What Does "White" Really Mean?

"White" is not a culture. And yet so many American people will claim that it is. So will white supremacists.

Although many Americans will identify as "white", so will white supremacists. White supremacists will go one step further to identify the white people whom they believe do not fall into that category.

The concept of "white" only exists when people descended from Europeans, or people of a lighter complexion, separate themselves culturally, physically, legally, and ideologically from those who are not descended from Europeans, or those people with a darker complexion. The same is almost true of "black", although there were no "black" people until those who considered themselves "white" enslaved the poor and people of color.

Everyday Racism

The Advocate posted a telling story about prominent Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Gates got locked out of his house, and tried to get back in. A "local woman" called the police, because all she saw was an African-American man attempting to get into a house on the Harvard University campus. The police went into this situation also with the assumption that this was a break-in. Of course Gates would be indignant and outraged, especially since some police offers like to play up their authority and act like bullies. Gates was arrested for "disorderly conduct" and released on a $40 bail.

I was born and raised in the Northeast, where racism and segregation is still a part of everyday life. If you are a person of color in a predominantly white neighborhood, the residents will call the police if they do not know you, or if a neighbor cannot "speak for" you. If you are a person of color driving through a predominantly white neighborhood in a nice car, the police will come to check you out. This is what happened to my Foundations of Education professor Dr. George Fouron.

Dr. Fouron happened to work at a university on the North Shore of Long Island, New York, where now and then he would take a shortcut through one of the whitey white old money neighborhoods while driving his Mercedes Benz. One day he was late for class, and he told us that the reason he was late was because a policeman stopped him simply because he was a person of color driving through a white neighborhood in a Mercedes Benz. I was shocked. But I was even more shocked when a young man raised his hand and said, "Dr. Fouron, don't worry. I work for the police department and can get you a pass that will tell the police that you are OK."

No one said a word. I don't know if it was because they were as stunned as I was with this drama that played out before us on the stage of our lecture hall, or because they agreed with this system. I just didn't know what to say. How degrading this all must have been for Dr. Fouron.

Anyway, the responses to the article about Henry Louis Gates Jr. sickened me. You can read the article and the comments here.

This story reached President Obama's ear, and he had something to say about it:

Obama Criticizes Police Handling of Professor Henry Louis Gates

Please understand that when these incidents are brought to light, and when everyone speaks out against the bad behavior of police, it actually improves how the police treat everyone.

For the record, I am watching a lot of documentaries these days about racism in Russia. The Russian police do not provide security for anyone, especially if those people are not ethnic Eastern Orthodox Russians. In fact, many of the Russian police who are sent to arrest some of the most outspoken leaders of ultra right wing xenophobic groups tell those dudes, "Sorry man, I am just doing my job...if I wasn't a policeman I would be marching with you."

The United States has come a LONG WAY. Always remember that the police are PUBLIC SERVANTS, hired to KEEP THE PEACE and TO MAKE EVERY INDIVIDUAL FEEL SECURE.

They are not hired thugs, they are not skinheads, they are not vigilantes, they are not Klansmen. There is no reason why any innocent person should feel threatened or intimidated of a blue uniform, or be put on the defensive when approached by someone in a blue uniform.

Is An Anti-Racism Conference Racist?

US May Boycott Anti-Racism Conference

The United States, Canada, and Israel might boycott an anti-racism conference because they feel that it unfairly targets Israel as a racist state, and Zionism as a racist policy.

For the record--the UN has gone back and forth on its position on Zionism. I do not normally cite from Wikipedia, but you can find a condensed history of the UN's changing point of view of Zionism here.

If Israel is to be called a racist state, then what about France, whose school history textbooks tell all French schoolchildren (including those descended from Arabs, Africans, Vietnamese, and Tahitians) that their ancestors were the Gauls, and that the French brought civilization and light to the world? If Israel is to be called a racist state, then what about Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations who publish school history textbooks that teach children not to trust Jews, Christians, or other "non-believers"? If Israel is to be called a racist state, then what about Japan, where the government severely restricts immigration from other nations and does not allow immigrants without Japanese ancestry to become full citizens?

Let's be fair, folks, no matter what our political opinions are on the Occupation.