Whiteness and how White is a socially created term
An inside look into the meaning of white
To be able to understand whiteness and how the word came to be. One must understand James Baldwin’s argument on the word white. It was never used when the first “settlers” came to America. White itself now is a term loosely used for someone of European descent. In turn, it has also changed how we see language as well as the American ideals. A quote from Baldwin further illuminates this. “ America became white- the people who, as they claim, “settled” the country became white because of the necessity of denying the Black presence and justifying the Black subjugation.”
One thing that struck me from this quote is the word settled is in quotes because if you think about it did they really settle here? Along with this question is the people who did not want to settle here did all the work. So that Europeans could claim whiteness.While, the quote anchors on how America became white and what it means for the erasure of the Black and brown bodies, who did not settle in this nation. It harkens to my previous mention of American ideals. When I think about what America stands for, I cannot help but think of the foundations of Black and Brown bodies building this country. It is not to say that white Europeans did not als help but they were not the foundation of this country.
One thing that we do not take into account is that the word white says nothing about your heritage or Homeland. Since there was no established community. These people had to create one for themselves whereas Black and Brown people were not given that luxury. Baldwin explained that the objective of being called White was separate from Italians and other races who at the time were not considered white. I think sometimes we don’t understand that whiteness was created for those of European descent and not for those who were from Italy or surrounding countries. The word became more popular, during slavery because it seperated them from black people. Baldwin describes whiteness as being a quote moral choice. I think that it rings true now that if you decide to call yourself white that you have to understand the context in which you are calling yourself White. White as a term now is being loosely confused with black. If we are saying black in the sense of African-American that makes sense. If you are just constantly saying that you are white and not acknowledging that you have other Heritage like Irish American or you’re not acknowledging that being American is inherently for your kind.
I believe that Baldwin is right when he says that being white is a moral choice. Does that take away from your identity? No. I think it would be foolish or selfish to say that you are just white and you are not from Britain or Italy or your country of heritage. I think the main issue with the word white is the language that is being used. The language in which we now think of white is people from QAnon or people who are just downright racist because they say that being white is the best thing and it’s American and any other race is not from America.
I think the way that we are able to fix this language issue is to purely stop saying the word white and understand our own heritage and history.
I say that we should stop using the word white is because so many people know where they came from and where their ancestors came from, especially “ white people”. White people mostly come from European countries or have ancestry in colonized European countries.
The word white was used so much to discredit or put down the Black or Native American individual or any individual that is a person of color. I feel that the word white should be used sparingly but because now we live in a culture that is constantly saying it. The word has now been taken out of context and just used as a slate term or a word that is in place of another. Because we do not know the origin of the person. I feel that most people should know where they come from even for African-Americans and those who are not of European descent.
Language now is so important because it is how we communicate. Through language we are able to understand how the past connects with the present into the future. The term white and whiteness in itself is not an easy topic to articulate. Baldwin’s assessment of how time is the effects American culture is still present today. Communication is key and words while a part of the fabric of American values. Everyone has their own particular way and how they express themselves. There is a way to address language and particular words and terms to make people aware of why these terms are a problem.
I believe white is one of those words that needs to be either change or set in a context to where you can understand it. I think it is easy to get caught up in why whiteness is wrong and why white is not the word to use. I think that because the word white has been ingrained in our society. As well as being introduced in a way that makes them feel superior to all other races. I believe since the Charleston riots and since other groups like The Proud Boys or other white supremacist groups they believe that they are the superior ”white” race.
I believe that because Europeans and now even some Americans are scared or fearful of someone else being the” Superior race” and they become the minority.
Here’s an example, I just want you to imagine that you are from a different country and you come to America searching for work and a better life for yourself. You speak a completely different language that is not English and you have to learn it. You are constantly berated and taken advantage of because you do not speak English. This is what now a lot of other minorities are experiencing.
In conclusion, language as a whole is something that provides a safe haven for someone in a community. It connects them to their culture. No matter who we are communicating with others is something that we have been missing lately. With Covid, communication and touch are what we miss most. From touch to hugging, these are some of the types of languages that we are missing. Not all languages are about how you speak but how you communicate. In defining whiteness and seeing how white was created, we are now able to see how language can be a good thing. We can start to accept people who do not speak the “native tongue”. As a challenge, I challenge anyone to learn a language that you have always wanted learned.
You may say how does this relate to Whiteness, it is not about how we are separate. We are all humans and we bleed the same. We all want to live in a world where we will not be judged by how we look but what is inside. The moral of this article is to say that we need to come up with solutions on how to fix this inferior-superior complex. The start is to learn a language that is not easy to understand the struggles that someone else goes through learning English.
Article
https://medium.com/be-unique/the-time-to-talk-about-language-bias-is-now-63ecce136c22
