Racism through Whiteness

    Why do we hate that much is different?   Over time hatred has been a problem brought on by many different situations.   The majority usually hates the minority and vice versa.   In modern society today, the ìUnitedî States of America are not very united on racial issues.

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    Racism is a persuasive problem that thrives amongst us.   Even though we are in the twenty-first century it is easy to see how the majority of the population is ignorant towards the multitude of ethnicities amongst us.   Through the years the words  ìblackî and ìwhiteî have been fully defined to their opposites while the word ìwhiteî has been defined as purity, ìblackî has been defined as evil. Unfortunately during the twelfth century, when these words were written into the dictionary they were standard.   In 1580 the word ìraceî was defined as ìa family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stockî.   While, 300 years after this the word ìracialî was defined as, ìof, relating to, or based on a race & existing or occurring between races.î   While this definition does not indicate that there was racial tension within society at this time there clearly was. The word racism was not defined until 1936.   This is odd because, by 1936 racial tension was a large part of society and has been for four hundred years.   Why did it take so long for ìracismî to be defined while the words ìblackî and ìwhiteî have been defined since the twelfth century?   The word ìracismî was defined as, ìa belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular raceî.   After changing the words racial and race the definition for racism means, ìa belief that a class or kind of people unified by community of interests, habits, or characteristics is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that  existing or occurring between these groups forces are differences that leads to the idea of a inherent superiority of a particular group.î
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    According to many, ìwhitesî are supposedly the majority.   What is ìwhiteî?   Surely I view myself as white, but I am really Italian, Irish, English, German, and a little Jewish.   My ancestors had not arrived in the USA until the early 1900ís.   At that time the Italians and the Jews were discriminated against.   But now I am ìwhiteî.   When children are very young race does not matter to them, all kids are the same, but as they grow up they are influenced by their parents behavior.
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    Over the years I have realized that everyone are equal.   Being in Milwaukee my whole life racism has always been present in the community, but I am oblivious to it perhaps I did not want to.   Until my freshman year in college I really was not aware of the rest of the worlds view on racism.   In January 2000, my friend Eileen and I went to a deli located on 17th and North Ave.   As we got out of the car I could tell something was wrong with Eileen, but I was unsure of what.   While we were there she did not speak very much.   I asked her if there was something the matter and she said, no, I figured she was not feeling well, so I left it at that.   I had been to this deli many times before and never thought that the place was what made her feel the way she did.   After we left she became talkative once again, I thought she was just feeling better.   That following Monday, during sociology class, we had a paper due.   Eileen and I read each others papers before we were to turn them in.   I had no idea at the time what she chose to write about.   As I read into it she talked about the town she came from and how there was only one black person and when she came to Milwaukee she felt intrigued when she would see them on the bus driving by or even walking down the street.   But, when she went to the deli with me she felt scared and helpless.   Of course this would explain why she grew quiet that day, but it still shocked me to read this.   I had not realized that there were such people that actually felt the way she did.   Throughout the rest of that year my eyes were opened to many other instances where these types of situations had occurred.   Even though I did not understand where the racial tension was coming from I could see where it was leading too.
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     That following summer, while working at the Greater Milwaukee Open, my 65 years old cooking partner turned to me one morning and said, ìWhat the hell are all these monkeys doing here, you know they cant count, so why do they want to watch golf.î   At first, I did not get what he was talking about, I did not see any monkeys, and then my eyes opened once again to view racism at its purest.
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 This makes me think that white is a term to represent control.   Think about how many black people hold high positioning jobs.   Not many.   Within the U.S. Government, there are fewer than a handful; this ratio is very similar to that of the large corporations in this country.   How is someone of a nonwhite pigment supposed to excel within a nation of glass ceilings?   I have held many different job positions within the last three years and I honestly can say that I have never had a black boss.   I have worked along side blacks, but in my experiences they do not get promoted as fast as whites.   Does this mean that Whiteness is favoritism?   I would like to feel that the reason I get promotions is not because I am white, but instead because I am the better candidate.   Lately I do not know what to believe.   My passed ideas are left with many unanswerable questions unless I take into consideration the fact that I am favored over colored employees for a reason that I am not fully sure of.
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     I remember when I was very little, I asked my grandmother about why blacks are called black when they are really brown?   She told me ìWhy are whites called white if we are really peach?î   Then she told me that it doesnít matter what color a persons skin is, because any way you look at them they are still a person.   She continued by telling me a story of when she was young,  ìEveryone would always tell me that the blacks had dirty, rundown houses and that whites always had nice and clean houses, but your great-grandfather would tell me otherwise.   He was a milkman; he would tell me that some of the black families that he delivered for had some of the cleanest and nicest houses he had ever seen.î   That day my Grandma taught me an important lesson that I can use today.   It does not matter what color ones skin is or what language someone speaks, or even how much money has, deep down we are all Gods people.   So why does it matter what whiteness means?   The more important word that we should be analyzing is Humanity.
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     Unfortunately according to history, as long as we have people to pass hatred on down from generation to generation, then the world will never be able to fully eliminated racism.   This is a large problem that has greatly become crude and considered out of style among the many politically correct parts of society.   Unfortunately, it is that small minority that keeps the majority out of view with nirvana.   Until these small groups are eliminated whiteness will continue to viewed as a negative segregation.
Matthew Winters