama on Jun 8, 2006 8:34 PM   
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I was adopted at birth, and to this day this country tells me that I have no right to know who my ancestors were. Alex Haley could at least trace his roots. Me? Nope.

FWIW, I am not "afraid" of black people at all, mostly because I came of age during the hippy heyday, when everybody loved everybody. We honestly believed in that stuff, and you know what? I still do. I still think that everybody should love everybody: that all of us are brothers.

But my kids are afraid, because they were several times bullied by black and hispanic kids in public school... apparently for being white.

I rarely go to the beach, and when I do, I feel ugly. White skin is widely regarded to be ugly, if it's "too white".

I still wish people would hurry up and get over it, already. Racisim is soooo last century.

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white fear
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Posted by: wleming on Jun 9, 2006 11:06 AM   
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The good professor should consider Class fear. Is there any doubt that the US.... a Class System as toxic as any (witness our ghettos, incarceration levels, and a police presence thats essentialy a military mission) ever witnessed. Of course Blacks and Whites fear each other: propelled by a System that profits from the fear. So why not look at the multi billion dollar incarceration, police and protection industries and reframe the professors thesis? Does the Right fear monger, and profit from what they've created? Ask the Bush family.

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fear
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Posted by: richardpmendola on Jun 9, 2006 12:19 PM   
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This do sound like some professor's little speech.

For myself I am fearful--or at least wary--of people who come from cultures in which ignorance proliferates and which seem to contain more overt violence than is the norm. Good and bad people from all races and cultures, but one does learn when to bet on trouble. There are places you just don't go.

Oh, this was more an intellectual exercise than a discussion of survival. Racism isn't necessarly fear; fear isn't necessarily racism.

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Racism is a very important part of the history of Christianity also
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Posted by: SeverelyJaded on Jun 10, 2006 3:49 PM   
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The Genesis of these stories occurred in ancient Africa, Asia, and Judea and then moved to surrounding countries after the Roman Empire ethnically cleansed Judea of the "Tribe of Judah." In the subsequent century, Rome assumed control of Christianity and it then became based on European characters with European names and faces.

It is undeniable that the European names and faces of the New Testament and Christianity cannot possibly be the truth. They were interpolated into the so-called Gospels by Roman leadership. It is important to remember that ancient Judeans were dark-skinned, as were the Gnostic Coptics (Egyptians) and the Ethiopians. None of these people would have had names like Mark, Peter, Paul, Phillip, Jesus, etc. Consequently, it is undeniable that these names (and faces) are later creations imposed by Romans who ruthlessly eliminated all competing stories and philosophies to establish the Christian Orthodoxy now referred to as the New Testament.

The very fact that the New Testament and Christianity have been cleansed of African and Middle Eastern names and faces is evidence of purposeful racism. The fact that it continues to this day is undeniable. Simply look at how Christian nations have treated native peoples in every land they conquered and then imposed the Christian myth, which asserts the divinity of a white-skinned messiah, who is based on obvious lies.

The Merovingian kings in France simply endeavored to steal Rome's thunder by co-opting the Christian Myth to their own purposes by saying that Mary married a French king. This ploy was an obvious deception used to gain the loyalty of the citizens of the emerging French nation. Why would people who were so opposed to wealth and power (money-changers in the temple, etc.) marry into royalty? It's obvious that these French aristocrats saw through Rome's deceptions and used them, just as Rome had. It is unlikely they were much focused on racism though, since their subjects were all Europeans.

Rome on the other hand had been oppressing and fighting Asians and Africans for centuries.

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"Non-white" as your term of engagement
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Posted by: Marian's Blog on Jun 11, 2006 7:28 AM   
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This is about the terms of engagement. I intended to link this article till I read and found the author referring to myself and others as "non-whites". How dare he. Will some people never learn? After several decades that answer obviously is yes. His choice of words obviously is insulting and condescending. When you choose to start by using this language where can "we" go from here? Isn't insult and condescension the point of whoever invented this Frankenstein-like term "non-white" in the first place? Whites did not create us. And G*d did not create us with white people as the point of reference. "Non-white" is negative. It is so not about our own humanity. It's about "whiteness". It is a term of opposition that ranks right up there with "minority". I'll finish this thought on my blog. All of us need these discussions on Alternet and elsewhere but the terms of engagement need to evolve.

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Earth from Space??
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Posted by: Marian's Blog on Jun 11, 2006 7:53 AM   
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We may sit all day looking at beautiful pictures of the Earth from space. They have their place. Then you still must walk out the door, step off the plane, go into a room and walk among your sister and fellow human beings. We are continually negotiating how to treat others and how we hope to be treated by them. I was taught to try to deal with others as individuals, which they are, yet at the same time we are all part of multiple groups/identities whose outlook and behaviour can encourage us to embrace good or to embrace evil; to try to live with courage or resort to acts of individual or collective cowardice. To thine own self be true. Remember love and beauty and share them.

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Not really fair
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Posted by: Elmowilcox on Jun 11, 2006 11:10 AM   
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Without making any further argument, I'm calling BS on this article. Some good points, but some very bad insinuations. I pride myself on having broken the cycle of racism in my family. I rather enjoy the company of my black girlfriend. So this guy saying I'm a racist whether I know it or not is quite offensive. Save your own insecurities buddy, I'm fine over here.

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Poor Analysis of the Issue
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Posted by: SpreadingANUS on Jun 11, 2006 1:35 PM   
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If we look around, I am certain that most citizens are earnestly trying to overcome their inclination to form stereotypes and embrace their neighbors regardless of the color of their skin.

Race goes deeper than skin color, of course, and beyond any of the "quantifiable" factors (i.e. intelligence, divorce rate, socioeconomic status, etc.) gathered from studies intended to find means to an end instead of being interpreted to support the conclusions of both racists and anti-racists alike. (Depending on the findings of the study, that is.)

Yet despite the glaring differences among the races, we continue to hold up each and every inhabitant of the U.S. to the standards set by the Protestant founders of this nation. We find differences, and try and cover our tracks (as if the truth must be obscured on the basis of its incompatibility with our notion of progress) by implementing wilted social programs such as Affirmative Action. Jensen writes that what white people have is unearned--yet the aforementioned initiative does the same disservice to persons of African-American and Hispanic descent (apparently, there is no need for this for persons of Asian ancestry). Never mind that college standards have steadily decreased across the board over the past three or four decades; those who now "benefit" from AA are going into jobs that they cannot handle among coworkers they cannot relate to.

Social Darwinism is not an acceptable theory, as there are many people, such as myself, who simply aren't motivated to engage in the spiritually-castrating tasks one must engage in to climb up the ranks to join with the "social elite," yet this perspective is maintained by even those who consider themselves "anti-racist", and off they go trying to fix the problem through manipulating economy.

Who does it offend if we step back and realize that, despite the efforts of many to try to assimilate every ethnicity into a single monoculture we cannot do so? (Which, to my understanding, is necessitated by megacorporations and militant, imperialistic nations in order to stimulate economy and compete internationally--otherwise, there is no need for multiculturalism.) The only advantage for recent immigrants to America is financial--but could they say they are better off when they find they cannot relate to our culture, and they must watch as their children dissolve their own cultural identities and assimilate into the void?

The logical solution here, the only surefire way to eliminate prejudice, is (gasp!) segregation--not in a manner such that any group should suffer from it, but so that each ethnicity is granted the comfort of being governed solely by those who could understand their wants and needs. There is something esoteric about race, as it has been mentioned by previous posters, that incapacitates anyone who tries to bridge the gap between races. I will never know what it is like to live in Malawi, nor will I be able to identify with a person from Wales. It makes just as little sense for a white president to decide for the steadily growing minority population as it would for there to be an African-American or Latino president. Allowing for each group to decide for itself offers the least room for error.

If we fear that there cannot be goodwill among smaller localities, then it is a question of one's understanding of basic human nature, and you are questioning the integrity of your own group while failing to realize that the world continues to exhibit this form of structure. The multiethnic makeup of the U.S. is an exception rather than the rule, and we will never be able to wipe out culturally homogenous existences.

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bikey
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Posted by: bikey on Jun 11, 2006 2:16 PM   
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Comrades: All racism is not about America. It's about a global attitude of superiority that has enabled countless atrocities for hundreds of years. It is simply a fact that white people have justified their treatment of the rest of the world by claiming a monopoly on 'civilization', to the point where many white people think that 'civilization' resides in pale skin. As a relatively small percentage of humanity that is becoming unable to reproduce itself, their fear of loss is palpable. Any other 'fear' is irrelevant. Only color-blind social justice will solve the problem.

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Why are the f*#k are you scared?
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Posted by: Thetorganization on Jun 11, 2006 9:25 PM   
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Being black, I've dealt with my fair share of prejudice and discrimination from white people. I dress pretty conservatively nowadyas, although I like to wear sneakers most of the time. I can count on my hands how many times a white woman has clutched their purses in fear of my presence. I can count how many times on my hand that white people have called me a "nigger" out of hate and lack of understanding. I can count on hand how many times I've been denied for jobs, because "all black people are the same". And I have no idea of what it's like to be poor or live in the inner city, because I am the product of an upper middle class black family who live in a very affluent neighborhood. I am educated and I keep myself socially conscious towards all and any issues that may be prevalent in this ever expanding society.

Sometimes, I get the feeling that besides any other minority group, black people are somehow less sociable and approachable than others. We are not aliens or second class citizens, so please treat us with respect. We are not all criminals. We are not all rapists, thugs, criminals, pimps and hustlers (although the media would love for you too think otherwise). Hey, I'm a friendly guy and pretty big dork!

As for this article, there is nothing concrete to hold together whites fears of any minority group. It seems horribly misguided and laden in falsities for this ever to be legitimate. Other people are trying to make a decent living in thic country, because despite everyone's contrasting beliefs, survival is the main key to life.

So, why are you scared? You really don't need to be.

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Welcome to Amerikkka.
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Posted by: Thetorganization on Jun 11, 2006 9:32 PM   
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Kind of explains Cointelpro, the introduction of crack cocaine, Reaganomics, the explosion of blacks in the prison population, doesn't it?

Alternet Comments:

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Good Piece
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Posted by: alternateview on Jun 7, 2006 12:50 AM   
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I don't believe there are a lot of people who believe what Jensen has written, but it is true. There is that fear. It will become more pronounced when jobs get outsourced. White privilege will soon become a by-gone idea of the Baby Boomer generation. This doesn't mean there will be justice or equity. It just means Whites can't simply maintain positions of power forever. It is too fragile.

Ironically, one has to be a tenured (tenured track) professor in a somewhat cushy job to confess such a fear. Even the notion of tenured and who is rewarded those privileges will one day be questioned. The world is changing.

» RE: Good Piece Posted by: johnecolby
» RE: Good Piece Posted by: milchords

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Third Wave
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Posted by: SBK on Jun 7, 2006 1:26 AM   
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Great piece! But this has little to do with me and my younger friends who have grown up in a world that has taught us from day one equality is real and possible. Professors like Jensen have reared a generation of students who are post-civil rights and honestly, do not have the left over lingering racism. We never had it in the first place; many of us were schooled as anti-racist allies from the start. Boomers need to remember that while white 40 somethings may have this problem, many of us 30 and under do not. Our consternation comes from knowing since we were kids institutional racism exists and realizing how long it will take to get rid of it. Fear? Only that the project won't be completed before something really bad happens to derail it--looks at the blazing lack of racial analysis in the immigration discussion!

