The best thing about being white is that you don't have to think about it. Before last week, not only was I all too happy not to think about it, but I was even fond of not considering myself white at all. And if you met me on the street, you might not even be able to tell that I'm white. It took me long enough to figure it out.
When I was told about Palaeopitus's community hour devoted to discussing "whiteness," I immediately asked, "Why talk about being white?" and "Who is (am I) included as white?" The more I thought about it all, however, the more I realized how telling my questions were.
I've never felt "white." I look racially ambiguous, but I'm really an olive anomaly in a light-skinned family. There's also the fact that Jews have only been included with "normal whites" for a few decades, and still many of us have resisted assimilation into a society of non-ethnic whites.
From this assumption proceeds a first myth of "whiteness:" that it is the normal, the neutral, the undifferentiated, the default. In case the pervasiveness of this myth is not obvious, let me cite the short documentary put together by Palaeopitus for Thursday's discussion. In this video, I found a few white people saying what I've often said to describe my racial status: "I'm just a regular guy, an American like anybody else."
So it hits me that I'm just like the majority of white people who see themselves as regular people without the added characteristic of a race. So what's wrong with that? Why should we talk about whiteness if it's not a problem? Aren't we doing our part simply by deciding not to be racist? Enter myth number two: that we should strive toward -- or are even capable of -- becoming color-blind. This is an oversimplification that many of us accept because, frankly, thinking about race as a factor in everything in life is a burden that we'd rather do without.
This brings me back to the beginning: the best thing about being white is not having to think about it. Some (few terribly insensitive) white people criticize minorities for spending too much time talking about race. They think that racial difference will go away if people shut up about being different. But by allowing the white norm to remain an unspoken assumption, we not only alienate non-whites but also miss a great opportunity to better understand ourselves.
The first time I ever saw a black person, I pointed and said, "Look, Mom, a chocolate lady!" I wasn't a racist; I was a two-year-old, and a very verbal one, at that. The first time I ever went to a Chinese restaurant, I politely informed the waiter that he had no eyes. Fortunately, the black woman at the mall found me adorable, and the Chinese waiter pouring our water misheard my observation and returned with ice water.
We learn who we are by pointing out the differences around us. "To and fro, stop and go, that's what makes the world go 'round" sings an animated Merlin in my all-time favorite Disney movie, "The Sword and the Stone." We never change, from this point in our childhood on, except that we lose a bit of introspection as we become comfortable with ourselves as members of society.
I want to sincerely thank Gary Weissman '02 and the members of Palaeopitus for asking us to take an hour out of last week to get a little less comfortable with ourselves and look at our identity in a way that I and, I'm sure, many others had never considered important. I'm sure the discussion groups produced many unique insights into the question, but here's what I learned.
The word "privileged," as used to describe white society, is a stinging word. It takes away our normality and defines us by difference, forcing us to acknowledge that we are different from other races, just as they are different from us. Fully realizing this fact means that questions about race are questions for everyone, not just minorities. It all seems so obvious, but these are facts that are all too easy to ignore when difference isn't constantly in your face. We take for granted identities that are contingent upon contrast, and become ignorant of even our own identities. Ignorance inevitably engenders intolerance.
As a community, it is our responsibility to share the burden of addressing race issues. Of course, I decide this after failing to attend any Martin Luther King week events except for the aforementioned discussion. Well, at least I'm learning.
I think the community hour was the perfect forum for addressing a surprisingly pertinent issue. I think we should follow the example set by Palaeopitus and ask ourselves and our peers questions about our identity and how it affects our place in society. Furthermore, I'd like to see more discussions of the sort, raising questions specific to Dartmouth.
We have but scratched the surface.
