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Post by curtisogden on Feb 12, 2015 16:12:43 GMT
What do you all think about whiteness? What is it? How does it impact you? Your work?
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maryp
New Member
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Post by maryp on Mar 3, 2015 16:15:53 GMT
Whiteness is not having to worry about being racially profiled - in my car, walking down the street, in stores, at work. Whiteness is privilege. And power. And freedom. All unearned.
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Post by Curtis Ogden on Mar 3, 2015 18:57:55 GMT
Whiteness is also about not having to think twice about whether I look like most of the people I see represented in media, whether their stories connect to mine (even if I don't agree with the dominant discourse).
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Post by franklinedrich on Mar 3, 2015 23:06:06 GMT
If by "whiteness" you mean "white privilege" it is pretty much what the commentators above me said. I think that white privilege plays into food production and race relations because "white foods" have become the dominant foods. For example, most "normal" foods are also white foods and can easily be bought at any super market. If you are not white, it can be difficult to find specific cultural foods you enjoy and you will probably have to look for them at a more specific cultural market (ie. asian market, indian market etc.). What do y'all think about this invisible white privilege? Is it fair? have you had to go to a specific market for food? Here is a link to a list of other white privileges in case you are curious about the topic.http://amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html
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joshl
New Member
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Post by joshl on Mar 5, 2015 16:55:10 GMT
Franklin's point about white privilege in which foods are available/represented is a good one. Here in Cambridge, one of my colleagues has been working with the public schools' food services to get healthy meals on the menu that come from different cultures; i.e. chicken biryani, tomato garlic tofu, a Haitian vegetable dish called légumes, Ethiopian doro wat, etc. We have a lot of cultural diversity in our city and hopefully having the school meals reflect that can help kids feel like their own backgrounds are being recognized better.
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Post by Peter Allison on Mar 19, 2015 13:52:44 GMT
I am often not aware of my whiteness, unless I am presented with an opportunity to do so. An article, bit on the radio, conversation with friends or colleagues. I know that is not the case of those who are non-white. I'm guessing the awareness of whiteness is there every day, perhaps ever present. I found myself going on about the structural racism in our country at dinner the other night to a bunch of other white people at an event - folks at some leadership gathering. I had to stop myself when I realized I how I was starting to talk about stuff I didn't fully understand, like when my kids talk about what it was like in the 60s- "hey, you weren't there. I was barely there. Are you sure about what you are saying?" I realize my work needs to be more internal now before I can speak with my own authenticity more in tact. My whiteness means that I can really lose touch with what my whiteness is unless I sit with it and allow the obvious to become apparent.
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