On October 7, I attended my first Conversation about Culture and Race where the question “What does it mean to be White?” was the center of the discussion. This may make it sound like I am doing a review on the new Conversations about Culture and Race that the Multicultural Group is hosting this year, but I am not. Rather, my hope here is to express some of my thoughts on this topic.
Whiteness and being White are often considered in terms of race, and in terms of Black vs. White, or Person of Color vs. White. Whenever there is a discussion of what it is to be White, it almost always goes back to White privilege and oppression. Now, in any consideration of Whiteness, these must be addressed, but racism and privilege are not to be the only understanding of White identity.
Because these have become the focus of the concept of White identity, is it any surprise that so many White people harbor a deep sense of guilt to the point of hating the color of their skin? And is it any surprise that other White people get defensive and angrily claim that being White is not wrong, that the color of their skin does not mean that they are racist? Even just at the Conversation about Culture and Race people were saying how they felt condemned and defensive, or how their family members felt deep shame for being White. I know that personally I have struggled with guilt and defensiveness; I have been the angry one who hated being assumed ignorant and racist based on my skin color.
Being White is neither all about racism, nor is it not about racism at all. Slavery is something that has forever shaped our culture; however, we must remember that it is White culture, and not pale skin, that has been stained and tainted. What makes this culture so important is that White culture is forever tied to American history. This history is full of ideals of personal independence, freedom and human rights, but also of slavery and the Trail of Tears. All of these things, both good and bad, have shaped White culture and shaped the way that Whites view the world.
So why ask what it means to be White? Because I think that for so many of my fellow White students, we do not know what it means to be White. While every White person over the age of two is aware of the color of their skin, we do not know what it means culturally to be White. We see rich cultures around us, including Black culture, Latino culture, Asian culture and Native American culture but are incapable of describing what White culture is.
I understand that I am overgeneralizing, since there are many cultures within these broad categories, but these cultures are the main categories when talking about cultures in America. Now note, White culture is not among these major categories. Unless a White person is a first or second generation American, chances are they do not see themselves as having a distinct culture other than vague notions about being American. They conflate their own culture with a sense of “American-ness” and normality. This can have far ranging effects such as calling non-white behavior “anti-American” or dismissing other cultural ideas as weird or strange. Sometimes all it does is cause confusion between White culture and other American cultures because Whites do not understand that it is a cultural problem.
Then what does it mean to be White in America? At the end of the day, I cannot give a complete answer. There are aspects of being White that I can talk about such as a propensity to be straightforward, punctual, highly independent, private, and individualistic. Whites tend to like barbecues and cook outs, camping, baseball, football, and fast food. But I think that the primary mark of being White is being blind to White culture and the effects of being White. Some of this is changing with increased conversation about race, and so Whites are becoming more aware of the effect of racism on White culture, but by and large, being White means being blind.