The culture of whiteness makes me sick. There I said it. Cue in the habitual responses.
Recently in the past few weeks, we’ve witnessed a few notable moments in white privilege, white entitlement, the delusion of meritocracy, appropriation and, of course, white supremacy. But these nameable junctures in white mindedness that has been detected by social justice radars are few. Yet, it is an ongoing and aggravating assault against those who are sick and tired the same old stories that trashes the flimsy liberal-based, make-believe notion that this society is ‘post-racial’ and try to silence any and all cries for human justice.
First, we have the infamous Cliven Bundy, a rancher who refuses to pay millions in grazing fees he owes to taxpayers. Last month, the Feds heard about the opposition, and it was on – almost. Long story short, the government came to move Bundy’s cattle that was grazing on protected federal land, but was halted, again. You see, this beef between the wannabe cowboy and the U.S. government has been going on for almost two decades. Bundy has quite an angry gun-toting, Yosemite Sam tempered militia of supporters ready to start some shit. And some have already thrown down – with each other.
But the right, in their usual anti-government Americanism, regarded Bundy as a hero. He was standing up to a power in the hands of a certain Democratic president of half-African descent. But when Bundy revealed his backwards racist mindset regarding us ‘negroes‘, the right’s support largely soured faster than milk.
Then we have Donald Sterling, the troubled owner of the Los Angeles Clippers who was revealed, thanks to his mistress, as an obvious racist. What brought this on? The mistress V. Stiviano recording his vocal contempt of seeing her taking a photo with basketball legend Magic Johnson because “she’s associating with black people”. But reports emerged that Sterling has been racist for years, especially during his slumlord billionaire days. And now, the embattled miser is crying so hard telling the world how he’s not not racist.
Next, we have two sorry moments of whiteness on the heels of the kidnapping of the 230-plus Nigerian school girls. We have Ramaa Mosely, a film director and documentarian trying to take credit for sparking the twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. Even though it was reported that it was started in Nigeria by Ibrahim M. Abdullahi, news outlets flocked to revere what they saw was the progressive fantasy of the quintessential white savior. What’s most fucked up is that she is still getting positive media attention, obtained thousands in donations and she still positions herself as the leader behind the movement! Really?
But the right is no better. Some of them saw the mass kidnapping as an opportunity to sink as low as possible. George Will and a panel of Fox News contributors mocked the hasktag, wondering if it was “an exercise in self-esteem”. But the biggest fuckery came from the “Wicked Witch of the Right” herself Ann coulter, who decided to pull a Michelle Obama and took a picture of herself holding a sign with her own hashtag #BringBackOurCountry. She never misses a chance to make life forms hate her.
Last but not least, we have Tal Fortgang, a Princeton student who sought to deliver a written sermon against those who demanded that he “checked his privileged”, as he mentioned he was told to do so by others. Fortgang made it clear that he wasn’t apologizing for anything. (Then again, no one asked him to apologize to start with.) Still, his attempt to explain his status fell terribly short as his article shows that he doesn’t know the concept of white privilege.
And don’t get me started on Frazier Glenn Cross, the white supremacist who shot up a Jewish center in Kansas.
I’m aware that some white folks will regard this article as racist against white people, as if it could jeopardize the livelihood of white communities en masse. Some will claim how they’re not racist while dropping n-bombs. I have not and will not claim to know white folks better than white folks. But I will not hold back in venting my frustrations with a mentality that replaces humanism and moral bravery with obsessive skin color admirations of outrageous proportions.