Most White People Don’t Know What White Is and That’s a Problem
Whiteness isn’t merely skin deep
Most White people believe they were born White… that White is merely a description of their pale skin. This identification is something so deeply embedded in their identity, until they can’t imagine being themselves without being White. This is a problem not only for those of us who are not classified as White, but it is also a problem for those who believe they are.
White Hasn’t Always Existed
If a pale-skinned time traveler from Europe in the 1200s were to appear in 2022 and be called White, they’d be completely confused as to why. This is because the title of “White” being ascribed to people is a recent invention. Yes, invention.
Prior to the 1600s, White wasn’t used to describe people of European-descent. It wasn’t the “race” we now understand it to be and no one went around calling themselves or other people White. Yet, people still managed to exist and even managed to identify themselves in different ways.
Today, any mention of taking the descriptor “White” away from people sounds, to those in possession of it, like insanity talking. Some even feel personally attacked and hated on at the very suggestion that they are not actually this thing called White to begin with. For an illustration of this see the comments on the article I wrote explaining why “It’s Not Okay to Be White”.
This sort of brainwashing came about as a result of the designation ‘White’ being created to assign people to a certain social and legal order. This assignment comes with unique political, economic, social and legal power built into it. Infants with White stamped on their birth certificates are chosen to participate in a caste system — at its very top, in fact. And those inserted into the caste have been silently playing along with it, pretending not to notice all while upholding the system their entire lives. Without these essential pawns, the system wouldn’t work as intended. This isn’t something I’m making up, but all of it is historical fact. So-called White people’s place in this caste positions them at the top of the racial hierarchy and any thought of taking that away from people — or asking them to reject it — feels to them like a violent assault on their entire identity.
‘White People’ Are Everybody’s Problem
Whiteness is the linchpin that holds the entire racial hierarchy together. By intention, White means supremacy. It was created to be that way and needs to be declassed before real change can happen.
However, there is no way to strip it of its original intent and meaning as long as people hold onto both for dear life. This presents a problem for all non-Whites forced to continue existing within a system of White supremacy. It is also a problem for so-called White people who cannot fathom themselves being anything other than one at the top of the hierarchy.
Declassing Whiteness
When I say we need to get rid of Whiteness, people somehow hear me calling for the death and destruction of all pale skinned people. That’s not my bag and never has been. Aside from the fact that some of the people I love most in this world are classified as White or have a parent who is, my Spirit just isn’t down with hurting people.
Truth is, I see a call for declassing Whiteness as something to help people. All people.
I’m not some genius who came up with this wild idea on my own, either. Countless scholars, journalists, authors, activists and others have zeroed in on the need to shatter the illusion of Whiteness before I was even born. Many continue to call for the head of the racial hierarchy to be severed today.
While discussing the work of the late, great James Baldwin, Rachel Brahinsky describes Baldwin’s intention in some of his writings to be that of degrading Whiteness. The author/thinker/activist saw this as a necessary tool in getting people to realize there is something seriously wrong with a society that needs White people to exist in order to crap all over everyone who isn’t. Ironic to me is many of the people who are up in arms about declassing or degrading Whiteness will be the same ones whining, “Oh, why can’t we all just be human? There’s only one race, the human race!”. Well, in order to even have this conversation, we have to get rid of Whiteness first.
Until Next Time
I’m not done with this conversation — not by a longshot. Until those classified as White stop collaborating with and therefore condoning the hierarchy, I’ll keep going on about the evils of the construct. Don’t ask me about the rest of the social construct known as race or any of the other so called races, cultures and ethnicities it involves. Whiteness is the only POWER construct in modern times which has practiced chattel slavery, committed mass genocide on indigenous and Semite people, colonized foreign lands and all around oppressed people deemed as “others” around the globe. Until we deal with the absolutely false and made up concept of “White” head on, I’m not here for the “what about” conversations.
If you’re ready to put work in on examining, declassing, delegitimizing and ultimately dismantling Whiteness, then here’s some recommended reading for you:
