Why are white people so scared despite their privilege?
CVK
Robert Jensen just wrote another terrific essay for Alternet. You may remember that we interviewed Jensen on episode 11 of Addicted to Race about his book The Heart of Whiteness : Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege
In this new essay, Why White People Are Afraid, Jensen argues that despite their white privilege, white people are still afraid. They’re afraid to face that some of what they have is unearned. They’re afraid of losing what they have if at some point the economic, political and social systems become more equitable. They’re afraid that non-white people may see through them and notice their hidden racism. And their final fear is this:
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?
You should definitely check out the comments section. Predictably, it’s filled with outraged readers protesting what Jensen has to say. The usual counterarguments come up: It’s class, not race! Black people owned slaves too! What privilege? I’m so broke! And my personal favorite, the Paul Haggis school of thought: We’re ALL racist - not just white people! So racism is a moot point!
If you want to hear some white people who actually have intelligent things to say on the subject, check out the roundtable we organized in episode 26 of Addicted to Race, with Rachel Sullivan and Kris, two white anti-racist bloggers and activists.
gatamala wrote:
’bout time….
I have always believed that deep down inside they have an instinctive fear that we will do unto them as they have done unto us.
Every time an article dealing with the changing racial/ethnic demographics in the US it’s spoken of as if non-whites were an asteroid hurtling towards Earth.
There’s an article in the WaPo 5/10/6 on the changing face of America’s children http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/09/AR2006050901841.html
Posted 09 Jun 2006 at 8:23 am ¶
gatamala wrote:
The comments under the article are out of control!!! I am not saying that class is NOT a factor, but those people who are saying “it’s class, NOT race” are the very ones Jensen is talking about!
Here’s one of my faves, “Race is nothing but a decoy in the post-industrial economy.”
Nice try, fearing the change and trying to deflect responsibility and complicity by skirting the issue and putting yourself in the role of the oppressed. I see through you!
Posted 09 Jun 2006 at 8:43 am ¶
Charlette wrote:
so glad to finally hear what all of us live with daily. We see how whites fear us minorities so much that they do what they can to put the fear of God in us first, in social settings they put you down so you are quiet reserved shy etc and in power buying they only want you to see them doing it, television is the evidence. Why else don’t we see as many other people on television etc. They are afraid of me and others like me who are so mixed that look white but have other ethnic ancestory because they are afraid they will have to fess up that they too have slaves of other countries in their blood lines. We are coming face to face with thier mind bending ways and they will have to suffer those mind thoughts because they put them there. what a backdraft ahahahahah
Posted 09 Jun 2006 at 10:54 am ¶
kneegrowslayer wrote:
Ha first off we whites are not afraid cause that day will never come ..non-whites are like roaches the breed in great numbers but will never suceed
Posted 09 Jun 2006 at 4:41 pm ¶
dcase wrote:
Without dignifying your racist commment kneegrowslayer( I guess you think that is clever, eh?), a few of the remarkable characteristics of roaches are that they are almost impossible to eradicate and can survive and thrive in nearly any environment. So I’m not sure what you are achieving by likening “non-whites” to roaches and arguing that they cannot succeed. Moreover, your need to reduce “non-whites” to non-human status actually suggests that you are afraid of non-whites; you need to cover your shame in yourself and boost your self-esteem by hating others. Imagining people you consider to be unlike you to be like insects rather than human beings is not the action of a confident or intelligent person. It is likely that you are not very successful either.
Posted 09 Jun 2006 at 8:12 pm ¶
deb wrote:
Sadly, gatamala, I’ve actually pondered the thought of an asteroid hitting earth as the only way of ending racism once and for all. And I’m an optimist.
Posted 09 Jun 2006 at 8:38 pm ¶
Merq wrote:
gwarr harrr harrr…. good one, deb.
Posted 10 Jun 2006 at 3:55 am ¶
Anonymous wrote:
Wow…I guess I feel the need to step forward and remind everyone that not all whites are racist and fearful of those “scary, threatening minorities”, especially most whites who would frequent this website (i.e. myself). Good to see that there are big plans in the works to teach all white people a lesson, Charlette. Using blanket statements and perpetuating an “us vs. them” mentality is really big of you.
Sorry if you’ve had negative experiences with certain white persons before, but please try not to project your frustration on a whole race, most of whom who have never met and interacted with you. I know it’s hard, but it’s important to try.
I found this website recently, and it’s interesting to me as a white woman married to a non-white guy who will (hopefully) have a few mixed race kids of her own one day. Hopefully my children won’t view me as the enemy.
Posted 12 Jun 2006 at 3:25 pm ¶
Ann wrote:
kneegrowslayer.
“Ha first off we whites are not afraid that day will never come…non-whites are like roaches the breed in great numbers but will never succeed.”
I am sure the Native Americans said the same thing when they caught sight of the first Europeans coming to this country: “Oh,it’s just a few of them. They will never overrun us. They will never increase in numbers. Our land will always remain our land, and our land forever.”
Yeah, right.
deb.
No need to wait for the asteroid. Humans are doing an excellent job of wiping themselves off the face of the Earth, with no help from anything earthly, or cosmic.
Posted 15 Jun 2006 at 6:07 am ¶