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I think this is a copout answer. "White" usually refers to people of European heritage who have lighter skin in America.
by Ghjklov 6y ago
I think this is a copout answer. "White" usually refers to people of European heritage who have lighter skin in America.
- archagon 6y agoWhat do generic "Europeans" have in common with each other? As a Russian, I feel like my culture overlaps relatively little with French, German, or English. Moreover, which parts of "Europe" are actually included in this taxonomy? Are Romani considered white? What about Southern Italians? Black people in France? It all boils down to "people of European heritage with white skin (whose ancestors wrote books and stuff that I like)," which is wishy-washy and tautological.
- Ghjklov 6y agoI agree it's a bit wishy-washy. But that's what it means. Everyone (in the U.S.) when they say whites, they pretty much always mean anyone with white skin who have European heritage. Yup, so even if some poor Croatian guy just got off the boat, as long as he looked white enough for Americans, some of them would say he benefited from American slavery of blacks and must renounce his white privilege.
- techntoke 6y agoSpend his whole life being taught about white privilege and is never allowed to say that he understands so he has to get re-educated all the time. If he says he has already heard it before and understands then he is obviously a racist Nazi Trump supporter and must violently be re-educated about his white privilege.
- archagon 6y agoRegardless of your origin or connection to American history, I think it's healthy and socially responsible to face your "default privilege." The point isn't to feel guilty, but to become fully aware of the social structures underpinning your country, and to develop a sense of empathy for those who are forced to consider their skin color every day of the year when you can go weeks without even thinking about it. (And I say this as a first-generation immigrant.) In any case, this has little to do with the original topic of establishing a black-focused community.
- spoopyskelly 6y ago> What do generic "Europeans" have in common with each other? Civilization.
- tomp 6y agoNot sure about whites and blacks in the US, but as far as genetics are concerned, (black) Africans have far more genetic diversity than (white) Europeans.
- carapace 6y agoAfricans enslaved in America effectively had their original cultures denied and destroyed. That's why it's appropriate to capitalize Black but not white when referring to American subcultures. (Whiteness isn't genetic. E.g. in South Africa under apartheid Chinese people were legally black but Japanese people were legally white.)
- pnako 6y agoWe have a culture in common which encompasses languages, religion, music, architecture, food, etc. I've only ever heard that question asked about us Europeans, for some reason.