Does your whiteness make you uncomfortable?

AlbqOwl said:

Sometimes I think academia has lost its mind.

Now I don't get up in the morning thinking about being white, nor does that cross my mind at all during the day unless I happen to read or watch something about race. It certainly never occurred to me that I needed help with dealing with my 'whiteness'.

But nevertheless, there is this piece re the University of Michigan this month:

Excerpt:

[FONT="]A two-day professional development conference held recently at the University of Michigan included a training session that aimed to help white employees deal with their “whiteness” so they could become better equipped to fight for social justice causes, according to organizers.

[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#333333][FONT="]Participants who took part in the “Conversations on Whiteness” session, held December 5 during the university’s Student Life Professional Development Conference, were taught to “recognize the difficulties they face when talking about social justice issues related to their White identity, explore this discomfort, and devise ways to work through it,” the university’s website states. . .​

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[FONT="]http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/40145/

[FONT=Verdana]So how about it you folks who check 'white' or 'caucasian' on your census form? Does that bother you a lot? Do you feel a great deal of discomfort being white and at the same time talking about social justice issues? Would this seminar appeal to you?[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]
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The word 'whiteness' is a pejorative used to make some far left political claims. Personally I do not engage in that type of propaganda. If one researches all of the academic articles discussing whiteness you find a list of key words that shows exactly what their trying to teach. Keywords: Class, privilege, struggle, inclusive, inequality, oppression, social justice, Black Liberation,

AlbqOwl said:

Sometimes I think academia has lost its mind.

Now I don't get up in the morning thinking about being white, nor does that cross my mind at all during the day unless I happen to read or watch something about race. It certainly never occurred to me that I needed help with dealing with my 'whiteness'.

But nevertheless, there is this piece re the University of Michigan this month:

Excerpt:

[FONT="]A two-day professional development conference held recently at the University of Michigan included a training session that aimed to help white employees deal with their “whiteness” so they could become better equipped to fight for social justice causes, according to organizers.

[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#333333][FONT="]Participants who took part in the “Conversations on Whiteness” session, held December 5 during the university’s Student Life Professional Development Conference, were taught to “recognize the difficulties they face when talking about social justice issues related to their White identity, explore this discomfort, and devise ways to work through it,” the university’s website states. . .​

[/FONT]
[FONT="]http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/40145/

[FONT=Verdana]So how about it you folks who check 'white' or 'caucasian' on your census form? Does that bother you a lot? Do you feel a great deal of discomfort being white and at the same time talking about social justice issues? Would this seminar appeal to you?[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT="]

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White nationalists, neo nazis, and people like that feel uncomfortable about being white. They literally go around saying, "it's okay to be white," and they talk like they have to be proud of their race and protect it because society otherwise makes them feel ashamed of being white.

They are a bunch of little white ******s.

AlbqOwl said:

Now I don't get up in the morning thinking about being white, nor does that cross my mind at all during the day unless I happen to read or watch something about race. It certainly never occurred to me that I needed help with dealing with my 'whiteness'.

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Yeah, that's kind of their point.

I think it's gone overboard and cheapened for public consumption, but it is a useful mode of analysis, all the same.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

Whiteness ain't all it's cracked up to be...I don't tan...I burn at the drop of a hat and I freckle...I've had skin cancer twice so far...need I say more?

FreedomFromAll said:

The word 'whiteness' is a pejorative used to make some far left political claims. Personally I do not engage in that type of propaganda. If one researches all of the academic articles discussing whiteness you find a list of key words that shows exactly what their trying to teach. Keywords: Class, privilege, struggle, inclusive, inequality, oppression, social justice, Black Liberation,

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I think it is just one ore arrow in the quiver used by those who promote racism for fun and profit.

SheWolf said:

White nationalists, neo nazis, and people like that feel uncomfortable about being white. They literally go around saying, "it's okay to be white," and they talk like they have to be proud of their race and protect it because society otherwise makes them feel ashamed of being white.

They are a bunch of little white ******s.

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I'm sure that makes perfectly good sense to you, so I"ll just wish you a good night's sleep.

Fiddytree said:

Yeah, that's kind of their point.

I think it's gone overboard and cheapened for public consumption, but it is a useful mode of analysis, all the same.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

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It has gone much further than just overboard. As i posted to Freedom's comment, I think it is just one of many weapons/tactics they used to promote racism for fun and profit.

