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gws302blakejohnson · 5 years ago

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Unit 3: Whiteness/White Privilege

Define the keyword using the readings for that unit (you can paraphrase or directly quote the readings in your definition) Whiteness and white privilege go hand in hand, and they can be defined to be the existence of privilege (societal advantages afforded due to identity) given to someone for their white skin. What whiteness and the privilege that comes with whiteness brings is more insidious than just certain privileges assigned in terms of general power: it brings with it a history of colonialism and cultural destruction, as seen in Hawai’i: “U.S. settler colonialism in Hawai‘i has meant the historical loss of language and everyday cultural practice as white American culture became hegemonic, cutting us off from knowledge of our own history and ancestors, along with Native spiritual practices.” (Kehaulani) Whiteness and white privilege is pervasive insofar that it quite literally is an agent of colonialism and, further, capitalism and neoliberalism. It destroys other cultures and latches it’s tendrils onto other cultures to strangle them out of existence. Whiteness is seen as the greater thing, as superior, as shown here: “Fearing that such characteristics [mental illness, feeble mindedness] could be passed down from generation to generation and pose a threat to the dominant white race, eugenicists proposed and implemented protective policies such as forced sterilizations; rigid miscegenation laws; residential segregation in ghettoes, barrios, and reservations; insti-tutionalization; and sometimes even genocide (e.g., the Holocaust).” (Erevelles) White privilege and whiteness is elevated and seen as better than anyone else. Give an example to help your readers understand the keyword (can be something from the news, pop culture, a personal anecdote, etc.)

The murder of Botham Jean at the hands of Amber Guyger has been a hot case as of late, with her entering the wrong apartment and shooting Jean in his own home. A very close friend of mine knew Botham Jean quite well so it’s been a personal thing for me because of hearing her talk about this experience. Guyger’s whiteness caused people to defend her to such a degree that everyone thought that she wouldn’t even be prosecuted. The judge attempting to utilize stand your ground laws (namely the Castle Doctrine) was an attempt to defend the white woman, as we’ve seen historically happens, especially in cases of police brutality. Whiteness and the privilege that comes along with it protect white people in any way it can, making sure they can be seen as doing no wrong and receive lighter sentencing and, usually, no punishment at all. Discuss why you decided to choose this keyword for the unit (Why is it important? Why did it speak to you as a word/phrase/concept?)

I chose whiteness and white privilege because whiteness is tandem to colonialism and the colonized body. Almost all colonialism has happened due to white people doing it, and whiteness extends into almost everything that we do in an insidious and dark way. We are unable to escape the fact that whiteness and white bodies have worked to destroy almost everything people of color have done and, further, have worked to exploit black and brown bodies for the gain of white people. It’s critical that we discuss colonialism in terms of whiteness because the issue of colonization is so inherently tied to whiteness.

Kauanui, J. Kehaulani. “Enduring Hawaiian Sovereignty : Protecting the Sacred at Mauna Kea, Introduction by J. Kehaulani Kauanui.” The Abusable Past, Radical History Review, 14 Aug. 2019. Erevelles, Nirmala (2011). The Color of Violence: Reflecting on Gender, Race, and Disability in Wartime. In Kim Q. Hall (ed.), _Feminist Disability Studies_. Indiana University Press. pp. 117--135.

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