The cover of whiteness.

 

I was looking at the fascinating debate between Mark Lamont Hill and another gentleman from the majority population about critical race theory.  The part of the debate that I found particularly interesting was when Hill asked his guest to tell him what he liked most about being white. 

As to be expected, the guest went into a long declamation about being judged by his character and not the color of his skin, and the fact that he did not like stereotypes ascribed to whiteness. He explained that he wants to be judged as a human being and not someone who is "white per se. He just didn't want to be defined by his skin color. 

Hill, to his credit, wisely pointed out, that he, as a man of color, does not have such options. He knows, that as a black man in America (and in the world) he doesn't have the luxury of being able to say that he does not want to be judged by his skin color. 

As most of you know, I am a trial lawyer. It is my job to try cases in a court of law. I can't tell you how many times I have been mistaken for the Defendant I am representing by a Judge who has never seen me before in his or her courtroom. Yes, this usually happens in the more rural counties, but it's  fact of life that I have to deal with. I am sure my white colleagues in my profession do not have to suffer such indignities, because they are shielded from such slights by their privilege.

 It would be great if we didn't see color when we see another human being, but let's be real, that's just not realistic. Color is the first thing we see when we see someone. We don't know their names, what they do, their net worth, or what language they speak, but we sure as hell know what color they are. This is why when someone says that they don't see color, I immediately right them off as frauds in the racism discussion. How could you not see race? Honestly, it's what you do after you see the individual's race and how you choose to interact with them that defines your character in my book. 

Color is also what shields so many people in the majority population from day to day slights and instances of affronts that people of color have to endure. As Hill stated in his debate, it doesn't matter if you are Irish, Polish, or Italian, your skin color acts as a buffer and a ticket for you. The person of color, in the other hand, be they Jamaican, Haitian, Bahamian, or Bermudan, are going to be seen and treated as such, and we all know that in this society we are living in that's not a good thing. 

“That doesn’t answer the question though, name something that you believe is positive about being white.”

Rufo replied,“I don’t buy into the framework that the world can be reduced into these metaphysical categories of whiteness and Blackness, I think that’s wrong.”

Unless, of course, you happen to be white.