» RE: Third Wave Posted by: lotus
» RE: Third Wave Posted by: Mountain Oracle
» RE: Third Wave Posted by: simplyme
» RE: Third Wave Posted by: jenvon

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You stereotype whites by attributing the attributes of the overclass to ordinary whites.
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Posted by: cry0fan on Jun 7, 2006 1:44 AM   
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Let's see if we can somehow tease out the subtextual propaganda buried oh so deep in this article, written by a member of the upper class, a journalism professor. Now, it might hard to figure out the subtle underlying message the author is trying to pass on to us, so I have emphasized with BOLD font some key words. So very subtle!
Here are the excerpts from the article, with my responses:


Why White People Are Afraid

talk about the fears of white people in a white-supremacist society.


It is an OVERCLASS supremecist society. There are more white people at the top because there are more white people, period. And white people get along better with other white people, just like black people get along better with other black people. It's called SUBCULTURE. And getting to the top means getting along real well with other people at the top. So, guess what, genius? The largest group is disproportionately represented at the top. But let me guess? You wanna take it all out on middle class and lower class white Americans, right? How did I EVER guess?

Let's read some more of this overclass propagnda!

After all, what do white people really have to be afraid of in a world structured on white privilege?


Ummm...dying from lack of healthcare?


to understand because these fears
....
crucial, fear is that of facing the fact that some of what we white people have is unearned.

Speak for yourself.


many white people are afraid of that fact.

A second fear is crasser: White people's fear of losing what we have -- literally the fear of losing things we own if at some point the economic, political, and social systems in which we live become more just and equitable.


You want equity? How about we take a bunch of money from your overclass masters and give it to the bottom half? But let me guess--instead of doing that, you wanna make white people at the bottom take the brunt of the race crimes of the overclass? How did I EVER guess?

That fear

white privilege

imperialist country that dominates


You mean the privilege of working our asses off while europe takes 2 months off per year, with universal healthcare and social welfare state security?


A third fear ....the kind of power over whites that whites have long monopolized.


You confuse the overclass with whites in general. You are STEREOTYPING.

the lingering fear

whites likely can maintain a disproportionate share of wealth,



Again, just because whites on AVERAGE have more wealth, does not mean that ALL whites are wealthy.


Many whites fear
deepest fear that lives in the heart of whiteness. It is not really a fear of non-white people. It's a fear of the depravity that lives in our own hearts: Are non-white people capable of doing to us the barbaric things we have done to them?


Again here we see a core tenet of the PseudoLeft created by the Overclass billions that have been used to generate propaganda via nonprofits--the idea that whites are somehow incorrigibly EVIL.

continued below

» RE: black slave owners Posted by: itzamirakul
» RE: black slave owners Posted by: InfinityInc
» history of US slavery Posted by: mokidugway
» RE: black slave owners Posted by: kimaszi
» RE: black slave owners Posted by: sterlingdave54
» RE: WELL SAID CryOfan!!! Posted by: Cathyc
» RE: Distribution of Wealth Posted by: gellero

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White Fears????
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Posted by: Tom Degan on Jun 7, 2006 1:53 AM   
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This is an argument that I've been making for years: THE FEARS OF WHITE PEOPLE???? Are you kidding me? The only thing that we white prople need to be seriously afraid of is ourselves (well...OK...and Condi Rice). Who is doing more damage to our culture? Five black kids getting off of a subway in Bedford Sty at 12 midnight or five middle aged white men getting out of a limousine at Irving Trust at 12 noon? White fears? WHITE FEARS???? I need an asprin.

I couldn't even imagine how absolutely terrifying it is must be to live as an African American in this hideous culture. When are we going to wake up and realize that white people can only be as secure as society as a whole! Whites won't be free of fear until blacks are free of fear. This isn't rocket science, kiddies! It's called "Sociology 101"

We have made alot of progress in this country in my lifetime (I was born in 1958). I was just looking the other day at the liner notes of an old Dick Grergory album that I have, circa 1959, where he is actually referred to as the "negro comedian" I mean, can you imagine? It was well intentioned but it's a laugh riot to read now. But as much progress as we've made in the last 45 years, the job isn't, as many believe, over. In fact, it's barely begun. Let's get cooking!

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
Degan's Daily Rant
http://tomdegan.blogspot.com/

PS - To DISSIDENTPOET: You gave me some heartfelt, constructive and surprisingly gentle criticism a few days ago with regard of my use of the term "house n****r with respect (or lack thereof) to Dr. Rice. I'll tone it down in the future. It's just that this Bush crowd gets me a tad testy at times. Forgive me for taking this long to respond but I only read your post this morning.
Cheers!
Tom

» RE: White Fears???? Posted by: adocann
» Truth Seeker Posted by: johnniewalker
» RE: Truth Seeker Posted by: Tom Degan
» RE: Personal Color Chart Posted by: BlueTigress
» It was a great article, though Posted by: Tom Degan
» RE: White Fears???? Posted by: ALANHESTER
» RE: White Fears???? Posted by: Tam
» RE: White Fears???? Posted by: Tam

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The Destructive Pathology of White Privilege
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Posted by: brownboytokyo on Jun 7, 2006 2:37 AM   
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here is a great video, the fear is a a destructive element for the
priviledged race even if inviduals themselves are not priviledged.
based on this fear, they are causing more damage to themsleves
while voting against their own interests as an economic class.
excellent video, i urge all of you to watch. http://tinyurl.com/dmx35

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dumb article.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: EasterBunny on Jun 7, 2006 2:59 AM   
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dumbest line from a dumb article

"It is not really a fear of non-white people. It's a fear of the depravity that lives in our own hearts: Are non-white people capable of doing to us the barbaric things we have done to them?"

capable?, you got to be kidding, spend 2 seconds reading history and you'll see that every group is capable of barbaric acts. do ya really think that europeans are the only ones who ever oppressed anyone? whatever "depravity" lives in the hearts of whites is there in everyone else too, it's just a matter of having the power to get away with it.

» RE: dumb article. Posted by: mokidugway
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: medstudgeek
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: weiwuwei
» RE: dumb article. opression Posted by: itzamirakul
» RE: dumb article. opression Posted by: BlueTigress
» RE: dumb article. opression Posted by: harris
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: mysticpal
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: jesme
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: mokidugway
» RE: dumb article. Posted by: mysticpal

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truth in race
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Posted by: rsaxto on Jun 7, 2006 3:56 AM   
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We are finally receiving some truth in race from many Americans of differing backgrounds. The whole truth is still a long ways off but we are slowly getting there. It is comforting to read these various racial viewpoints, a comfort that was totally absent when I was a teen because racism then was overt and disgusting. Progress in multicultural understanding is probably our most important product.

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Excellent article!
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Posted by: Lizmv on Jun 7, 2006 4:20 AM   
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It is so good to read an honest article like this.
The War on Terror is a racist reaction to white fear. Another poster ststed that there are more whites than non-whites. True in the US and Europe, who economically dominate. However, the Third World is actualy the Two-thirds World. Two-thirds of the Earth's population are non-white. And that population is starting to empower itself. Look at what is happening in South America. 80% of the population is now governed by elected social democratic governments. It is not suprising that the US is very afraid of Chevaz, a non-white.
The 9/11 attack on the US was an attack on the military-industrial complex that enforces racism and drains the resources that rightly belong to non-whites. Attacking the World Trade Center and the Pentagon is so obviously symbolic!
As a half-black friend of mine said "When the white man has had his foot on the neck of the black man for so long, he is too afraid to remove that foot. The white man knows that the minute he does, the black man is going to fight back and rightly so."

White fear is very real and needs to be brought out in the open and dealt with. I often hear progressives bemoaning the fact that the progressive movement is not diversified. Well, people of color KNOW all about white fear. They experience it on a daily basis.

I do recommend Arnold Mindell's excellent book 'Sitting in the Fire'.

» RE: xcellent article! Posted by: brunowe
» RE: xcellent article! Posted by: Lizmv
» RE: xcellent article! Posted by: brunowe
» RE: xcellent article! Posted by: itzamirakul
» RE: xcellent article! Posted by: trachys

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Our privilege is a public trust
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Posted by: pgj on Jun 7, 2006 4:34 AM   
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It is undeniable that, as European-Americans, many of us have accumulated over many generations a family legacy of education, property, assertive self-confidence, and political power: In a word, privilege. People like us have built a political, economic, and legal structure that is strongly tilted in favor of us retaining that privilege.
After my ancestors came to this continent in the early 1600s, we dispossesed other people and farmed their land, starting in New England and ending in my grandfather's generation in Montana. My family has been the benficiaries of affirmative action for almost 400 years.
In the meantime, other people were stolen from themselves, enslaved, their family structures and cultural traditions distroyed, and forced to create wealth for their masters. While my ancestors may not have owned slaves (though they may have helped to transhipped some), I cannot deny that my family's relative privilege benefited from their labor and their submission. If nothing else, the laws that Congress made--and continues to make--that benefit people of privilege are debated and passed in a building constructed by slaves. I cannot deny that my children are further ahead than others in the race for a comfortable life because of my family's accumulated social advantage.
What is a white American of conscience to do with his privilege? That, to me, is a key question. Impoverishing myself and paying personal reparations for slavery and the devestation of native Americans would do little to add social advantage to those groups descendants.
I believe that a moral response to my privilege is to view it as something that I hold in trust. If I have greater wealth than others, I have an obligation to use it for the benefit of everyone--even if that means acting against my own financial advantage. I have an obligation to use my relatively greater social and political power in a conscious fashion to benefit the relatively powerless. I also have a distinct obligation to actively support effective affirmative action to help the descendants of those who have been held up to catch up.

» Where did they get that dough? Posted by: YogiBear

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IMO
[Report this comment]
Posted by: latisha1903 on Jun 7, 2006 5:26 AM   
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Sometimes the most you can hope for is simple acknowledgement.

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I can't be color blind.
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Posted by: LMNOP on Jun 7, 2006 5:40 AM   
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I am a white male, and I have no overt or malicious racial prejudice. But like everyone else, as the author suggests, there is a lingering racist element that keeps me always aware of somebody's color and whether it is the same or different from mine just as I notice if the person is a male or female. It is impossible for me to be color blind or to view people of color the same as white people.

But paradoxically, and I think that this may be a common phenomenon, I am MORE TOLERANT of people of color than white people, and I do the same thing with women even though I don't think that that is fair either. I am less quick to judgment or anger, and I realize that this is a type of racism as well. I don't discriminate against people of color (in fact, I discriminate in their behalf), but I 'm sure that I'm patronizing them somewhat as well.

I can find no way out of this conundrum because I am simply unable to be color blind. I would rather be patronizing than afraid or hateful, so I have settled on my present mindset which some would call white guilt. I'll just call it my own personal affirmative action.

» genetic lineages vs. social stereotypes Posted by: thoughtcriminal
» RE: I can't be color blind. Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: I can't be color blind. Posted by: aussidawg
» RE: I can't be color blind. Posted by: aussidawg
» RE: I can't be color blind. Posted by: aussidawg
» RE: I can't be color blind. Posted by: lbamusical
» On the other hand... Posted by: rclord
» author needs empathy Posted by: rclord

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Afraid at a more basic level
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Posted by: mysticpal on Jun 7, 2006 5:40 AM   
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As a white person who's always lived in racially-mixed neighborhoods (unlike the author, I'm sure) & never had much money, I'm afraid of getting stabbed, robbed at gunpoint, beaten up, etc., all of which have happened. Yes, I understand (or try to) the larger economic forces. And of course non-whites face the same crime, only generally much worse, in totally non-white neighborhoods. And the police attitude and response is historically part of the problem. And the drug war is a BIG part of the problem. But this article seems incredibly naive to me.

