I saw a white man in line at Kwik Star. That, in and of itself, is not unsual, but this fellow wanted to draw attention to the fact that he was white. I don’t like to categorize and judge people by appearance, but it was hard to overlook the fact that a very large, hairy belly was hanging outside of his t shirt that said: “White and proud. You gotta problem with that?”
“Ah’ll take this’n, gimme a pack a Marlboro reds. Them’s all,” he said to the clerk.
I posted this on my Facebook page to start a conversation and I did, indeed. Mostly, people were appalled or embarrassed at the White Pride stance and commented on the irony of an inarticulate, unkempt Caucasian man expressing his racial pride in being an inarticulate, unkempt Caucasion man.
My own comment was that “pride should be from an accomplishment” and I asked: “How can the color of a person’s skin be something they accomplished? Except for what they may have had to accomplish to overcome prejudices because of the color of their skin.”
Does the man in the Kwik Star line feel prejudice against him because he’s White? There is no question that he represents a portion of white America who believe they are no longer being recognized for their accomplishments.
My post drew in a few conservatives and they let me have it.
“This man is such a tiny portion of white America that your point has no relevance.”
“Isn’t it funny how Gary runs into the most stereotypical people in order to make his points?”
“If he were Black wearing a Black pride t-shirt, would you have posted this?”
I answered that last comment with: “I don’t recall reading of slavery, confinement and the persecution of White people by Blacks in America. If my race had risen from the chains of bondage, prejudice and segregation within the confines of a country that was predominately of a different race, then, yes, I might display pride for that heritage.”
I continued: “I am proud of the accomplishments of people, some of whom are white, in the context of ALL people. But, there is a difference between pride in your color and pride in a cultural or religious heritage. If a t-shirt said, ‘Irish and proud,’ or ‘Jewish and proud,’ then fine, identify your pride!”
Out of curiosity, I went online and Googled: “The accomplishments of white people.”
It’s not as if I didn’t know that I would find great achievements by people who were Caucasion, but I wanted to dig for some “White Power” comments.
Lo and behold! Someone had asked a similar question on Yahoo! and it was followed by a response that read (spelling and punctuation have not been corrected): I guess no ones heard of slavery in Israel or read the bible. My point wasnt whites are better, my point was why are we not recognized as an accomplished race…There are too many double standards the favor every race except whites.
“Why are we not recognized as an accomplished race?” the person asked.
Okay…maybe it is a minority within the conservative fold who don’t understand that white people have received plenty of recognition, but it is an ingredient in a salty soup of modern conservatism: people who feel persecuted by the fact that they aren’t being recognized as society’s masters anymore.
As we consider all of the accomplishments of human endeavors we have to conclude that the sources are cultural, social, and environmental, but not specific to race genetics.
Asian-Americans make up only 4% of our population, yet comprise 20% of the Ivy League. Are Asians smarter? Not necessarily, but, Asian culture reveres teachers and covets education. That is a cultural, not a racial, difference.
Some of the fastest runners in the world are from
tiny Jamaica. They are Black, but is that why they’re fast? Or is it because Jamaica has nurtured running as a sport by relentlessly focusing on its development?
Great painters come from Italy, not because white people paint better, but the historical tradition in Italy has encouraged and supported the arts.
I can go on, but I think I’ve made my point.
Human beings can be proud of the accomplishments of human beings. Nations of people may be proud of the obstacles they’ve overcome or of traditions that have made them close. Cultures should be proud of heritage that created art, music, medicine, monuments and machines…but none of it was because of the color of their skin.
