Whiteness means different things to different people. Depending on a person's perspective, white may have negative or positive connotations. To minorities, "white people" might be synonymous with "oppressors." Throughout history, the white man has traveled the globe invading, intervening, and imposing his culture upon others. Weather it's the eastern world's gradual eradication and assimilation of the Native Americans, the United State’s capturing of Africans to be used as slaves, the KKK’s reign of fear and terror over Blacks, or even Hitler’s attempt to rid the world of all races not Arian, history has shown that the white man can be devastating. However, from a white man’s perspective, to be white has a whole range of different meanings. To be white means to be the best, to expand, to explore, to “pursue happiness”, to separate the good from the bad, to advance, and to look to the future. However, these goals often implore white people to step on others to achieve them. Both of these perspectives of one culture influence my own opinion of what it means to be white. When I think about what it means to be white, I often think of the stereotypes like, “white men can’t dance,” or “white men can’t jump,” or even, “white men have no rhythm.” However, I often think of negative connotations like pretentious, elitist, and selfish. Further still, I also think of words like responsibility. As a member of the infinitesimal percentage of privileged people in the world, I see whiteness as a sort of responsibility to aid others who are not as fortunate as I.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Whiteness
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