"My reaction wasn't a crude physical fear, not some remnant of being taught that black men are dangerous (though I have had such reactions to black men on the street in certain circumstances)..." Translation: nothing bad ever did happen so crime is just an abstract "fear" to him. If he ever has a crime-related hospital stay, he'll take it seriously?

The author's discomfort during a discussion of media depictions of black male sexuality -- well, this is just ridiculous. It's one thing for academics to glean over such relatively trivial subjects, but oh my my, the prof felt uncomfortable! Still, he doesn't even report his black colleague's response to his "apology" for feeling uncomfortable. We're supposed to applaud him for the "apology" without even wondering what the black guy said? Now there's an example of self-centered whiteness.

I do see at the root, anti-black racism that has always worked to prevent economic advancement. But being poor doesn't automatically lead to crime.

» RE: Afraid at a more basic level Posted by: Lincoln fan
» Interesting comment on the drug war Posted by: thoughtcriminal
» Methadone? Posted by: aussidawg
» Awesome post Posted by: Kelly

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A good analogy and comparison is prison
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Posted by: oldsmobile on Jun 7, 2006 5:46 AM   
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I think a good, perhaps simplified and extreme, yet accurate comparison and analogy to what kind of situation working class white people find themselves in, is what happens in prison.

When you go to prison, you really don't have much choice. If you want to be protected and survive, you have to get together with your racial group, if you are white you join the Aryan Brotherhood. It is not about being a racist, it is about living in a structured system, and if you want to be part of that system, no matter what your personal beliefs are, you have to do what you need to survive.

It works the same way in society, though there is more variety and people have more choice. Even so, if you want to be a part of society, and especially if you are working class and struggling in the first place, you are forced to become a part of the system.

» Crossing the lines requires courage Posted by: thoughtcriminal

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If this is what "professors" think........
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Posted by: GoodByeToAmerica on Jun 7, 2006 5:48 AM   
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No wonder America is losing the plot, even her own citizens will not defend her. Racism is wrong, but whites have good reason to Fear Blacks and others, just take a look in your prisons for goodness sake.
Whites are at the top, will be there always, the bell curve will see to that. Do you really think the immigrants will really be able to run your country? Have you even heard of Zimbabwe? Once they reach critical mass, you contry will head straight down the 3rd world route.
Be afraid.

Be very afraid.

» RACISM ALERT Posted by: Longdream
» And by the way... Posted by: Longdream
» RE: And by the way... Posted by: insulafortune

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Truth Seeker
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Posted by: johnniewalker on Jun 7, 2006 5:54 AM   
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Oh, reading "white privilege." It's a white world, itsn't it!? I thought that this was a given.

Johnnie Walker

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Drivel
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Posted by: Stano on Jun 7, 2006 6:01 AM   
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Why waste time and space writing such drivel. There are so many other issues to be concerned with. Racism isn't just a white person phenonmenon. People of color also display racisim. I've been a victim of it and I know others who have too. And as one reader already mentioned, there are more white people at the top because there are more white people.
Further, I think everyone, white black brown whatever, is feeling scared about losing what they have. The pie is getting smaller.

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misleading and destructive
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Posted by: daw13 on Jun 7, 2006 6:23 AM   
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Professor Jensen may be sincere, but his message is damaging to those suffering from racial discrimination. This discrimination is now largely invisibilized and operates quite indpendently of individual white prejudice. To combat it the white citizenry (Inot the elite) would have do do far more than get over prejudice. They would have to make common cause with Blacks and Latinos in an effort to empower all little people in the US. This would require Whites to acknowledge not their almost meaningless (in this sense) superiority, but they're lack of real power in this country. In a very real sense, Whites possess only the power to bully others, and to accept the privilege of bullying toward realization of very small economic gains -- in exchange for going along with The Program.

In short, it's not White Supremacy that's the problem, its white white powerlessness. And this is what really frightens many white people. It was this fear that gave rise to the KKK, undermined Populism's short flirtation with cross-racial identification, and now shunts so many poor white people towards US fascism -- the fear that the only way to keep one's head above water is to accept membership, however lowly, in the Gang.

Encouraging whites to confront their own prejudice rather than acknowledge their powerlessness is misleading, distractive and counterproductive. It serves the interests of Power well. Its called Fake Activism.

» RE: misleading and destructive Posted by: bornxeyed

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White Privilege and White Fear
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Posted by: tiellis on Jun 7, 2006 6:25 AM   
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I read this article with some interest; it made a number of interesting points. But I generally find this kind of self-flagellatory discourse by white scholars a bit neurotic. And I'm quite sure that most black people would agree with me.

I am a middle-class white (Anglo-American) professor, the beneficiary of all sorts of built-in, culturally ingrained privileges--including not only my mainstream ethnicity, but also my commanding height, my mainstream English name, and my deep, resonant voice--that have made my life and career path far easier than it would have been if I had been born either working-class white, black, Hispanic, gay, or female, short, fat, or with a high nasal tenor voice like Truman Capote. In short, first impressions, over which people have relatively little control, give people like me--white, male, mainstream, speaking standard English--an enormous, and unearned, initial advantage over others. But none of this is my own doing, nor--more to the point--is it my fault. In these respects, I am simply lucky.

So what is my point? I have gotten to know African Americans quite well, having taught for the past 17 years at colleges where African Americans were the majority--including 11 years full-time at an entirely black university, where the only white people to be found comprised about 30 percent of the faculty. From this extensive experience, I largely overcame the ingrained fear of black people that most white people have.

What I have found is that the secret for getting along well with black people--or any other "other" for that matter, is simply to treat them like human beings--smile, say hello, make smalltalk, be there if they need you, and leave them alone if they want to be left alone. Nothing else matters. When I go into my local supermarket (in a city which is 70% black) I watch other white people instinctively withdraw into themselves and subtly avoid the black people all around them, causing the black people to do likewise. But instead, when I encounter a black person (or white person for that matter), I gauge their comfort level, and if it is sufficient, I make eye contact, smile slightly, and say "how ya doin'?" What I have found from this simple practice is that by and large, the black people are far more gracious, far less frightened, than the white people I have met. In fact, they seem delighted that a white man even acknowledges their existence, since most white people are too afraid to do so. This allows me to get along quite effortlessly with black people, and feel compassion, rather than scorn, for the fearful white people.

In short, I don't think that white guilt or self-flagellation serves any adaptive purpose. I cannot help the fact that I was born to privilege; it was not my doing, nor is it my fault. And if others resent me for it, all I can do is continue to treat them like human beings, in the hope that they will return the favor, and realize that I am just another human being like themselves, and not simply "The White Man." But if they don't see this, and persist in projecting their own stereotype of "The White Man" on me, I need not resent them for this, nor apologize for being white. I'll simply try to empathize with the pain that led them to this perception, and show compassion for them in whatever way they will allow--or leave them alone if they want to be left alone. As Lao Tzu said, all we really need to do is to "take care of everyone and abandon no one."

» What a great comment! Posted by: thoughtcriminal
» A+ for tiellis Posted by: ArnoldArnoldBobarnold
» RE: White Privilege and White Fear Posted by: whiteboomer

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Wrong Frame: It's Class, not Race
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Posted by: ChicagoCarless on Jun 7, 2006 6:31 AM   
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Race is nothing but a decoy in the post-industrial economy. An oversimplification, certainly, but essentially the moneyed (or at least employed) classes fear incursions -- or having to pay for -- the less moneyed / underpaid / unemployed / illegal (take your pick).

Blacks and whites could both be purple in this economy and nothing would change. It's been a demographic conflict for a long time, and constantly harping on whites being afraid of blacks or reverse racism from blacks and hispanics misses the boat entirely.

To my mind, this refusal to talk about this potent societal cleavage in economic terms is what keeps many poor urban blacks from truly believing that they can ever rise above, simply due to their skin color. It's also what keeps generating a base of support for racist politicians and hate groups among economically disenfranchised whites looking for someone to blame for their woes.

It may be tough to get there when you're not white, but ask any middle-class black or hispanic how they got that way and they'll tell you through hard work, not through some mystical transcendence of omnipresent societal racism.

Or, in the sage words of RuPaul, no matter your color, "You better work."

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Your fears not mine
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Posted by: solrev on Jun 7, 2006 7:11 AM   
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I do not know what planet you people live on but all the fear you keep talking about is BS. Unfortunately, the truth is that there is not enough fear in the US. Eighty percent of the people in this country claim to be apart of the Christian faith. Very few denominations actually preach and teach the gospel, but they sure teach hell and damnation. So all the good Christians through religion overcome their fear of eternal damnation. What fear could be as great as that? Not all the fears that you dream up are real. You would be better off substituting the word hate for fear. The war on terror is not about fear of terrorists. It is about creating a group to hate. Let me protect you from the blacks, Muslims, Jews or some other group to be named later. Fear is a weak motivator. Evolution programmed us to flee from fear. Hate can turn us into mad dogs and Englishmen. Global warming no fear, no hate, no action. That is how it is with most of the problems facing society. Divide and conquer, I do not believe you realize that, forty eight percent of the people in this country do not view any thing happening on this planet as affecting their lives. I do not care what laws you pass, I do not care who your judges are, and I do not care what wars you fight, I am going to do what ever I want, so just leave me alone. We are without fear to the degree that we are useless. We exist within your society but we are not a part of it. If it becomes difficult for us to exist, then we will fight. In our world, the sword is mightier than the pen. The overclass that you fear knows this. They will not risk their own destruction until the end. Some of you talk about somebody building places to contain you. They may be building places to keep us out. We are divided and none of your fears is real to us.

» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: Scientz
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: solrev
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: Scientz
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: solrev
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: solrev
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: Scientz
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: solrev
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: Scientz
» RE: Your fears not mine Posted by: Scientz

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SOLUTION: GROW UP IN TORONTO
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Posted by: Scientz on Jun 7, 2006 7:12 AM   
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That whites might feel the way the article insinuates might have something to do with the insular world they grow in, only being "forced" to deal with "minorities" upon late adolescence and adulthood.

I speak from experience.

In my lower-middle-class neighbourhood in Toronto (and all of a sudden I'm thinking, wrong frame--class not race, but I digress) I grew in a public school system where every class of mine consisted of six white kids, five Orientals, five South Asians, four black kids, two Latinos, two Filipinos, an Arab and a Native American.

I'm not kidding.

The idea that there was somehow anything "different" about my classmates didn't take shape until the anti-racism summits of my early teens.

In my head, I contrast this experience with that of my cousins who grew up in northern Ontario in a insulated little white world, and some of whom are embarassingly racist and intolerant of other cultures.

My opinion: It starts young.

» RE: SOLUTION: GROW UP IN TORONTO Posted by: sixtiesqueen
» Left in Canada to blame Posted by: Bobsays
» Left in Canada to blame Posted by: Bobsays
» Left in Canada to blame Posted by: Bobsays
» RE: SOLUTION: GROW UP IN TORONTO Posted by: daniel1982

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Truth Seeker
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Posted by: johnniewalker on Jun 7, 2006 7:58 AM   
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Readers,
Regarding any topic, I think that it would go a long way if we all tried to "hear" (understand?) what a contributer is saying ("where they are 'coming from'" as it were) before we evaluate from our preconceived notions what has been said regareding the given topic. In short, a little "openness" may go a "long way" in these discussions. Just a thought.

Also, just to add some clarity to the topic of racism, discrimination and "white privilege." Racism is based on POWER. Discrimination is not. For example, POWER + DISCRIMINATION = RACISM. To be racist, one has to have the power to (potentially) subjugate (overtly or covertly). Lastly, you can be prejudice without being racist, but you cannot be racist without being prejudice. In short, can those persons not in power be racist? Just a thought.

