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Writer's pictureAlysse Harris

"Caucasity" Strikes Again

Yesterday, The Shade Room made a post about the governor of Florida being the first to approve a bill that would “prohibit public schools and private businesses from making white people feel 'discomfort’ when they teach students or train employees about discrimination” (Farrington, Associated Press, 2022). To justify this, he mentioned the late Martin Luther King Jr., using a quote that states that “people should not be judged by the color of their skin but rather the content of their character”. The CAUCASITY one must have to use the beliefs of a civil rights leader as some sort of weapon against the very people he (Dr. King) stood for. I highly doubt that the erasure and whitewashing of significant pieces of history was on the top of Dr. King's to do list when advocating for equality that should be a birthright. Besides, what is the point of overlooking history that sheds light on how we have came to be in the positions that we've been in for generations? For the sake of allowing white people to remain oblivious so they can continue to turn a blind eye to a world of discomfort that does not affect them? No.

We are constantly reminded of the tragedies that have caused irreversible damage and turmoil amongst entire communities so why should white people be afforded the to opportunity to be shielded from the ugly truth that is on the other side of the many luxuries that they bask in? If we must jump on the topic of "discomfort", let's shift our attention away from white fragility and in the direction of where true discomfort resides. Discomfort is having to navigate with caution to ensure that your presence isn't perceived as a threat. It's the anxiety that comes from excessive police presence in underfunded areas and institutions. It is playing nice and turning a blind eye to blatant racism and discrimination in order to avoid being accused of aggression. It is institutional racism. It is Eurocentric standards of what it means to be professional, what it means to be worthy of life or to be beautiful. It is knowing that any of us can be murdered at the drop of a dime and justice is unlikely to be served and feeling the need to celebrate when it is. Being shown by government officials that sheilding white people from guilty feelings and discomfort is more of a priority than any legislation that will shield you from your skin being the only thing in the way of a job, justice or the right to live.


That is true discomfort.


One would be a fool to deny the existence of white supremacy in a world like the one we live in where white people are held on a pedestal that preserves their innocence, hides the truth of their history and adjusts the "standard" to align with what they deem appropriate. This bill is distasteful, tone death and, overall, a slap in the face to racial groups who face real discomfort because there has yet to be a bill for us. This is the epitome of white fragility as well as white privilege. I mean, what bills or legislation have been drawn up to effectively ensure that black people and people of color are being shielded from oppression? Discrimination? Racism? Mass incarceration? The list literally continues.How ironic is it that white people are constantly trying to dispel the existence of oppression yet they are always crying wolf about being oppressed using our own rhetorics and concerns against us.


I'm waiting...


QUICKLY!!!


Oh.. ok. That's what I thought.



When the topic of race comes up, people love to wonder "how can we move on if y'all bring race into everything" but the real question should be, "how can we move on when we are ignoring the relevance of race and how it puts some at a disadvantage while others benefit from it". Doing otherwise and acting surprised when oppressed people are angry about persisting injustice will not get "us" anywhere faster. Because while black people and people of color are being impacted nonstop, white people are able to move on because for them it's just another Friday night. We cannot deny the things that have took place throughout history and encourage those who have been wronged to be silent about it. This bill would only continue to protect white people from guilty feelings that come from accepting the harsh reality that throughout history they have been known to be barbaric and as a result of self imposed superiority and white supremacy, they are inherently racist. It's not true because I'm racist or because I have an agenda to make white people feel bad about being white but because it is the reality of what has happened and what continues to happen to this day. As long as bills like this continue to be proposed, everyone will continue to run around in circles of denial, trying to absolve themselves of responsibility for the state we are currently in. And as a result, history will continue to repeat itself with white privilege on the forefront until it stops.


“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” - Winston Churchill (1905)


Here is the link to read more about it!

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2 Comments


AleciaRenee
Jan 22, 2022

I come from a predominantly white high school and they always tried to lighten the harsh load of discrimination and racism but I will forever make them uncomfortable DO THEY THINK HARRIET WAS COMFORTABLE LEADING SLAVES TO FREEDOM??!!! Chile next I will not allow them to progressively tone down slavery and discrimination they should be uncomfortable

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hairston432
Jan 21, 2022

I loved this entire read! And I agree 100 percent. It honestly made me think of how even in a black space at my hbcu, when there is a white student in a class that discusses injustices and institutional racism. Its like there is an elephant in the room or even students holding back to spare the feelings of someone who has came into our safe place and somehow their feelings are put first.

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