AlbqOwl said:

I'm sure that makes perfectly good sense to you, so I"ll just wish you a good night's sleep.

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Are you a neo Nazi or something? Why are you so certain I am wrong about their thinking?

I actually listen to a lot of neo Nazi and white nationalist podcasts, because I am interested in their views. They constantly talk about white shame, and how society makes them feel ashamed of being white. They also talk of white genocide, and how society has made white people feel uncomfortable in speaking out against it.

I could go on and on, but I do think that such people are part of white pride movements because they feel that society makes them feel uncomfortable as white men.

As a white male, I would frequently suffer from vertigo when exposed to poor people and minorities; it was incredibly uncomfortable to have to share my surrounding with such unaesthetic individuals. Fortunately, there was a college seminar to help me out with that - now, I'm merely nauseated by the less wealthy!

Fenton Lum said:

I never check any of those boxes as anything at all.

If you're uncomfortable, don't attend.

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I check the "caucasion" box. However I am not white. I am kind of tan. If i were white, I would rush to the hospital and seek a blood transfusion.

Jesse Booth said:

As a white male, I would frequently suffer from vertigo when exposed to poor people and minorities; it was incredibly uncomfortable to have to share my surrounding with such unaesthetic individuals. Fortunately, there was a college seminar to help me out with that - now, I'm merely nauseated by the less wealthy!

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I've found that quickly ordering something from L. L. Bean helps with the nausea.

humbolt said:

I've found that quickly ordering something from L. L. Bean helps with the nausea.

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I usually cope with comfort food to deal with exposure to the destitute; listening to soothing classical music while eating helps, too. Perhaps a nice sundae, some red velvet cake, or a plate of live African children. It's the little stuff like that which keeps me sane.

Jesse Booth said:

I usually cope with comfort food to deal with exposure to the destitute; listening to soothing classical music while eating helps, too. Perhaps a nice sundae, some red velvet cake, or a plate of live African children. It's the little stuff like that which keeps me sane.

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Never, ever forget the fox trot, too. That always brings a smile to my face. The ballroom, everybody in their finest, and all the little pickaninnies serving in those cute little outfits...

SheWolf said:

Are you a neo Nazi or something? Why are you so certain I am wrong about their thinking?

I actually listen to a lot of neo Nazi and white nationalist podcasts, because I am interested in their views. They constantly talk about white shame, and how society makes them feel ashamed of being white. They also talk of white genocide, and how society has made white people feel uncomfortable in speaking out against it.

I could go on and on, but I do think that such people are part of white pride movements because they feel that society makes them feel uncomfortable as white men.

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I don't listen to neo Nazi podcasts. I will try not to speculate on why they would be fascinating to somebody or why somebody would spend a lot of time listening to them though I would expect it to be mostly those who sympathize with them who would do so. I find white supremacists pretty disgusting as a general rule and I have no sympathy or interest in their point of view about race whatsoever.

And since I don't know a single soul who is uncomfortable being 'white' or who harbors any ideas about white people being superior or better than anybody else, the whole thing seems utterly bizarre and unnatural to me to even consider as a problem.

AlbqOwl said:

I don't listen to neo Nazi podcasts. I will try not to speculate on why they would be fascinating to somebody or why somebody would spend a lot of time listening to them though I would expect it to be mostly those who sympathize with them who would do so. I find white supremacists pretty disgusting as a general rule and I have no sympathy or interest in their point of view about race whatsoever.

And since I don't know a single soul who is uncomfortable being 'white' or who harbors any ideas about white people being superior or better than anybody else, the whole thing seems utterly bizarre and unnatural to me to even consider as a problem.

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I listen to them, because I want to understand them. And understanding them and their views does not mean that I feel empathy for their way of thinking either. It all boils down to just wanting to understand how they see the world, why they support the ideas they support, and why they joined such causes.

I have listened to them for a while, and I am not at moved by their arguments or POV, so I am not under any threat by listening.

I think I am just a curious person. :shrug:

Based on the views I have heard, white guilt can stem from learning about the history of slavery, trail of tears, and other such historical events. They feel that they are learning the history of white people doing bad things to others, and as such, they feel uncomfortable learning history and need to tell themselves it's okay to be white.

As for myself, I live in a big city. I am around various races of people and diverse cultures all day. I see race a lot. I think about it a lot, including my own. I do see race, and I am completely comfortable with what I see.