Regarding the "luck" of being white, white guilt or interacting with the way things are--"white privilege" is a very important topic regarding discourse over many of the problems facing these United States. Any society built on power and discrimination is racist. Put another way, any society that allocates resources and/or one that hands out "benefits" (e.g., jobs, club memberships, neighborhoods, etc., etc. = i.e., "privileges") based on discrimination of skin color is racist. Are all those persons who live in American society racist? Depends on whether you are benefiting from "the way things are." If American society hands out benefits and priviliges based on (white) skin color, and you are white, most likely you are benefiting from this system. Whether you are aware of it or not. Are individual white people responsible for the way things are? Should one feel GUILTY if one was born white and therefore an earlier commentator states, "I cannot help the fact that I was born (white...and...) with privilege." As the writer of this article is attempting to do--you need to come to terms with not only your whiteness (I've had to come to terms with my... "blackness"--and I continue to come to terms with it in this society), but the matter of white privilege. Not only is racism and white privilege wrong--for it is a distorted way of allocating resources, one based on power versus competition and/or merit--but it's a tool that allows "those in ultimate power" to pit members of the American electorate against one another. Racism (a system that white privilege is based upon) is only overshadowed by sexism and classism. Just a thought.

Sadly, as alluded to above, what about the white American WHO DOES NOT BENEFIT from "the way things are?" For a system based on "white privilege" does NOT benefit all whites! Unfortunately, the white poor (and possibly mainstream working class/local middle class white groups) are probably the most neglected in American society. Who speaks for them despite the fact that they continue to be manipulated to vote REPUBLICAN? Such is the cruelty of American society and the discussion of white privilege.

Johnnie Walker

» RE: Truth Seeker Posted by: Scientz

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the USA is a very racist nation - policy
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Posted by: Ghoulman on Jun 7, 2006 8:13 AM   
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Being Canadian, as Scientz up above noted, we live in an official "multi-cultural" nation. All federal institutions try to promote community instead of segregating people into racial groups.

The USA has only barely accepted the Civil Rights movement, and many people died during those years, years which began only some 40 years ago. It was a war zone in Detriot. California riots, Washington marches. It wasn't easy in the US in the past, and it's not over. The USA still has ghettos, still has official racist policy (if less obvious), and police still pick people up for mearly being brown. Take my advice, if you're brown and new york cop car drives up... run.

The USA is a nation of fear and racial fears are simply one of the most powerful, and traditional, fears employed by the US elite to foster support from a vast majority of Americans who truely believe that America is, or should be, a white, Christian, homeland.

Note... you've already started to call it a homeland... even though it never was.

Considering the racist rhetoric from Washington about "Islamo-fascism" and trumped up fears, even colour coded, of muslims I can only think the fears Americans fear are thier own fault, culture, and delusion.

A friend of mine, a pretty girl, was working in Georgia and used to shock the hell out of her black co-workers when she'd joke around with them... they told her it's just not what the white folk usually do (they were especially shocked she demanded a drag from the spliff she caught them having on the garage... something to the tune of "don't bogart that bone homie, pass it to da left", which sounds much funnier comming from a small Canadian girl). She called me and said; "You know how we think of Americans as racist sometimes"?

"Yea".

"Well, they're way, way, worse. It's creepy down here".

» Easy Posted by: Kelly

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IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT THE DRAFT AND COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC
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Posted by: albiegf13 on Jun 7, 2006 8:16 AM   
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I WAS NOT AWARE THAT IT IS A LEGAL REQUIREMENT FOR MEN AGES 18 TO 25 TO REGISTER FOR THE DRAFT.. I PICKED UP A FORM AT THE POST OFFICE THIS MORNING. LOOK IN www.sss.gov... I thought (assumed), that this was a relic of the past... Geezzz Louise....

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I Fear the Ruling Class not other Races
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Posted by: gar on Jun 7, 2006 8:23 AM   
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Racism is very real - but it is not unique to the US. Slavery in the US is just one of the most recent historical examples of racism and, therefore, one of the easiest to set up as a "strawman" when talking about racism. Racism, however, goes much deeper than that and it certainly goes much further back in history than the plantation days of the southern United States.

Racism is a "them" and "us" gut reaction inbred in the human race. Every mother teaches her offspring that "stranger means danger." Every linguist will tell you that no matter what individual tribes called themselves, be it tribes native of Africa, aborigines in Australia, or so-called "native" Americans, 99.99% of the time, their tribal name translates as "The People” or some variation. Therefore, everybody outside the tribe is, by unspoken definition, not "People."

For some, so-called educated professor to sit in his privileged ivory tower with his tenured, secure, and well-paid job and talk about "White fear" while completely ignoring the historical, cultural, and even linguistic basis of universal racism and stereotyping is to show that he is either ignorant of what he speaks or he is attempting to insure even more division between races.

I would suspect the later. After all, if the ruling class - and their lackeys - can keep the lower classes divided and fighting along racial lines, the lower classes will fail to see that equality, wealth and power are not a struggle between races but a struggle between those who have and those who have not.

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Truth Seeker
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Posted by: johnniewalker on Jun 7, 2006 8:41 AM   
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RACISM = DISCRIMINATION + POWER

A (power) system that allocates benefits, resources, rewards and privileges based on skin color/ethnicity/culture (discrimination) is racist. A system that allocates benefits, resources, rewards and privileges based on sex is sexist. And, similarly, a system that allocates benefits, resources, rewards and privileges based on class is classist. There are variations of these themes, but they are basic.

RACISM, SEXISM and CLASSISM.

Three heads of the same demon. Unfortunately, not to sound simplistic (for this doesn't exhaust our society's or the many and varied impediments to the humankind), overwhelmingly, America has all three elements.

Johnnie Walker

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bikey
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Posted by: bikey on Jun 7, 2006 8:56 AM   
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Arguably, this fear (and frankly, I think it is a white man thing, women are busy) has driven domestic and international politics since Ronald Reagan. Anti-abortion as forced breeding, anyone? A pathetic last attempt to control to the world? To 'get them before they get you'? To call this a culture of life is a joke. Lenny Bruce said it all half a century ago (ohmygod). Worshipping a means of execution, drinking blood and eating body, and the perpetual drive to war (by the way, has anyone noticed the US is increasingly referring to its soldiers as 'warriors'?) - only forced procreation explains anti-abortion politics in such a cultural environment. 'Pro-life' just doesn't fit. Someone has estimated that at the present rate of reproduction, the last blond baby will be born around 2050. That's fine (surely blonds have had their day), but 'our fearless leaders' don't seem to think so. Before you point out that they impose anti-abortion politics on the rest of the world too, yes, but just some stances are even too hypocritical for the neocons (at least it seemed so before Cheney in Lithuania). White fear is real. The problem is containing its effects.

» RE: bikey Posted by: BlueTigress

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Jeez, what a load of drivel
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Posted by: jesme on Jun 7, 2006 9:04 AM   
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I'm a black guy who has many a merry chuckle reading of white people who feel ashamed of their racial privileges. It's amusing, but ultimately worthless. Leave me free to live as I please, and I don't give a rip about your racial privileges. You wanna feel guilty about being white? Go right ahead. It's fun to watch. But it doesn't matter a damn, one way or the other. Black folks must take care of ourselves. White people really can't help very much, even if they want to. So this masturbatory guilt trip is mainly good for entertainment. And very entertaining it is too.

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What black guy calls himself "a black guy"?
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Posted by: ArnoldArnoldBobarnold on Jun 7, 2006 9:20 AM   
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(I doubt you are homey. You are a jive ass white reactionary. As most of us are.)

Now regarding trellis note way above ...

People! ... Listen up!

Trellis is an example of one's brain off, I say OFF! of that irrational, guilt-fuelled, paranoia we in America call normal. [Normal? ... Compared to what?! Maybe normal compared to standing on a window's ledge on the 105th floor of the south WTC tower on 9/11. Perhaps.]

The cognitive dissonance between how we know we oughta feel, and how we do feel, is, in fact, a very deep neurosis. A normal neurosis.

Let it go, people. You only think you are comfortable in your life-long racist-zone. It's all you know. Not your fault. You were aided by your friend(s), your parents, extended relatives, the church, society, history and a plethora of dysfunctional minorities on "COPS".

Whites are no better, nor any worse than any other race. Whites just had a better system for achieving long-term goals, at any and everyone's expense: Want land? Have gun? Will travel? Take land. Want labor? Have gun? Will travel? Take labor.

White history has been one of the greatest exercises of hubris and egomania ever. So what? Let's move on. Bygones. No American of any color legitimately owns slaves today, though most Americans are wage-slaves. But that's another story.

Back to white fear.

Everyone is afraid. America is built on fear. Non-specific, all consuming fear. Yellow fear. Red, black, white, brown fear. It's America's fuel.

So obviate the irrational fear of niggers, chinks, redskins, kikes, wops, spics. mics, crackers, limeys (Limeys?! Sounds so bloody benign. Let's say WASPs as in White ASshole Protestants).

You need to fear the super-rich, my friend. Because our "democracy" has become a snake-pit into which the average American is hurled for the super-rich's further enrichment, if not sport.

The elite love to watch the Healthcare Python strangle the life out of your majorly sick kid when your coverage maxes out. What about the Ammo-Zone Viper which punctures anyone at anytime in America with gunshot wounds. How about the Pension Tarantula which sucks the life-juice out of your retirement fund, leaves you old, decrepid, wizened and broke.

No, people: Americans have much larger fish to fry than the black moving in next door.

Address the REAL problem: On W's watch America has actually become a certified Banana Republic of the oligarchs.

News Flash: There is a better place; and you can get there. Breathe: Inhale. Exhale. Now ... Focus: No healthcare. Bad. ... that's it! ... Guns for all. Bad! By jove, I think you've got it! More tax breaks for the super-rich while my pension remains un-funded. Awful. Yes. That's it!

Stop being an American Idiot. Blacks are not the problem. Clinton's spooge on Monica's dress is merely amusing. Outting CIA agents. Tax breaks for Cheney. Sacraficing your son in a trumped up war. These are problems.

On the letter: Well said, broheim.

Cheers,
Arnold Tracey

» RE: What black guy calls himself "a black guy"? Posted by: ArnoldArnoldBobarnold
» If he talks like a duck ... Posted by: ArnoldArnoldBobarnold

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The Medium-Sized Picture
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Posted by: earnesteliot on Jun 7, 2006 9:26 AM   
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We're getting there, but there is still too much fragmentation in our discussion. I'm grateful to Robert Jensen for re-framing this discussion in terms of fear. As a privileged white male, I acknowlege at least some of my fears, admit that I don't want to give up all my privilege for the sake of some unpredictable "fairness" but also see that white privilege - at the grander scale - is at the root of all the world's problems. The privileged class is resistant to acknowledging the roots of their fears because it would mean taking responsibility for them. We will not be fully able to overturn the neo-fascist dominance in US politics unless and until we can discuss publicly how the irrational fear of our "leaders" are at the root of our foreign policy. It's an ironic condition of educated privilege to have access to the tools for uncovering the mysteries of the unconscious, and to be victims of the ignorant unconscious motives of most in power; more ironic still that the un-privileged, who live day to day with real risk and justified fear, have neither the means nor the interest in understanding the role of fear in the world at large. The Big Picture discussion must address racism, privilege and fear as components in a large scale battle between: a. centralized wealth and power, and b. the life of the planet and the rights of every sentient being. Earnest Eliot

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Your some kind of racist.
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Posted by: popsicle67 on Jun 7, 2006 9:26 AM   
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I don't know who put the silver spoon in your mouth but white people where I am only get rich if they work their asses off.
And please tell why you being a dickhead and fearing anybody
means all of us have the same problem. I have never even exchanged a cross word with a black man but a red-neck piece of shit with a gambling problem did rob me once and try to kill me so I do have a healthy fear of crazy white people. In closing I would just like to point out that generalization is the evil we must fight, don't always assume that you are the smartest person in the room, you admit to making an ass out of yourself too quickly.

