I think the coverage in regards to class parts to the larger issue of economics power in regards to racism and classism. In America we like to pretend that it is on the the “uneducated” that think backwards, but it’s a false argument. Who has the power in regards to institutional racism, it certainly isn’t working class guy. Working class people of all races may be more quick to use a racial slur, but as far as economically preventing you from surviving that has upper class and upper-middle class written all over it. From the TV shows to the laws. It’s fun and easy to talk about working class person or southern person, but who does the real damage. It certainly has nothing to do with that class of people, but since most people watch TV and get their views and opinions from TV who is going to look bad. Who is going to look like the enemy? Working class people and it’s horrible, because we all buy this classist paradigm that is shaped by lies. Just like they can’t wait to get find that one black person on the news with curlers to talk about a tragedy they love getting that one guy from the steel mill who says a racist thing and then they try to paint an entire class using that one guy as an example.
This article is a good reminder that racism can transcend class and region. I knew this was the case but haven’t been thinking about it clearly much lately and of course, I know people who are working class who don’t strike me as being racist, so it really isn’t fair.
This also reminded me of a discussion we had about racism in my 2nd year college German class, of all things, I think we started off on Nazism in general, and it was the one day we could speak in English. One young man in the class, who had been pretty quiet all semester and seemed to really be struggling, was extremely eloquent and honest about racism among the upper-middle and upper class and about how many times he as a white person had heard other whites who were affluent, and well educated who had really troubling and views on race and were perfectly willing to say very racist things in non-mixed company. He was very eloquent and articulate on the topic and I remember a friend of mine remarking after class that he’d always thought the kids was dumb b/c he never talked (which just goes to show you that still waters run deep and German is HARD so you can be very smart and still have trouble with it). It was eye opening and for me as a black female really refreshing to hear someone who was white say all of these things and be honest on this topic. I don’t think I thanked him or engaged him afterward but wish I had.
“It may be that working-class people, who value directness, are more willing to admit that race matters, while people with college degrees have been trained to hide their racism.”
This is sooo spot on!
Speaking as a college educated white person, I think I was–and still am, although working really hard at not being–ignorant about my racism as well. When someone points my racism out to me, I still initially act surprised and defensive. I think, “but I’m not a racist…I took several classes about multiculturalism in college and attended multiple diversity trainings….I’m different from those other, uneducated white folks.”
Those diversity courses I took in college may have made it harder for me to unlearn not only white supremacy but class supremacy as well.
Still lots of work to do….
I don’t really have a lot to add here – I would think that the sentiments behind this article should be obvious (too bad that’s not the case to many). It’s the under-cover racism that does all the real damage in this country, and it’s not the working-class wielding it.
Oterhog – you have no idea how refreshing it is to read/hear a comment such as yours coming from an educated white person. It shouldn’t be, but it is, and I just appreciate your honesty and self-awareness. Gives a guy some hope for the world, after all . . .
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of New Demographic, a diversity education firm. Her perspectives on race and diversity have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, USA Today, and The New York Times.
Racialicious: Stereotyping the Working Class « Stop Dog Whistle Racism! on 15 Sep 2008 at 5:52 pm
[...] Racialicious: Stereotyping the Working Class Posted on September 15, 2008 by ludovic blain Racialicious (9/15/08) [...]