Americans are good. In his July 2019 newsletter to his followers, evangelical leader James Dobson described a visit to the southern border of the United States during what can only be called an immigration crisis of epic proportions. After stating that many of the “illegals” who cross the border are “illiterate and unhealthy” and will …
Let’s take the binary of white/nonwhite – you know, as a totally random example. Whether you’re ready to admit it yet or not, there’s a hierarchy built in there. Everything about whiteness is perceived as better than nonwhiteness according to our hot little socialized norms. White is equal to “good guys,” to “purity,” to “closer …
Paradox is that strange place where two things are true at the same time. Often, the two things seem diametrically opposed. This idea that two things can be true at the same time is foundational to understanding good white racism. Statements like “You are a good person, and you are also a racist” are, essentially, …
I want at once to break down the association of “bad = dark” and “good = light” because of the way our stupid human brains will equate this to people and their skin. Like so many things about issues of race, the language we need does not yet exist; there is a paradigm void that …
Because I know the R-word freaks everybody out, let’s go about defining it too, because I mean something very specific when I use it. Racism refers to a system of hierarchy based on the belief that one race is superior to all others. Most often, and as is definitely the case in the United …
White privilege means that even though your life may not be easy, the color of your skin does not provide additional obstacles to your success. Because privilege is often invisible to those who have it, here’s a handy list of some of the ways white privilege may operate – in society, and yes, in your …