» Thank you Posted by: Ayla87

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I can't buy it
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Posted by: negrita7 on Jun 7, 2006 9:32 AM   
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I'd like to think that was true, but I am thirty-two teaching eighteen to ninety year olds everyday and I see a lot more denial of racism than I see lack of it. My students also find this to be true for the most part.

» RE: I can't buy it Posted by: negrita7
» RE: I can't buy it Posted by: owleyes

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good article, except...
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Posted by: jessicalh on Jun 7, 2006 9:49 AM   
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I thought much of the article -- about the wheres and whys of lost priviledge -- was dead on. I thought the fear part was unadulterated nonsense, by and large, and the author was quite rude to her copanelist. Why did he need to hear about her fear? WTF is her problem? I think many people start out afraid of minorities or the majority that is different from them or the other in her/his many forms. I think that fear can almost always be overcome permanently, it isn't some mystical white guilt or male guilt or female guilt. It takes some work, but (a) it is NOT the job of any individual member of that minority to mentor you through your anxiety generated fear one on one, and (b) it seems to me an expression of priviledge that so many white people (straight people, rich people) talk so much about some deep seated irrational unremovable stain of prejudice. By its very nature, it becomes a kind of prejudice, a white man's burden to be on constant guard against. Phooey. That just ensrhines your prejdice as a constant battle. Its the priviledge that's the constant battle. Keep looking.

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I'm not African-American, I'm Haitian- Big Difference
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Posted by: InfinityInc on Jun 7, 2006 9:55 AM   
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I just wanted to say that, I thought this was a good article, and I do wish there were more discussions like this. We always focus on the fact that America is racist. Ok, great, we already know that. I like to see how people feel about it and what they are willing to do about it, and I think this is a good first step. Anyway, I just wanted to make one small point. Robert Jensen said that one of the fears of white people is that non-whites might one day discover that very small part of them that is racist. Although I don't believe all white people are racist, I don't mean to bust his bubble here but, we have already made that discovery (please see Souls of Balck Folk by W.E.B. DuBois and Within the Veil by Pamela Newkirk). Speaking from a black, female, Caribbean point of view (that THREE strikes against me. Ain't that a b!+@& !!) trust me, even though a white person is truly and wholeheartedly not a racist, when they fumble and make a little comment, we know. We just don't say anything...sometimes.

And whoever thinks that this issue has very little or nothing to do with race but is exclusively a class issue, you are in denial. You're right that class plays a major role, but you can never abolish the issue of race. NEVER. And to do so is a slap in the face to all those who have suffered the hands of physical, mental, and emotional racists. Nuff said. I'm out. Peace

» Back of the bus for classism Posted by: YogiBear

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helpful?
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Posted by: owleyes on Jun 7, 2006 10:23 AM   
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Notice that Jensen offers no evidence for his claims outside his own personal experience. The whole premise of the article, while weighty in appearance, is actually very insubstantial because his central claim--that white people are afraid--lacks all sense of definition or intellectual rigor. While you're getting your PhD, you have to scrupulously support and document every claim you make. Once you have it and you get a tenure-track job, that requirement is relaxed somewhat. However, if you should ever become a celebrity, even a minor one, then you can say whatever you want, referring only to your own expertise for confirmation. That part where he looks at his black co-panelist and says "I feel uncomfortable sitting next to you because you're black" is very telling. It is an inappropriate comment, one designed specifically to make others feel uneasy and draw the spectators' attention to himself. If Jensen were serious, he would cite and interpret empirical evidence in support of his claims. But he's gotten a lot of mileage, apparently, out of not being serious. The panel he is referring to would have to have taken place over 11 years ago. He's still milking it.

» RE: helpful? Posted by: mokidugway

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Really, Fear fear itself and ignorance.
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Posted by: omelvz on Jun 7, 2006 10:38 AM   
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Check this statement out: "African American's are the most imitated people in America". Why? Certainly many reasons. How so imitated? Again, certainly many reasons. An aspect of looking at this is to see the very larger picture, I think.
Planet Earth and biological regenerative life process's inherent within many contexts of "successfulness", i.e. survival and flourishing. Our world too is inside multi-faceted, multi-layered and profound evolutionary transformative activities. We human's are decidedly young, meaning new and growing in this whole scheme. Any bird that you see is into it's life process somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty-million years. We know at present that that birds origins began some one-hundred thirty million years back. We humans are simply a bit of a blip on that kind of scale upon this planet and even though we are indeed endowed with conscious awareness we are indeed most assuredly young still.
With that all in mind, I would suggest we truly root out amongst us those who are yielding the club, the sword, the bomb and the psychological poisons, not to mention those poisons that are destructive in the long-long run to the very Earth we are inter-dependent upon. I am speaking here precisely about the ontological realities that embody life process. Please, consider this statement:
"life has no weight". When I die, minutes afterwards there will be no difference in my body weight. Yes, in time, dependent on the ambient temperature the H2O that my body is constituted with shall transform and leave and therefore my body will become less of it's original weight. Then in the longer time my body shall simply not be and only the very infrastructure will remain, for another period of time. What might be the point? The yielder's of the club, the sword, the bomb and the psychological poison's are not going to buy into the fact that life has no weight. For their ignorance is the seam that is what our societal construct in fact are. Weight equals life, in their judgement and therefore to have things because we are as life forms things, then we must at all and any costs devote our life process's in the pursuit of things and those who then yield the controls are going to lose considerable because they no longer have purpose. Consider also, if we as intelligent, self-aware, life forms practiced all those precepts of what we call good that are trumpeted constantly in the literatures and gospels and good books, those ideals that heretofore have constituted world religiosity, then possibly we would become over-all success-
full upon planet Earth and we would then have over-come all (every, each) detail of our slovenly destructive, controlling ways and means and therefore,
animals, rivers, oceans, troposphere, and all things myriad in the whole life scene would then be involved with the process's of life flourishing to the max.
Instead we allow to continue to embellish our ignorance to such a degree that we in fact destroy wantonly, in design, in rationale, in beastly means. Please then consider this last perspective: " Fear fear itself and ignorance". We all eventually get to die and the larger picture allows for no discernment about how we live or how we die. Unless we individually make the choices. Those choices are coming to the fore, in an ontological sense, as well the evolutionary workings that are our interdependent heritage. Please, let us learn to think the whole all the way through, long before. Long before we collectively discontinue inside the biological life regenerative paradigms. There is no black and white here! There is phenomenal multi-hued coloration, deep and abiding, yet, delicate, even pure, even. We need to see all that is and overcome the stupid. And do so individually as well as collectively.

» Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: Longdream
» RE: Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: owleyes
» RE: Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: Longdream
» RE: Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: owleyes
» RE: Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: Longdream
» RE: Uptight, Not Right. Posted by: owleyes

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Why white?
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Posted by: ahmlco on Jun 7, 2006 10:57 AM   
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Who among us, white, black, brown, or green for that matter, isn't afraid of losing that which they have gained? What successful person, again of any color, doesn't harbor fears that perhaps their success is unwarrented? Or wonder if some unknown force may appear to take it away?

To me, these fears exist in all of us, as part of the human condition. The only racism I see here is that the article, in attempting to limit these fears solely to "whites", is in itself demonstrating its own racial bias.

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"What you mean 'we' White Man?"
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Posted by: gar on Jun 7, 2006 11:01 AM   
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Nobody ever gave me anything just because I am "white." Well, I'm sort of white - really more pinkish, but not really pink either. Actually I'm kind of light brownish-tan most of the time because of the Cherokee I got from my grandfather and then, I once heard my daddy talking about a black guy (he said the N word) in some woodpile that might be in my ancestory. HOWEVER, if it really makes any difference, my butt is kind of white. Does that count for anything? I think with a white butt and five dollars, I can get a Vinta Latte at Starbucks. Whatever.

Anyway, whatever I've got, I got it the old fashion way. I worked for it. My parents and my whole family were too busy picking and hoeing other "white" men's crops to bother much about having a fear that we would lose our "status" to someone of a different color.

Frankly, I can't think of anyone who would have wanted our status. We did jobs even the illegal aliens wouldn't do.

Now, we get peckerheads like this telling us that "we whites" fear losing our "power" to people of a different color. All I've got to say to that is Tonto's last words to the Lone Ranger.

The famous duo were being attacked by a thousand ticked-off Indians. Lone Ranger looked at Tonto and said, "What are we going to do now, Tonto?"

Tonto looked at the screaming horde of Indians, then he looked at the Lone Ranger. "What you mean 'we', white man?" Tonto said.

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RE: acist Piece of Trash
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Posted by: yesman on Jun 7, 2006 7:01 PM   
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Absolutely correct. It's just unfortunate that people like him are in positions where they can exact the price of their self-loathing from others.

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Any Real Issues?
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Posted by: saramarie on Jun 7, 2006 12:18 PM   
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Instead of talking about how meat eaters are evil, or white people are evil, etc. etc., why can't Alternet post more articles about issues that really, really matter? Like healthcare, sprawl, energy issues, war on drugs, so on and so on.

Then again, I feel like giving up on most of the "progressives" who incessantly bitch about what they think is wrong rather than provide better answers as to how to fix things. Keep telling everyone they're "bad", and they'll run straight for the Republican camp! Think I'm wrong? Talk to a poor, white Republican... they will almost always tell you that they are sick of being told how wrong everything is about the way they live. What a wonder.

» E-coffee is cheaper! Posted by: YogiBear

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To: Jesme the self-proclaimed "black guy"
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Posted by: ArnoldArnoldBobarnold on Jun 7, 2006 12:39 PM   
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You are a fraud, my friend. Your herky-jerky phrasing, as black as Conan O'Brien. No flava, broheim.

Your fake ass umbrage. Your choice of words, e.g. "Brilliant". ... Gimme a break. Brilliant, my hindparts.

Even your ragging on me for removing your mask is white.

You're about as black as rappers Marshall Mathers & Vanilla Ice.

You don't even understand racism, because you are too busy dispensing it, masquerading as a black.

You should be ashamed of yourself for this half-baked spoof.

Your sorry butt is as transparent as Saran Wrap, pal. Even the name "jesme" ... spare us. Why didn't you just call yourself "Stymie", for chrissake.

You, my friend, are not bona fide.

You are an imposter. Bigtime.

Go sell crazy somewhere else.

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So right on target!
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Posted by: brucem on Jun 7, 2006 12:56 PM   
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This is a wonderful piece that captures the fear I see in myself and my mostly liberal white friends as well. That inner knowledge that despite my actions and deep intentions, I have not truly and fully let go of the racism I learned as a child creates a palpable fear of being exposed as still harboring some racist (or homophobic or sexist) feelings. It actually is a relief to hear it expressed so well and know others share it. I have heard about "liberal white guilt" and other explanations that just don't ring as true as this one.

As for the fear of losing material trappings evidence of prvilege, well, I've handled that by being broke (nothin' to lose).

» RE: So right on target! Posted by: yesman

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RACE IS WHAT CLASS USES TO DIVIDE AND DESTROY US
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Posted by: RhodesVan3000 on Jun 7, 2006 1:18 PM   
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Don't fall for this! Race and guilt are tools of the ruling class.
The fact that most people in power are white and racist is not the point. They use race, religion, cast, tribes, class and geography as weapons to divide and destroy us.

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crap piece
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Posted by: Houtx on Jun 7, 2006 1:34 PM   
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40 years ago relavent.
Today nope.

