The Judgemental Approach of the Man From the Whiteness Project

White privilege implies that people with white skin are given benefits socially, politically and/or economically. The man who spoke on behalf of his “social group” in the Whiteness Project identifies himself as white above any other means of racial categorization consistently refers to himself as such and how he believes it pertains to affirmative action. He has put forth the notion that, opposite to white privilege, he believes minorities are now the group which enjoys the privilege based simply on their race or ethnicity.

While his views are somewhat radical, by dissecting his argument one will realize that what this man seeks is equality.

He believes that all things being equal, the most qualified person should get the most opportunities. In his mind, a system that includes affirmative action does not adequately ensure equality for all. He believes that affirmative action especially prevents himself and his fellow white man to have an equal opportunity for success. He defended these claims by drawing upon a case in which white Buffalo firefighters were denied promotions.

Instead, minority groups were given the promotions despite being less qualified. In his eyes, this is unfair treatment and discrimination against whites. Perhaps his argument is valid in its reasoning.

However, by putting the idea of equal opportunity into a broader context, an adjusted view of equal opportunity would be far more appropriate. This man fails to consider the reasons for affirmative action. He completely discounts the fact that minority groups have been systematically oppressed and denied equal opportunities for the large majority of this country’s existence.

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Minority groups still struggle with residual effects of systematic discrimination, and affirmative action is one way to begin to correct for this inequality.

In order to understand affirmative action as an appropriate means of providing equal opportunity, one must look at opportunity in America in a much broader context. The information that this man has failed to consider is the years of subjugation that minority groups have endured. Roughly 15 percent of American citizens today live in poverty, an overwhelming amount of which are of African-American descent (Fernandez-Kelly). This is not due to any type of coincidence.

Social mobility and the opportunity for economic advancement in the United States is inextricably linked to physical migration. In order to move up, one must move out. This was seen primarily in the industrialization of our country. In the 19th century, as cities began to become more and more industrialized, jobs were created and economy saw drastic improvements. Immigrants of European descent were more easily able to advance from the urbanization and industrialization of our country.

Government legislation allowed for these immigrants to prosper. Between 1907 and 1972, “The Great Black Migration” took place as African-Americans sought to benefit from increased opportunities in American urban centers (Berlin). However, African-Americans were not able to prosper in the same way and were instead subjugated through policies such as blockbusting and red lining (Fernandez-Kelly). Blockbusting meant that white property owners would sell property at a loss and leave neighborhoods that African-Americans were moving into.

They believed that African-American neighbors would devalue their property, and thus were encouraged to move out. Redlining was a practice in which banks would outline on maps specific neighborhoods which they would not provide loans for or would charge more for insurance and banking. These two factors of subjugation meant that real estate was more expensive for African-Americans. Thus African- Americans were seriously economically and socially disadvantaged.

These practices continued through the 20th century and thus minority groups are still struggling with reciprocal effects of this subjugation. If you examine the idea of equality on this broader context, it becomes obvious that racial minorities have not been provided equal opportunity. If equality is the ultimate goal that the man in the Whiteness Project is striving for, than perhaps it would be appropriate for him to examine equality from the perspective of the minority group in the context of the past two centuries.

Through this examination of the treatment of minority groups, it becomes obvious that there has not been equality in opportunities across different racial groups. Minority groups have not been afforded the same opportunities for economic advancement that those who identify as “white” have enjoyed. The man in the Whiteness Project video insists that he and his friends identify as white, rather than any other type of categorization.

This type of racial categorization is the same reason for which his ancestors were able to profit from government legislature. Being identified as white gave his ancestors a sense of inclusion in America that minorities are unable to benefit from. The Homestead Act of 1862, and GI Bill of 1944 were examples of government regulations that white immigrants were able to benefit from whereas African- Americans have been excluded from. (Fernandez-Kelly).

The Homestead Act granted 100 acres of land to any settlers. This essentially ensured capital for immigrants identifying into a largely socially constructed category of “whiteness” while people outside of this category were excluded. The progeny of white settlers for the coming generations had capital in the form of land and cattle passed on to them which ensured stability for this class of people. Immigrants identifying as white were now able to accrue capital and thus were enabled social and economic mobility.

Conversely, African-Americans who were forcibly brought to this country, were still enslaved and were still for the most part dehumanized and completely objectified. This again must serve as a reminder to people who are white, that opportunities that people categorized as white enjoy in the present-day America, are often times a product of capital, whether it be social, human, or monetary) that has been passed through generations.

Minority groups did not receive the same head start that whites did. The same goes for the GI bill of 1944. This bill was set in place to provide low interest rate mortgages, loans, and affordable housing among other advantages to war veterans. Approaching a century after the Homestead Act, this was yet another very important piece of legislation that allowed servicemen opportunities to buy homes, get an education, and in other ways accrue more capital due to an act from the government.

However, due to the aforementioned practices such as blockbusting, and redlining, it was exceedingly difficult for veterans belonging to minority racial and ethnic groups to have access to the benefits that this act provided. Again, people identifying as white were given opportunities through legislation for economic advancement and increase in capital, that their progeny could in turn benefit from.

The man from the Whiteness Project has made judgements on equality of opportunity based on a specific example where men who identified as white, were denied economic advancement because they were white and not a minority group. The information missing from his argument, is over two hundred years in which minority groups have been systematically excluded from social mobility and opportunities for economic advancement.

Perhaps it would be more apt of him to examine the idea of equality over a much broader context than the most recent events in which people identifying as white were negatively affected due to affirmative action.