General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I'm white. Do you ever just get sick of white people? [View all]Caliman73
(11,767 posts)Because people who are identified as White, have benefitted more than others from the way that the American system of laws and societal norms were set up, certainly there is more opportunity for them to be ignorant and stupid about how racism affects everyone.
I often use the analogy of fish and whales. both creatures live in water, both have a level of proficiency living in the water, but because fish are able to breathe in water, they are likely much less aware of the water. It is just the environment they live in. Whales can hold their breath for a long long time, but they can die in the water from drowning. They have to be aware at all times, that they are in their environment, but that environment, while suited to them in most ways, can also be deadly.
White, is the "default" color, even in spaces where White is the minority, because of the legacy of White Supremacy and Colonization. You can argue that it isn't even considered a "color". Whenever some right winger wants to start an argument about race and how racism doesn't exist, I always start with, "Before we start discussing any issues, I want you to define, what a White person is, and you have to define it affirmatively, meaning you cannot base your definition on what White is NOT."
When they inevitably cannot come up with a concise and cogent definition of what a White person is, then I say, how can we have a conversation about racism if you can't even define a major component of what we would be arguing about?
White is an exclusionary term, as are terms like Black and Brown. The difference is that White, as I said, is the "default" it is the "norm" and what all other "types" of people are judged against.
There is ignorance, stupidity, and anger all around us. White people, as another person said, do not have the monopoly on that. It is just that they tend to have more power within the systems we live in, so when they express those things, there is more power and can be more destruction behind it.