Whites shouldn't feel guilty at their accomplishments.
On a side note why can you say 'Black, yellow, or hispanic pride' but you can't say 'White pride' hmmmm

Today in the USA anyone can strive and work hard and live a comfortable life.

thanks drive through
A non white person who doesn't buy it.

» RE: crap piece Posted by: gar

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An Article that Needs to Really Be Understood, not Criticized
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Posted by: Kym525 on Jun 7, 2006 1:36 PM   
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This is an excellent article, and reminds me very much of anti-racist educator Tim Wise. It takes a certain amount of bravery to admit that white privilege does indeed exist, that whites have greatly benefitted from it, and that many whites are afraid of losing it (hence the fight over illegal immigration). The question begs to be asked, if white privilege is just a figment of our imaginations, why do so many poor and working-class whites overwhelming vote for political parties (namely Republicans) who always side with big business and who believe in slashing social programs that could benefit them and their families?

The answer is very simple - WHITE PRIVILEGE. The same political parties that screw over the little guy is the same one that runs campaigns based on race-baiting and fear-mongering. Remember Jesse Helms' infamous 'white hands' campaign ad, in which he blames Affirmative Action/quotas as to why the white male hands holding a rejection notice didn't get the job? Of course who could ever forget Willie Horton or Reagan's attack on 'welfare queens' (who were always pictured as black)? Talk about exploiting white fears?

I'm always amazed at the level of denial some liberal whites show when it comes to staring their own issues with race in the eye. We get the typical reactions:

"it's not about race, but about class"
"whites were slaves too"
"other groups can be racist too"
"i'm not racist, but..."

Once again these folks prove they're not interested in what others have to say about the privilege they hold so dear. If it's all about class, perhaps they should read 'The Rage of the Priviliged Class' by Ellis Cose, which speaks to the level of racism experienced by blacks who have 'made it'.

What really bothers me is that these so-called 'liberal' whites are so arrogant in their dismissal of anything in regards to race, and they are a big part of the problem.

» Duh! Posted by: YogiBear
» Smile Posted by: Kelly
» By The Way... Posted by: Kym525
» RE: By The Way... Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: By The Way... Posted by: gar

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White fear: it's not just about race
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Posted by: Bobsays on Jun 7, 2006 3:08 PM   
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White people have every reason to be afraid of the future. This is not only about their shear numbers - as can be seen with Russian, white populations are stagnant or shrinking - but also about so-called 'white' values. The European culture inheritance brought an unparalled period of stability and prosperity to many countries. Now that it is on the wane, we must see what will replace it.

Judging from the state of western cities, the immediate future doesn't look that good. Crime and poverty increase in urban and semi-urban areas.

Greater racial and ethnic diversity has also brought more strife in the short -term. Will all this bed down to bring a society like say Brazil? It is hard to say that Brazil offers the peace and stability many whites seek.

It is a country racked with gang wars and has made little progress with its poverty.

I think we will see the rise of more groups to protect 'white' culture. It won't just be the usual racist groups, but new ones who will see that preserving white culture is important and just as legitimate as preserving African culture.

This may be a bright new future.

» There is no white culture Posted by: Kelly
» RE: There is no white culture Posted by: kittynboi
» St Patricks day etc. Posted by: Bobsays
» RE: St Patricks day etc. Posted by: Kym525
» RE: St Patricks day etc. Posted by: YogiBear

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ignorant twat alert
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Posted by: Ghoulman on Jun 7, 2006 5:26 PM   
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^^^
Buddy, you are talking to Canadians here. You can't pull this ignorant shit on one of us. We actually do go to the USA every day, and get citizenship easily. Actually, we often don't even bother to apply and STILL live in the US, sometimes for decades. Luckily, we aren't Mexicans, so we can get away with it. Ask Bill Shatner.

Piss off liar.

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Ooops ^^^
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Ghoulman on Jun 7, 2006 5:28 PM   
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Posted in the wrong place there. Please, ignore. Or delete. Smudge. Maybe smear? Blank out. White out. Avert your eyes. Think of nice places.

» RE: Ooops ^^^ Posted by: Longdream

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I love this essay! I thank you so much for your honesty.
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Posted by: Betsy L. Angert on Jun 7, 2006 5:59 PM   
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Dear Robert Jensen . . .

I love this essay! I thank you so much for your honesty.

For the first five and one half years of my life, a Black family raised me as much as my own. This gave me a strange perspective. I struggle with being white and not liking what white people do.

I have written exposés on immigration issues and in each, I touch on xenophobia. A very progressive friend of mine wants a wall between the nation of Mexico and the United States. He was outraged when I posed the possibility of his racism. Yet, speaking of OJ, “if the glove does not fit, then you must acquit.” I acknowledge that he, as many, does not wish to be; nevertheless, I thought him guilty.

I have penned many missives on Black Americans. The inequity our society and systems delivers to our “equals” irks me. As I stated during a discussion on our colorblind society, “When a black person walks in the room, what do you see?” If a white individual enters, do you have similar thoughts?

I invite you to review some of my sentiments.
• Black History, Past, Present
• ”Illegal” Immigration

It is only the giving that makes us what [who] we are. - Ian Anderson. Jethro Tull. . . Betsy
Betsy L. Angert Be-Think

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Just Change White to "Elites" & Fair Article on Class
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Posted by: fairleft on Jun 7, 2006 6:01 PM   
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Rather than complain about the groundless anti-white racism in the article, just make that little change:

Examples:

"Elites fear losing what we have -- literally the fear of losing things we own if at some point the economic, political, and social systems in which we live become more just and equitable."

"A third fear involves a slightly different scenario -- a world in which non-elites might someday gain the kind of power over elites that elites have long monopolized."

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Equality would be nice
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Posted by: Chuck Norris on Jun 7, 2006 7:09 PM   
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Equality would be nice, but it has yet to happen in the roughly 8000 years of civilization, even by fairer-minded socieites than the United States's, and history shows that it isn't likely to happen in a complete fashion.

If you haven't read the book Defensive Racism, you should. I personally haven't read it, but I read excerpts, and it makes quite a few valid points all over the spectrum.

Affirmative action may seem like a way to equality, but in reality, it places priority on race, not ability. The core ideal is, in iteslf, racist. This is saying that minorities cannot achieve as well as whites, and therefore handicaps the job market.

Minorities can recieve government aid much easier than whites. Why? Because of their race. This is saying that all minorities are poor and cannot make their salt. Once again, this is racist, in the opinion of the author of Defensive Racism, Edgar J. Steele, and after reading it, it makes sense to me, too.

Also, I have white neighbors with several African-American foster children. Why? Because they receive a larger welfare check for housing African-American children. Is the government saying that African-American children will grow up to become hoodlums, and that these people deserve more money for housing them? It sure as hell seems that way!

The government sets up minority races for failure, it seems...And that is racist. Imagine if you were an African American and on welfare, and you were approached by a rich man in a nice Armani suit, and told: "You poor Negro...You can never be as rich as me...You can't do it!...But since I feel sorry for you, let me hand you some money." This is basically what the government is saying by affirmative action and certain welfare programs.

Find more information or to purchase Edgar J. Steele's book, Defensive Racism, go to www.defensiveracism.com

» RE: quality would be nice Posted by: Longdream

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Little blue ball...
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Posted by: J- on Jun 7, 2006 8:28 PM   
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We're all floating on a little blue ball in the infinite vastness of a universe we have yet to explore because of articles and ideas like this.

We will all rise together as brothers, or will fall to failure apart as fools.

Look at the picture of Earth from space, and then tell me that the Boomer tenured professor's diatribe has any meaning what so ever.

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What more needs to be said?
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Posted by: Sojourner on Jun 7, 2006 8:37 PM   
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"On the question of racial discrimination, the Addis Ababa Conference taught, to those who will learn, this further lesson: That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned: That until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil.”
--H.I.M. Haile Selassie, Speech to the United Nations, New York City, NY, October 4, 1963

» And in order to Free thos Africans....... Posted by: GoodByeToAmerica
» And in order to Free thos Africans....... Posted by: GoodByeToAmerica

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It's Obvious.
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Posted by: Longdream on Jun 7, 2006 8:54 PM   
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Take white people.

Put them in a pile, with the smart, good-hearted ones on top, the ones who know a thing or two about life from experience in the middle, and the smart assholes and dumb as dirt ones on the bottom. Tell the top half of the pile to get up and go home, because they know themselves, and can't be intimidated by hype and humbug.

The bottom half contains the ones who are creating the immigration hysteria. Their racist feelings, projected outward, tell them that when whites are no longer in the majority in this country, a lot of pissed-off people of color will somehow be able to treat them badly.

Nothing fancy. Just stupidity and mean-spiritedness looking past the horizon, seeing itself, and blinking.

» RE: It's Obvious. Posted by: YogiBear

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Why White societies have failed in the last few centuries
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Posted by: ecofascist on Jun 7, 2006 10:15 PM   
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White societies have failed primarily due to internal problems. White Power groups, White nationalists and White supremacists blame non-Whites for most of their problems.

White Power

White Power movements originated in the United States and United Kingdom during the 1970s which, as exactly one generation past World War II, represented the first stirrings of awareness in mainstream populations that perhaps our great democratic crusade in Europe was going to come back and bite us on the hindquarters. The result was the modern "white power" organization, which combines aspects of KKK, National Socialist, radical conservative and ethnic socialist rhetoric to form an entity patterned after the "Black Power" movements of the 1960s. Herein is the basic problem with white power groups: they are another partisan movement desiring political power, and do not represent any kind of solution for the whole.

Standard white power rhetoric is as follows: non-white races are inferior, but white races are superior, therefore we need to band together all whites and exclude these others. Generally, outside of mention of homosexuals and Jews (who are as white as most Southern or Eastern Europeans at this point) that is where the dogma ends. These movements attempt to justify their beliefs through scientific and sociological research, and often point to the high rates of crime, disease, poverty, illiteracy, and low IQs of other groups such as African-Americans (Jews, while often seen as more intelligent than average, are condemned on the basis of their intent). These movements are increasing in power and must be combatted with whatever resources we have.

Their first error is a failure to note the origin of all white problems: namely, that among white people there are many who are inferior, and that these not only breed more inferiors, but have reduced society in complexity to the point that it rewards inferiors: those shuffling untermenschen who go off to bureaucratic, pointless, lazy jobs and are content to write blockhead memoranda and enforce rigid rules unthinkingly; this is The Establishment Man whether he is black, white, Chinese or from Planet Xerxon. This mentality of being happy with a trivial empty life in a decaying society causes the proliferation of inferiors, because only a true brick-stupid untermensch could find such a life acceptable or desirable. However, millions of them have, from the uptight white guy wimps of the 1950s to our current multicultural bureaucrat; nothing has changed, because the position in which these people serve requires nothing more than obedience and minimal thinking skills. It appeals to the inferior among all races.

White people have suffered this decline for many centuries, and with each passing year, it gets closer to domination. Whether it is the execution of nobles in the French Revolution, or the destruction of the last independent aristocracy in America during the Civil War, white people have been in cannibal mode by empowering the workers, the disaffected, and lazy suburban "activists" to blame many complex problems on a simple source: Elites. The Elites, they have told us for centuries, are manipulating you, causing problems... the solution is to dethrone the elites and let the people rule! Oh joyous day... but then century after century the problem persists. Luckily for his manipulators, the average white person at this point has the attention span of a gnat, and therefore can pass this process down the line. White people are consequently, in terms of population quality, descending toward inferior.

