“In the midst of getting my understanding of racial categories shaken up, I started thinking, What if, instead of categorizing people by skin color, hair color was the guiding physical attribute? To compare it to the way race works in America, I loaded up categories with narrowly defined assumptions. I imagined a world where redheads were perceived as smart and powerful, black-haired people as artistic, brunettes as able to work long grueling hours, and blonds as lazy. Also, to hold the analogy constant, I imagined entire families sporting a single hair color.”
– Debby Irving, Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race
Does any of this speak to you? Did some part of you think wait, that doesn’t make sense…
I’ve been learning about what it means to be white in America.
It means being the default. Leaving my house confident I’ll be welcomed into any majority white space I enter. Being able to buy “nude” foundation, hose, or BandAids that basically match my skin tone. Renting a space without worrying people who look like me will have trouble getting in or be mistreated. Knowing the police won’t be called on me when I’m walking back to my house.
If you’re looking to start unpacking this, check out Debby Irving (Instagram or Twitter) and Rachel Cargle (Instagram or Twitter).
Linda heads up One Liner Wednesday on her blog. Click on over and check out some more participants.
Riddle from the Middle 
That Band-Aid thing tho…
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Like what if the only bandaid I could buy was, say, Wonder Woman? Yes, WW is awesome, but if I’m heading to a big interview I don’t exactly want that distraction slapped across my hand…
The stuff we never even think about.
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Aye. Or zebra, or Mickey Mouse or Hello Kitty…
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Interesting thought. Though with the spate of blonde jokes a few decades back, I think they’ve been through enough already. 😛
But seriously, the world would be a much better place if everyone judged people by their actions rather than their appearance … whatever that appearance.
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I thought the blonde attribute was a funny choice but probably linked to those joke qualities. Our world would surely be better if people’s actions were all that mattered…but they’re not. We need to start thinking about how being white grants a baseline privilege or we’ll never get things to change.
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I hope it’s ok I snickered when she referred to blondes as lazy and brunettes as hard working. Sounds like a great book.
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Snickering is always okay here. And as a brunette who doesn’t really jam with working long grueling hours (depending on what the labor is, I suppose) — that line made me snicker, too!
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Hehe. 😉
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If you are a white male in America you have just won the jackpot. It’s very sad isn’t it?
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I’m a white male in America. I’m also an atheist. There goes the jackpot.
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Lol. I think you know what I mean though. Right?
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That’s a dynamic that can change things, although it’s something that’s only known if you choose to make it known. Skin color is what it is, no matter what.
Have you found that being an atheist in a country that talks about being founded on Christian values puts roadblocks up for you?
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It’s true that to most who don’t know me, I appear to be a white male, no different from any other white male. However, I tend to give away my “dirty little secret” when confronted by those who wish to push their religious beliefs upon me, and when I see the Attorney General of the U.S. creating a “Religious Liberty Task Force” within the DOJ, knowing that that task force is fundamentally charged with advocating for the interests of Christian American, I am, indeed, seeing roadblocks for not just atheists, but for all non-Christian Americans, or even those who are Christian but in a non-traditional way.
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I was just listening to a story on NPR about that task force today! I can’t remember who was being interviewed but she talked a good game about how they’ve prosecuted for hate crimes against all kinds of religions…but that’s not the feeling I get. I hear an awful lot about protecting bakeries from wedding cakes and nuns from offering comprehensive medical plans…
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“I hear an awful lot about protecting bakeries from wedding cakes and nuns from offering comprehensive medical plans…” Exactly!
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White males in America benefit from a default setting they often don’t realize is there. White females roll in a very close second.
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You are so right!
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Yes and kind of no. My brothers are white males from poverty and while they did make it to college they didn’t see a place for themselves in the vicious corporate world and became plumbers, having trades all through high school often building homes and landscaping for those ‘jackpot’ white guys. I hear you and say the same thing often but I wonder about the distinction between the guy who owns the gold toilet and the guy who shows up to unclog it. Sorry for the potty humor. 😉
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Well said and point taken! I didn’t mean to generalize or judge. I just meant that in this country if you are anything other than a white male, you have tremendous odds stacked against you. We all struggle in out own way. Best wishes, always.
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100% judgement free zone and I completely agree. The world still sees a white guy first. 👍🏽
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We love some potty humor!
I had an interesting conversation with the guy from our pest control place (so many bugs, all the time). He’s a middle age-ish (I think) white man, owns the place, and was telling me about the better-than-you attitude he sometimes gets from clients. He’s a really great guy and just takes a “whatever, you don’t know what I’ve got in the bank” perspective.
What I’ve been learning lately, though, is that given the same circumstances (males from poverty) a black man consistently faces challenges white males simply don’t. In my example, a middle aged black man might have fewer clients willing to let him in their home, would follow him room to room, or they’d assume he’s an employee, not the owner.
It’s not that your brothers don’t have it hard. It’s that a black man still lacks their base level of acceptance.
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I completely agree. There is no question a social strata exists and my brothers are still closer to the top of the flag pole. They even had more privileges than my sisters and I growing up which I barked about more than once. It’s a crappy reality (oh! Did it again, ha!) Transparent conversation helps. Thanks for making us think Laura.
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Girl, coming from an Italian family where the youngest was also the only son, PREACH IT. Now that we’re all grown we joke about how nice it must have been growing up as the golden child. 😆
This has been one of my favorite comment discussions so far. I’ve really enjoyed hearing everyone’s perspective — thanks for sharing yours!
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❤️❤️❤️
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