In every discussion that takes place regarding different groups in society, the most important thing one can do when attempting to formulate an informed opinion is to hear from all of the relevant perspectives. This idea is certainly no less true when it comes to conversations centered on racial issues.
However, when it comes to discussions of race, it is a rare occasion that we hear from the perspective of a white person. Just to make it absolutely clear what I’m saying, I am not trying to suggest we don’t hear from enough white people. Rather, when white people comment on racial issues, we fail to express any of our personal experiences in dealing with race as a white person and really fail to help anyone understand how being white has influenced our perspective on racial issues.
In my mind, this perspective is on the same level of importance as hearing perspectives from minority groups. Much in the same way white people will never be able to truly understand what it is like to be a person or color in America, or a student of color at UW-Madison, the same limitations prevent non-whites from fully understanding what it’s like to be from the racial majority in America. The lifetime of experiences that comes with living on a daily basis as a member of any given race, whether it’s black, white or purple, are impossible to replicate.
Just like, as a white person, I will never know what it’s like to go through life as the member of an underrepresented group, those from dissimilar demographics will never know what it is like to go through life as the member of the majority demographic. And just like being a member of those different minority demographics likely has a profound impact on the way you view racial issues, the various demographic groups that I identify with have an equally profound impact on how I come to view racial issues.
While I certainly don’t have the space to sufficiently articulate all the ways that being white has come to influence my perspectives on racial issues, I think there is one way so important that it merits mentioning — the decision to even start discussing racial issues in the first place. Most white people will never be forced to enter a discussion on race. We will never be the only white person in the room when a race issue comes up and have everyone turn to us, expecting us to speak for all white people on the subject. We will likely never have anyone use racial slurs to insult us. As a result, we are essentially the only demographic that is able to avoid addressing racial issues to any reasonable degree of success.
Given this option, there are many white people who choose to never bother entering into discussions of racial issues in the first place. Of course, there are many benefits to participating in racial dialogues, but there is a reason that Attorney General Eric Holder was justified when he said that we were “essentially a nation of cowards” when it came to discussing issues of race. The potential downside can be so great that it’s just not worth it.
What is this downside? Namely, being labeled a racist. The thought that potential employers might one day Google your name and see accusations of racism is enough to deter many people from even taking on the risk of discussing race in the first place. The number of high-profile careers ruined by accusations of racism is substantial enough that examples aren’t even necessary. This is more of a deterrent to white people in discussing racial issues than I feel most people who aren’t white can imagine.
Whether or not it is true, most white people perceive accusations of racism to solely be settled by the members of the minority group in question. If you say something about black people and Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson says you are a racist, you have no defense. As a racial minority, they get to act as judge, jury and executioner. Your defense doesn’t matter. After all, you’re just a white person. What do you know about racism?
Even white people who do discuss racial issues are impacted by this fear. Most of them choose one of two tactics. Option one is to find an opinion on the issue that is shared by an underrepresented racial group. After all, if a person of color says it, it can’t be racist, right? Either that or claim to be colorblind. The thought process is that no one can really prove or disprove whether or not you see race, and if someone is colorblind, they obviously can’t be a racist.
In reality, any claims of a colorblind approach are utterly false. No one is colorblind. Claims of colorblindness are just a way for white people to express their opinions on race while being able to put up what they believe to be a credible defense for not being racist.
Moral of the story: if you’re a white person, it’s time to own up to the fact that being white has a substantial impact on how you view race, because no matter what you say, you’re not colorblind; if you’re not, keep telling white people what it’s like to live in America as a member of an underrepresented group. We will probably never truly understand. But at the same time, realize that you won’t ever understand what it’s like to be white and, just like we need to make an effort to understand how you see things, you owe it to us to reciprocate that effort.
Patrick McEwen ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in nuclear engineering.
