Another thing I was thinking about was the idea of the word terror. In the book it used as verb that whiteness supposedly implores on ethnic groups. Now, I understand how whiteness represents an institutional set of beliefs, but I was trying to consider the other side of the picture. Let me play devils advocate for a second here. I am trying to understand the idea that blacks use the imagery of slavery as a point, which carries an underlining identity to the juxtaposed position in society today. I understand the connection from past to present that could be made, but on the transverse, what does this mean for whites. My point is that, should I base how I look at myself being white within the same institution confines based on early colonists who started bringing slavery as part of a the new world so long ago? What is there for whites to look back onto as a point of respect for themselves? If every time a white person tries to recollect a past and is only reminded of how bad early whites in this country were, what reason is there at all for whites to feel good about any sort of heritage? There is a definite negative connotation with “being proud of being white.” It feels strange just to even type it haha. But, nevertheless that same negative connotation may be the exact reason why whites feel a disconnection from a cultural background. Every time I look to the past I am reminded of how terrible my forefathers were across the board. I am just not sure what to make of this idea.
I think that Robert Jensen responds to some of the concerns you raise in his essay. It may be useful to bring up some of these points when we discuss Jensen in class.
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