[Jeff]

That’s a stereotype! White people have many different cultures, not just one big one! You shouldn’t stereotype people! Racism is wrong! Okay, now that we got those typical kneejerk reactions out of the way, let’s look at what you asked. Yes, there is a ‘white’ culture, just like there is a ‘black’ culture. There are a lot of black people who aren’t a big part of black culture (Colin Powell is the most famous example), and there are a lot of white people that are WASPs in skin color only. But since you asked about the WASP culture, I’ll try and break it down. It’s almost just like ‘normal life’, as portrayed on TV. We don’t wear white chinos and polo shirts with sweaters tied around our necks, and we don’t call each other ‘Bunnykins’ and hang out at the Yacht club all day. We’re just typical, neurotic, stressed-out people like everybody else. ‘Friends’ is more accurate than ‘Frasier’, and ‘Seinfeld’ is more accurate than both. ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘The West Wing’ are also extraordinarily white shows. I can’t give you a point-by-point breakdown of white culture, but that’s a good place to start. Honestly, the most effective way for minorities to fit in with whites doesn’t involve listening to country music or talking about boats. It’s speech patterns… Chris Rock did a routine talking about white reactions to the most popular black man ever, Colin Powell. White people (this is true) always describe him as ‘well-spoken and articulate’. Rock wonders why, saying ‘He’s an educated man! What’s he SUPPOSED to sound like?’ Well, we tend to expect that black people will slur their speech and use tons of slang. I’m not trying to be racist… I’m trying to be truthful. We also expect Latinos to speak in ‘spanglish’, Asians in ‘chinglish’, etc. If you don’t, you get instant bonus points from the Man. I’m assuming that you’re a minority trying to improve your standing in the workplace or social arena. If I’m wrong, my apologies. Anyway, if you can speak proper English (more or less… nobody’s perfect), if you have a positive attitude, and if you’re competent at your job (assuming it’s a career situation), you’ll be well-liked and well-respected no matter who you are or what you look like (even if you like Ice Cube better than Garth Brooks). Hope that helps.

User Detail :  

Name : Jeff, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Southern Baptist, Age : 18, City : Surf City, State : NC, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Jeff]

I’m a little bit disappointed by the responses to his (serious and well-intentioned) question. I guess it kind of illustrates his point. To be honest, I don’t think white people really DO ignore racial differences. I don’t have statistics, I just have my own personal experiences. But white people make a lot of ‘racist’ comments in all-white company, no matter where they are from. I use quotation marks because they tend to be good-natured and, on average, accurate. A lot of white people think the perfect basketball team consists of four black guys and one white guy, and there are tons of reasons for that (and tons of highly successful 4-and-1 teams). No white person would EVER make that comment in mixed company (or on tape), however, because any racial analysis carries a strong chance of being labeled racist. There appears to be a growing body of resentment toward blacks, specifically. My family would be completely accepting of an Asian, Native American, or Arab spouse, but a black girlfriend would cause major tension. The recent debate over slave reparations, for example, strengthened the belief of many whites that black people DON’T seek racial equality, but rather, everything they can get. There is very little true racism left in white America… a lot of us give blacks the benefit of the doubt on most things, hoping that they’ll be intelligent, charismatic, and well-articulated. You know… like Colin Powell. Blacks get preferential treatment in college admissions, job applications, federal contracts, and tons of other things, are disproportionately represented on TV (especially on the evening news), and suffer virtually no institutional racism. This is all fine with white people, or would be, if that were the end of it. But a lot of ‘Black Leaders’ perpetuate this idea that the problems facing blacks are the result of them being black, not poor. White people, for the most part, genuinely want blacks to ascend to a level equal to us, but we want them to deserve it. Any black person with drive and determination can go to college, we figure, and, as long as they don’t major in African-American Studies, can use affirmative action to escape the cycle of poverty. But most don’t, and a lot of white people are tired of being told they should feel guilty. (To be continued)

User Detail :  

Name : Jeff, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Southern Baptist, Age : 18, City : Surf City, State : NC, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Author]

Posts