From Writing for Social Justice Blog (White Privilege)

Why study Whiteness...

When I first heard about courses in whiteness studies I scoffed at the idea. We already
study white people. Our textbooks are full of historically notable white people. We read literature written by white people. Whiteness is everywhere. It is in our faces everyday. Why on earth would we need to "study" it? I've come to understand that whiteness needs to be studied precisely because it is in our faces everyday and no one questions it.

Unfortunately, what does get questioned is why "others" feel the need to be different, to define themselves, to create a separate space for their identity. One question I've heard more than once is "Why do they need BET?" as if the very notion of having one channel amongst hundreds that is devoted solely to Black Entertainment is somehow a form of reverse racism. Nevermind the racist conditions that led to the creation of BET, or the lowered standards it seems to now have, just the mere fact that there is still something that is "Black only" is what the problem is.

To me, this is what hooks was talking in her article about the rage that white students had when they listened to the Black students talk about whiteness. The belief that "all ways of looking that highlight difference subvert the liberal belief in a universal subjectivity (we are all just people) that they think will make racism disappear" conflicts with the reality of what nonwhite people have to deal with when it comes to race (21). There were hardly any shows on TV that had Black people in them, and there was no place for Black music videos on MTV (except for Michael Jackson who was the first). BET was created as a space to focus on Black issues, show programs featuring Black actors, and feature music of Black artists. That's why "they" need(ed) BET.

The other thing that caught my attention was the idea of being socialized in the fantasy of Whiteness that hooks and Dyer were talking about. More specifically, the idea that white people believe that black people believe that "whiteness represents goodness and all that is benign and non-threatening" (22). It made me wonder if this and the need to "'civilize and Christianize' the heathen, the savages, the less fortunate" is the view that inner city police take when they enter into poor Black and Latino/a neighborhoods (35). While there is evidence of racism in police brutality, I am wondering if the police truly believe that they are protecting and serving the "other" because they have bought into the fantasy of Whiteness? They are unable to see the reality that their very presence islikened to terrorism (22). I also think that class makes this hard to see as well. Middle class "others" would be more socialized into the fantasy than the working class because their interaction with white people is slightly different and they don't learn to fear them so quickly.