AlbqOwl said:

Sometimes I think academia has lost its mind.

Now I don't get up in the morning thinking about being white, nor does that cross my mind at all during the day unless I happen to read or watch something about race. It certainly never occurred to me that I needed help with dealing with my 'whiteness'.

But nevertheless, there is this piece re the University of Michigan this month:

Excerpt:

[FONT="]A two-day professional development conference held recently at the University of Michigan included a training session that aimed to help white employees deal with their “whiteness” so they could become better equipped to fight for social justice causes, according to organizers.

[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#333333][FONT="]Participants who took part in the “Conversations on Whiteness” session, held December 5 during the university’s Student Life Professional Development Conference, were taught to “recognize the difficulties they face when talking about social justice issues related to their White identity, explore this discomfort, and devise ways to work through it,” the university’s website states. . .​

[/FONT]
[FONT="]http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/40145/

[FONT=Verdana]So how about it you folks who check 'white' or 'caucasian' on your census form? Does that bother you a lot? Do you feel a great deal of discomfort being white and at the same time talking about social justice issues? Would this seminar appeal to you?[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT="]

[/FONT]

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My DNA says I'm 100% Celt - That's not white. It's reeeeaaaally ethnic.

I'm white, but race doesn't define me, nor do I think about it much.

I remember there being a few even more ridiculous seminars back when I was in college. I think my favorite was called "Rock and Roll is Soul Control". It was about the satanic backmasking in popular music brainwashing all of us heathen kids to be satan's tools. Or something.

<alt>doxygen said:

I'm white, but race doesn't define me, nor do I think about it much.

I remember there being a few even more ridiculous seminars back when I was in college. I think my favorite was called "Rock and Roll is Soul Control". It was about the satanic backmasking in popular music brainwashing all of us heathen kids to be satan's tools. Or something.

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Isn't it ironic that most of these socially conservative conspiracy theories sound like something you'd need a few pints of LSD to believe?

SheWolf said:

I listen to them, because I want to understand them. And understanding them and their views does not mean that I feel empathy for their way of thinking either. It all boils down to just wanting to understand how they see the world, why they support the ideas they support, and why they joined such causes.

I have listened to them for a while, and I am not at moved by their arguments or POV, so I am not under any threat by listening.

I think I am just a curious person. :shrug:

Based on the views I have heard, white guilt can stem from learning about the history of slavery, trail of tears, and other such historical events. They feel that they are learning the history of white people doing bad things to others, and as such, they feel uncomfortable learning history and need to tell themselves it's okay to be white.

As for myself, I live in a big city. I am around various races of people and diverse cultures all day. I see race a lot. I think about it a lot, including my own. I do see race, and I am completely comfortable with what I see.

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I appreciate and allow you your point of view, and do not fault you for it, but it is totally alien to me. I could no more enjoy spending any part of my day listening to or reading white supremacist garbage than I enjoy reading or listening to non stop Trump bashing or Obama bashing or any other hateful aspects of our culture and society. At the same time I do try to educate myself in what is going on and point out the destructive elements because if we are unaware we cannot do better. It is that destructive element that I think we must acknowledge exists that prompted this thread.

I live in perhaps the most multi-cultural state in the union where people who don't identify as 'white' comprise almost 2/3rds of the population. For years in our downtown plaza area we had ethnic recognition/celebration including costumes, music, food, etc. with one week Mexican, another week African, another week Italian, another week German, another week Greek or whatever. Great fun, happy occasions, and not at all awkward for anybody. So I don't get up in the morning thinking about race or fretting about whether I am guilty of something white people (or any other people) did 150 years or more ago.

I don't see white people as any more guilty than black people or brown people or Asian people or American Indians as doing bad things in former generations because ALL people of ALL cultures did some bad things in previous cultures, previous times. And none of them living now are responsible for or should feel guilty for what their ancestors might have done or actually did. I think to mentally separate people into races with focus on some being protected, some being superior, some being inferior to the point that superior people need to 'help' them, some being seen as victims to the point they need special consideration, and/or promoting all of that is what makes it so difficult to eliminate racism. Racism has become big business and very profitable to those promoting it.

