Dr. D Angelo asserts in Deconstructing the whore privilege that white people are racist whether they act or not. It means that Angelo wanted to say that majority of these people are racist in some way or another. Whether this argument is apt or not, there can be both types of responses. Considering American history and the marginalization of black people, it can be argued that white people are racist and there are different manifestations of these.
In the first instance, the notion that racism exists in the mind of the American people can be proven by the fact that the responses to minority communities are based on these biased notions. Historically, the proof of this was the introduction of jim crow laws. These laws allowed segregation between black and white people. it can be argued that segregation was instituted because white people considered that there was some inherent difference that justified this racially segregated model. In this context, it not only justifies that white people were imbued with inherent racism, but this also further made this notion of racism incorrigible and inveterated.
Apart from historical evidence, it can be said that there is a current phenomenon that gives the notion of racism prevalent among white people. it can be seen in the heightened crimes against people minority communities and the toxic rise of Islamophobia. For instance, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that specifically targeted jews and the Walmart shooting of texas is a symbol of this racism bursting out and attacking those people who are considered inferior. . The murder of minority communities has created deep rifts in American society, which affect the whole country in one form or another. The xenophobic ideology that was initially used against African Americans has enveloped the whole nation. Now, black people are not the only subject of this racist violence, rather it has expanded to other communities, undermining American notions of liberty, equality, and democracy.
In the present era, one of the most visible manifestations of racism among white people is the rise of the ultra-right movement and the increasing traction of the notion of white supremacy. The notion of white supremacy clearly depicts and prioritizes one notion of the community against another. It has put forward the notion that American culture is supreme and immigrants and other minority groups are spoiling it. The notion is rooted in the notion of the superiority of the white people over communities. How is it justified that the notion is dominant among the population? In recent US elections, Trump has managed to get more than 70 million of the votes. Interestingly this vote count was more than the previous elections. It means that more people are subscribing to the notion of white supremacy. This aptly justifies that white people are racist.
In addition to this, the marginalization of black people in the economic field and other sectors put forward the notion that the racist structure build by the state has failed to accommodate people of minority races, especially black and Hispanic. Before the great recession, African Americans were earning less than their white counterparts. For instance, in 2005 they were earning a mere 43 percent of the income of their white counterparts. At the same time, the unemployment rate was 10 percent. After the great recession, as the American economy saw a slowdown, the obvious victims were Black people.
Racism is the biggest issue that immigrants face as of now. Not being treated equally feels uncomfortable. Ponce uses the most used phrase which is “You are nobody, speak English we are in America”. That is the phrase that Hispanics hear the most. Most Hispanics do not like this because it makes them feel like they do not belong in the United States. Even kids these days get told that same phrase. They could be in a class speaking Spanish or any other language and someone who does not understand that language or does not want to hear that language around them would say the same phrase. Discrimination is when judging something or someone by who they are and what they believe in. Some people instead of helping another person get bigger in life they decide to bring that person down with their ugly, uncomfortable words. As Adichie describes her feelings towards her roommate she says “ She had felt sorry for me even before she saw me. Her default position toward me as an African, was kind of patronizing, well-meaning pity” Some people may describe what Adichie’s roommate was doing as judging a book by its cover. Adichie’s roommate was already judging her and discriminating against her without knowing her fully. She judged Adichie without knowing her background.
As more problems are developed in today's society, the harder and more dangerous life will get for certain people. Hispanics go through a rough patch when they arrive in the United States because they are treated unequally. From being called bad students because they do not comprehend another language, to being called an illegal immigrant because of what they look like, to finally being discriminated against by other people just because they are not American citizens.
Doctor Angelo was able to construct this notion because as a person belonging from a white privileged family, he was able to understand the notions and perceptions that were prevalent among the people of white class related to minority communities. In this way, Angeli constructed a thesis that white people are racist.
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