LINK

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Yes, it is time for white people to pack it in......
[Report this comment]
Posted by: mrcentrist on Jun 7, 2006 11:35 PM   
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....and let enlightened, empathetic, honest, wonderful people of color like Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell to take over the United States. I can't wait!!

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White People Fear
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Posted by: Peter Boyd on Jun 7, 2006 11:52 PM   
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Losing what they have. Privilege, position, material possessions and above all control.
However fear will not prevent them losing it.

» RE: White People Fear Posted by: kittynboi
» RE: White People Fear Posted by: mrcentrist
» RE: White People Fear Posted by: YogiBear

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Didn't take long for the R word to pop up, did it?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: GoodByeToAmerica on Jun 8, 2006 12:39 AM   
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As soon as anyone says some approaching the truth, there it is, there "R" word. Use that about somebody and everything they say becomes meaningless. Hah!
To answer a few of these posts, Gould was discredited many years ago by, what I might call "peers", but as Gould was no real Scientist, but a dabbler in things evolutionary/biological, I have to say his "betters". (Go look it up. it is well documented)
IQ affected by socio-economic factors? Health? Nutrition? Of course, just look at what you call your "trailer trash" citizens.
I don't say that having a low IQ is bad (in fact, as it is many here who think low IQ is bad, you condem all those of any race with a low IQ), but I do say you have to recognise it as a fact, before you can expect to help these people (see the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Scholarship), once you recognise the problem, you can do something about it. Keep you head in the sand, and you condem them by trying to condem me.
The original piece has to be the worst yet example I have read anywhere on how people refuse to believe what is plainly laid out in their sight, everyday.

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For more Robert Jensen...
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Posted by: addictedtorace on Jun 8, 2006 9:49 AM   
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Another great essay by Robert Jensen -- thank you so much for continuing to push people's buttons and for forcing us to actually TALK about race. My co-host and I had the honor of interviewing Robert Jensen a few months ago on our podcast, Addicted to Race. If you'd like to listen to our audio interview with him, please click here. Our show is about America's obsession with race, with a specific emphasis on mixed race identity and interracial relationships.

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Important topic, but Robert Jensen personalizes too much
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Posted by: rclord on Jun 8, 2006 1:53 PM   
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I agree that something has to be done about racism. But I find Robert Jensen's piece too subjective and self-absorbed for my taste, which to my mind does make it come across as self-indulgent and patronizing. For this reason, I don't blame Jesme for reacting the way he did.

For example, Jensen does not mention how the African-American professor reacted to Jensen's comment about "being afraid of you." I am curious how this professor felt.

Did Jensen ever discuss this with other colleagues, besides the professor? What were their thoughts? What were their experiences like, compared to his? Did he ever try to find any studies done on this issue? None of this is mentioned. If Jensen focused more on interactions with others and less on his own perceptions, this article wouldn't make him sound so defensive, or like it was too much about him.

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Mr.
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Posted by: I-RIGHT-I on Jun 8, 2006 2:20 PM   
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I totally reject the notion that our society is based upon race supremacy or that there is ANY fear in the white man save the fear of an over controlling government that seems determined to level a playing field that is already leveled by the greatest document the mind of man has ever produced.

What I believe is that some people want an edge and will resort to race baiting to get it. Everybody wants to be a victim.....and so they shall be.

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It's Obvious that many Whites Don't Even Understand...
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Posted by: Kym525 on Jun 8, 2006 3:56 PM   
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...what they're criticising. In their zeal to prove "it's all about class not race", they fail to understand the everyday examples of white privilege they and others operate under and indeed, benefit from.

Whites have the freedom to be judged as INDIVIDUALS, unlike blacks and other groups, who are seen as a monolithic collective. This is privilege.

A simple example - When white children act up in public places (i.e. shopping malls), the onus is laid (and rightfully so) upon the parents. When black children act up in the same manner, the reaction from whites, even unconsciously, becomes an indictment not just of the parents, but of the ENTIRE race.

Every black male is viewed as a potential criminal, be they a rapper or a corporate businessman, whereas I seriously doubt that Ken Lay - one of the biggest corporate crooks in history - has ever incited an irrational fear in anyone. Again, privilege.

More examples: How often are whites the targets of racial profiling? How many white people do you personally know who have gone into a store and are followed around by security? How many times are whites prejudged as not being intelligent or articulate?

With blacks, this is a daily occurance, REGARDLESS of class. Blacks in positions of power have to prove themselves over and over that they earned their place, even though a less qualified white is already assumed to have what it takes. In the eductional arena, I specifically remember my Dean (a white male) who didn't think I had what it took to succeed in an Advanced Placement English class - though my grades for previous college-level courses were right there in front of him and were mainly 'A's'. Had I been a white student, this would have NEVER been an issue.

Wealth does not make privilege because after all, Oprah Winfrey is black and has more money than she knows what to do with. But that doesn't mean she cannot (and has not) ever been discriminated against.

» The horse is dead Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: The horse is dead Posted by: Kym525
» RE: The horse is dead Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: The horse is dead Posted by: Kym525
» RE: The horse is dead Posted by: YogiBear

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hhhmmmmmmmm????
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Posted by: zombi on Jun 8, 2006 4:35 PM   
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when i was 4 years old my parents divorced. i didn't see my dad for years after wards. my mother was forced to support us by either living w/ her parents (grandpa was on disability) or by getting a string of minimum wage jobs (she was a high school drop out). when he popped back up, dad took us to live in a dump in LA that was sandwiched between two factories & a low income housing project (but we had a dairy queen near by). dad was bumming on welfare & disability for a "back injury" (unspecified). he was a heroin addict. i didn't go to school most of the time. we would spend the week dumpster diving for junk to fix up & sell at the swap meet. in '85 my mother remarried to a factory worker (a good man) who worked 80+ hours a week (& still does) for around $6.50/hour. i have 4 younger brothers. in '91 we moved to fresno california (oohhh, ritzy) because of the low cost of housing (my father had been recently arrested for selling drugs). by the time i graduated high school, i went to apply for financial aid, & received $200.00....college was out of the question. i joined the army in 2000. since then i've never held a job that pays more than $7.25/hour. my ancestry is swedish, irish, french & german. what am i supposed to be afraid of again? i say this so that you may see that even white people can be stereotyped. oh, & one other thing. edward o. wilson (award winning biologist) says that racism is genetic & inherent in not only all humans, but in all animals, it was a survival trait that, in the age of nuclear arsenals, isn't quite as effective. but i have faith that human altruism (also a genetic trait---edward o. wilson) will enable us to overcome this conundrum. in fact, i've found a truly effective means to do this, don't think about a persons race when interacting w/ that person, even when they are white, it's not important (genetic differences between the races is less than 1%, between the sexes is less than 2%). if you actually listen to people, you'll find that skin color never even pops up.

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Yes, white fears - who can truthfully deny it?
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Posted by: HeidiLockwood on Jun 8, 2006 5:46 PM   
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Yes, white fears. The second type of fear discussed is very real and I would guess afflicts anyone who happens to think about what the reality would be for him/her and their families in a world where resources are equitably distributed. But this might be more acurately identified as "the fears of the privileged" which, admittedly, don't include everyone in the USA. But here, even the poorest of us can get healthcare if we're capable of working the system, sometimes more easily than working and middle-class folks who have to count on corrupt and stingy insurance outfits. Here, at least, many can get government medical coverage and assistance with living expenses, granted not enough to cover basics unless you're living in your car or under a bridge. And for those needy who cannot get assistance, for whatever reason, hospitals by law rmusr admit any treat any person, indigent or not, though of course they do not advertise the fact, the point being that things could get worse, even for those Americans who are already at the bottom.

It's a gut thing, maybe a struggle between principle and instinct, or simply a problem inherent in the desire to protect ones' family and progeny while also believing in justice and wanting to improve one's community and world. "I want an end to social and economic injustice, and I work for that", but also, "I want my kids/grand-kids/wife/husband/ sister/brother to live, and that means they get medical care if/when they need it and I would do anything to get it for them, including (fill in the blank)". Same goes for decent and sufficient food, housing, education and other cultural advantages - all the basics and more that we associate with an acceptable standard of living, or simply with survival. Think about it, folks - who of you can honestly say that you are above such contradictions?

But the fault is not in the wish and desire of those who want to do both, or who feel the stress of the contradictions, but in the social-economic-political context in which we live. We SHOULD be able to do both, and who in the world - of any culture or class or material circumstances, would not protect his/her own family first, if not his/herself?

The last fear is real, too, for anyone who is consciously aware of the power differential that exists between white and non-white populations in this land, and around the world, especially if that differential is unwanted (instead of "fear" maybe you could say "persistent worry", or "distress in certain situations"). I'm as uncomfortable as heck with it and always have been. It's embarassing, even humiliating for me as a white person, and often I don't know what's the best way to negotiate it with non-whites. Especially as I realize they are rightfully hyper-sensitive to whites' attitudes and signals, and to the subtexts of inter-racial interactions.

C'mon people - this stuff is woven into the woof and warp of our culture, of our time, the residue of the depravity, the real horrors of chattel-slavery, inherent in the colonialism that is still the basis of our economic system, still bringing suffering on our behalf to countless people around the world and here at home, even as we sit at our computers ernestly discussing the topic. I think that the only immune person would be one who is desperately ignornant, probably functionally illiterate, and/or brainwashed in some cult or otherwise culturally isolated, or perhaps developmentally impaired. Or who is unnaturally self-involved and amoral - a sociopath, in short, or someone who feels ripped-off by his/her life and is just hopelessly angry and needs a generalized target. Or one who, through faith or whatever means, truly has come to terms with the contradictions and is ready, if necessary, for self and family to suffer along with the rest of humanity, and to die rather than try to secure his/her own survival or his/her family's at the expense of some one else's.

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A young white male in a center position
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Posted by: Mr Christo on Jun 8, 2006 6:36 PM   
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This article stems from an at-least upple middleclass to upperclass professor at a fairly prestigious Southern University. His subject matter of white privelage is, agreeably, generalized and based on a demographic statistics. I would like to take this time to articulate my views on his essay and expend with personal exerience.

Jensen's first comments on white supremacy and his general outline of white privelage are largely stereotyped. Living in the NorthEast, north of Boston, it is primarily (more then 95%) white. The various classes are distinctive. There are those yuppies (or suburbanites) who commute the hour+ to Boston daily in hopes of attaining the American dream, this acquisition of wealth. From a subjective basis, as I feel Jensen's article is taken from, this wealth is strictly material, including cars, pools, yards, expensive landscaping and the nicest looking interior. It can also be construed as the acquistion of other properties as many people from Boston, NYC or those who are largely well off have summer houses or ski houses in Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont. So, this generalization of fear may be substantiated on the loss, competition or gain of such properties while competing with people of different ethnicities. It can also be thought of as competition to find highly paid positions in jobs.
Looking at the demographics of many state and private universities across the country, sans California and the Ivy's, I would presume that a majority of the students are white. California and the Ivy's, I believe, are different because California is so racially diverse that it skews the general demographics of most university populations. And, let's be honest folks, the Ivy's, even with minorities still have mostly privelaged students even if they are different ethnicities. Most students.
So, how can I justify these comments without simply attacking Jensen as some other posts have done? I'm a lower-middle class white college student as a predominantly white public university where most kids have an education paid for and who vacation regularly. Most other students at this school think hard times are a failing grade. They believe social justice falls in the ranks of civil disobedience and not giving up their education to someone from a different ethnicity. Having easily seen both sides of the coin, I beleive I can say the next few things.
My father is a construction work and my mother a part time social worker. They struggle yearly to send my to school. The thought of transfering to save money have crossed my mind, yet they believe attending this university will promote me to a position of higher earnings, so as to not repeat their hard lives. I live with students from across the country, including one from Colorado and one from Los Angeles. While my education of paid for by student loans and half-tuition grants, these two students have a varying perspective on privelage. The student from LA is paid by the university to attend the school, that is, being a minority student from 4000 miles away, the school pays her, for various reasons, to be a poster child of diversity of the school. Well, good for her, because she is taking advantage of this generosity and will hopefully one day be in political office changing attrocities both of the privelaged white class and the not privelaged white class.