I prefer to get up in the morning thinking of myself and my family (multi-ethnic) and my neighbors (multi-ethnic and multi-racial) and colleagues and people I will encounter during the day as just being people, fellow citizens, fellow countrymen, members of the human race. I am strongly of the opinion that until we start shaming all the race baiters and perpetuators in addition to the white supremacists and making THEM socially unacceptable, we will never be able to become a society in which the color of a person's skin is just an interesting attribute about them and of no more interest or importance than hair color or eye color.

jet57 said:

My DNA says I'm 100% Celt - That's not white. It's reeeeaaaally ethnic.

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LOL. I haven't had my DNA tested, but dabbling in genealogy over the years I am pretty sure it would confirm my belief in myself that I am 100% mutt without much concentration to make me anything else. It was interesting to me to explore my paternal father's possible ancestry--unconfirmed as yet--but it is very possible that I descended from European Jews. My paternal grandmother, a strong racist while my paternal grandfather was not, would turn over in her grave to even suggest such a thing. I find it really interesting and not at all troubling. When my daughter was in college and working in a Jewish family business and was fascinated by that, she once sent us a Happy Hannukah card with the inscription: "You could have had at least one Jewish kid." Maybe we did?

AlbqOwl said:

LOL. I haven't had my DNA tested, but dabbling in genealogy over the years I am pretty sure it would confirm my belief in myself that I am 100% mutt without much concentration to make me anything else. It was interesting to me to explore my paternal father's possible ancestry--unconfirmed as yet--but it is very possible that I descended from European Jews. My paternal grandmother, a strong racist while my paternal grandfather was not, would turn over in her grave to even suggest such a thing. I find it really interesting and not at all troubling. When my daughter was in college and working in a Jewish family business and was fascinated by that, she once sent us a Happy Hannukah card with the inscription: "You could have had at least one Jewish kid." Maybe we did?

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Very good. I guess the point is - nobody is really "white". We've all been oppressed.

jet57 said:

Very good. I guess the point is - nobody is really "white". We've all been oppressed.

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Yes, even the white folk--just think of those who volunteered to leave England to come here for example--have been oppressed from time to time. Because most of the Jewish lineage I have been tracking abruptly ended in the 1940's makes me wonder how much of my potential family was wiped out in the Holocaust. Visiting with Historians in the Holocaust Museum here in town, many surviving Jews essentially lost all of their family and extended families and that in addition to the horror of it was a terrible and traumatic thing. But most Germans living today, apart from the supremacists among them, have nothing to be ashamed of either. They had no part in all that and certainly would not condone or participate in or allow anything close to such a thing now. Just as most black people are in no way responsible and have no guilt in atrocities committed by people of their race in the past, their race's contribution to the worst of slavery, or atrocities committed in some mostly black countries now.

It is not what others who look like us have done in the past or the present that accuses us, but only that of which we ourselves are guilty.

I don't have a problem speaking up on social issues because I'm white. I have a problem with the notion that because I'm white, I shouldn't speak up or don't have the right to weigh in.

Jesse Booth said:

Isn't it ironic that most of these socially conservative conspiracy theories sound like something you'd need a few pints of LSD to believe?

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This is hilarious. Some religious nut back in those days apparently went playing everything he could find backwards, looking for EVIL.

He found it. If you play the Mr. Ed song backwards, "a horse is a horse, of course, of course" becomes "I thang thisf thong for sthatan". It's actually pretty clear.

So, we are all brainwashed tools of SATAN!

AlbqOwl said:

Sometimes I think academia has lost its mind.

Now I don't get up in the morning thinking about being white, nor does that cross my mind at all during the day unless I happen to read or watch something about race. It certainly never occurred to me that I needed help with dealing with my 'whiteness'.

But nevertheless, there is this piece re the University of Michigan this month:

Excerpt:

[FONT="]A two-day professional development conference held recently at the University of Michigan included a training session that aimed to help white employees deal with their “whiteness” so they could become better equipped to fight for social justice causes, according to organizers.

[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#333333][FONT="]Participants who took part in the “Conversations on Whiteness” session, held December 5 during the university’s Student Life Professional Development Conference, were taught to “recognize the difficulties they face when talking about social justice issues related to their White identity, explore this discomfort, and devise ways to work through it,” the university’s website states. . .​

[/FONT]
[FONT="]http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/40145/

[FONT=Verdana]So how about it you folks who check 'white' or 'caucasian' on your census form? Does that bother you a lot? Do you feel a great deal of discomfort being white and at the same time talking about social justice issues? Would this seminar appeal to you?[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT="]

[/FONT]

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No but when you ask the question would you rather be black or white in these United States?
Deafening silence