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A white male in a center position- take 2
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Posted by: Mr Christo on Jun 8, 2006 6:36 PM   
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Oh, again, I have never been on a plane, or to Florida or on a vacation with scuba diving and crystal waters because my family could never afford it. I constantly hear about trips here or there to some tropical place by my fellow students.
The other girl, from Colorado, is taking a year off to travel abroad without worries of income. That is privelage. Under those conditions, white privelage is substantiated, and she hails from a predominately white state, not a city.
However, this question of privelage is not based on skin color, it is based on class. To those who have grown up privelaged, the idea of not vacationing does not process. Instead of attacking Jensen, who I agree should turn his argument toward himself and not society, we should ask ourselves whether we are mad at white privelage or privelage alone.
I can look around and see white privelage, and I have been mad it is for a very long period of my life, as I see friends travelling abroad, vacationing in the Caribbean, travelling to Europe and such. So, not everyone is in a position of privelage even being a white male. I think Jensen should not generalize as he does and look towards himself. Maybe with all of his money he'd like to support my way through college, being a privelaged white male as he is.

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Funny, I don't feel especially privileged
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Posted by: ToolPackinMama on Jun 8, 2006 8:34 PM   
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I was adopted at birth, and to this day this country tells me that I have no right to know who my ancestors were. Alex Haley could at least trace his roots. Me? Nope.

FWIW, I am not "afraid" of black people at all, mostly because I came of age during the hippy heyday, when everybody loved everybody. We honestly believed in that stuff, and you know what? I still do. I still think that everybody should love everybody: that all of us are brothers.

But my kids are afraid, because they were several times bullied by black and hispanic kids in public school... apparently for being white.

I rarely go to the beach, and when I do, I feel ugly. White skin is widely regarded to be ugly, if it's "too white".

I still wish people would hurry up and get over it, already. Racisim is soooo last century.

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white fear
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Posted by: wleming on Jun 9, 2006 11:06 AM   
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The good professor should consider Class fear. Is there any doubt that the US.... a Class System as toxic as any (witness our ghettos, incarceration levels, and a police presence thats essentialy a military mission) ever witnessed. Of course Blacks and Whites fear each other: propelled by a System that profits from the fear. So why not look at the multi billion dollar incarceration, police and protection industries and reframe the professors thesis? Does the Right fear monger, and profit from what they've created? Ask the Bush family.

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fear
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Posted by: richardpmendola on Jun 9, 2006 12:19 PM   
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This do sound like some professor's little speech.

For myself I am fearful--or at least wary--of people who come from cultures in which ignorance proliferates and which seem to contain more overt violence than is the norm. Good and bad people from all races and cultures, but one does learn when to bet on trouble. There are places you just don't go.

Oh, this was more an intellectual exercise than a discussion of survival. Racism isn't necessarly fear; fear isn't necessarily racism.

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Racism is a very important part of the history of Christianity also
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Posted by: SeverelyJaded on Jun 10, 2006 3:49 PM   
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The Genesis of these stories occurred in ancient Africa, Asia, and Judea and then moved to surrounding countries after the Roman Empire ethnically cleansed Judea of the "Tribe of Judah." In the subsequent century, Rome assumed control of Christianity and it then became based on European characters with European names and faces.

It is undeniable that the European names and faces of the New Testament and Christianity cannot possibly be the truth. They were interpolated into the so-called Gospels by Roman leadership. It is important to remember that ancient Judeans were dark-skinned, as were the Gnostic Coptics (Egyptians) and the Ethiopians. None of these people would have had names like Mark, Peter, Paul, Phillip, Jesus, etc. Consequently, it is undeniable that these names (and faces) are later creations imposed by Romans who ruthlessly eliminated all competing stories and philosophies to establish the Christian Orthodoxy now referred to as the New Testament.

The very fact that the New Testament and Christianity have been cleansed of African and Middle Eastern names and faces is evidence of purposeful racism. The fact that it continues to this day is undeniable. Simply look at how Christian nations have treated native peoples in every land they conquered and then imposed the Christian myth, which asserts the divinity of a white-skinned messiah, who is based on obvious lies.

The Merovingian kings in France simply endeavored to steal Rome's thunder by co-opting the Christian Myth to their own purposes by saying that Mary married a French king. This ploy was an obvious deception used to gain the loyalty of the citizens of the emerging French nation. Why would people who were so opposed to wealth and power (money-changers in the temple, etc.) marry into royalty? It's obvious that these French aristocrats saw through Rome's deceptions and used them, just as Rome had. It is unlikely they were much focused on racism though, since their subjects were all Europeans.

Rome on the other hand had been oppressing and fighting Asians and Africans for centuries.

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"Non-white" as your term of engagement
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Posted by: Marian's Blog on Jun 11, 2006 7:28 AM   
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This is about the terms of engagement. I intended to link this article till I read and found the author referring to myself and others as "non-whites". How dare he. Will some people never learn? After several decades that answer obviously is yes. His choice of words obviously is insulting and condescending. When you choose to start by using this language where can "we" go from here? Isn't insult and condescension the point of whoever invented this Frankenstein-like term "non-white" in the first place? Whites did not create us. And G*d did not create us with white people as the point of reference. "Non-white" is negative. It is so not about our own humanity. It's about "whiteness". It is a term of opposition that ranks right up there with "minority". I'll finish this thought on my blog. All of us need these discussions on Alternet and elsewhere but the terms of engagement need to evolve.

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Earth from Space??
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Posted by: Marian's Blog on Jun 11, 2006 7:53 AM   
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We may sit all day looking at beautiful pictures of the Earth from space. They have their place. Then you still must walk out the door, step off the plane, go into a room and walk among your sister and fellow human beings. We are continually negotiating how to treat others and how we hope to be treated by them. I was taught to try to deal with others as individuals, which they are, yet at the same time we are all part of multiple groups/identities whose outlook and behaviour can encourage us to embrace good or to embrace evil; to try to live with courage or resort to acts of individual or collective cowardice. To thine own self be true. Remember love and beauty and share them.

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Not really fair
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Posted by: Elmowilcox on Jun 11, 2006 11:10 AM   
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Without making any further argument, I'm calling BS on this article. Some good points, but some very bad insinuations. I pride myself on having broken the cycle of racism in my family. I rather enjoy the company of my black girlfriend. So this guy saying I'm a racist whether I know it or not is quite offensive. Save your own insecurities buddy, I'm fine over here.

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Poor Analysis of the Issue
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Posted by: SpreadingANUS on Jun 11, 2006 1:35 PM   
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If we look around, I am certain that most citizens are earnestly trying to overcome their inclination to form stereotypes and embrace their neighbors regardless of the color of their skin.

Race goes deeper than skin color, of course, and beyond any of the "quantifiable" factors (i.e. intelligence, divorce rate, socioeconomic status, etc.) gathered from studies intended to find means to an end instead of being interpreted to support the conclusions of both racists and anti-racists alike. (Depending on the findings of the study, that is.)

Yet despite the glaring differences among the races, we continue to hold up each and every inhabitant of the U.S. to the standards set by the Protestant founders of this nation. We find differences, and try and cover our tracks (as if the truth must be obscured on the basis of its incompatibility with our notion of progress) by implementing wilted social programs such as Affirmative Action. Jensen writes that what white people have is unearned--yet the aforementioned initiative does the same disservice to persons of African-American and Hispanic descent (apparently, there is no need for this for persons of Asian ancestry). Never mind that college standards have steadily decreased across the board over the past three or four decades; those who now "benefit" from AA are going into jobs that they cannot handle among coworkers they cannot relate to.

Social Darwinism is not an acceptable theory, as there are many people, such as myself, who simply aren't motivated to engage in the spiritually-castrating tasks one must engage in to climb up the ranks to join with the "social elite," yet this perspective is maintained by even those who consider themselves "anti-racist", and off they go trying to fix the problem through manipulating economy.

Who does it offend if we step back and realize that, despite the efforts of many to try to assimilate every ethnicity into a single monoculture we cannot do so? (Which, to my understanding, is necessitated by megacorporations and militant, imperialistic nations in order to stimulate economy and compete internationally--otherwise, there is no need for multiculturalism.) The only advantage for recent immigrants to America is financial--but could they say they are better off when they find they cannot relate to our culture, and they must watch as their children dissolve their own cultural identities and assimilate into the void?

The logical solution here, the only surefire way to eliminate prejudice, is (gasp!) segregation--not in a manner such that any group should suffer from it, but so that each ethnicity is granted the comfort of being governed solely by those who could understand their wants and needs. There is something esoteric about race, as it has been mentioned by previous posters, that incapacitates anyone who tries to bridge the gap between races. I will never know what it is like to live in Malawi, nor will I be able to identify with a person from Wales. It makes just as little sense for a white president to decide for the steadily growing minority population as it would for there to be an African-American or Latino president. Allowing for each group to decide for itself offers the least room for error.

If we fear that there cannot be goodwill among smaller localities, then it is a question of one's understanding of basic human nature, and you are questioning the integrity of your own group while failing to realize that the world continues to exhibit this form of structure. The multiethnic makeup of the U.S. is an exception rather than the rule, and we will never be able to wipe out culturally homogenous existences.

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bikey
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Posted by: bikey on Jun 11, 2006 2:16 PM   
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Comrades: All racism is not about America. It's about a global attitude of superiority that has enabled countless atrocities for hundreds of years. It is simply a fact that white people have justified their treatment of the rest of the world by claiming a monopoly on 'civilization', to the point where many white people think that 'civilization' resides in pale skin. As a relatively small percentage of humanity that is becoming unable to reproduce itself, their fear of loss is palpable. Any other 'fear' is irrelevant. Only color-blind social justice will solve the problem.

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Why are the f*#k are you scared?
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Posted by: Thetorganization on Jun 11, 2006 9:25 PM   
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Being black, I've dealt with my fair share of prejudice and discrimination from white people. I dress pretty conservatively nowadyas, although I like to wear sneakers most of the time. I can count on my hands how many times a white woman has clutched their purses in fear of my presence. I can count how many times on my hand that white people have called me a "nigger" out of hate and lack of understanding. I can count on hand how many times I've been denied for jobs, because "all black people are the same". And I have no idea of what it's like to be poor or live in the inner city, because I am the product of an upper middle class black family who live in a very affluent neighborhood. I am educated and I keep myself socially conscious towards all and any issues that may be prevalent in this ever expanding society.

Sometimes, I get the feeling that besides any other minority group, black people are somehow less sociable and approachable than others. We are not aliens or second class citizens, so please treat us with respect. We are not all criminals. We are not all rapists, thugs, criminals, pimps and hustlers (although the media would love for you too think otherwise). Hey, I'm a friendly guy and pretty big dork!

As for this article, there is nothing concrete to hold together whites fears of any minority group. It seems horribly misguided and laden in falsities for this ever to be legitimate. Other people are trying to make a decent living in thic country, because despite everyone's contrasting beliefs, survival is the main key to life.

So, why are you scared? You really don't need to be.

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Welcome to Amerikkka.
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Posted by: Thetorganization on Jun 11, 2006 9:32 PM   
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Kind of explains Cointelpro, the introduction of crack cocaine, Reaganomics, the explosion of blacks in the prison population, doesn't it?

 
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