Date: Thursday, January 02, 2003
From: Corwin [bluefish_66106@yahoo.com]
Subject: ---

Race is kind of a difficult subject for me to discuss. I've been discouraged from discussing race for a very long time... Growing up, we learned lots about history, we learned year round about the accomplishemnts of people of all races, except, ofcourse, during black history month when we only learned about black culture. As a child, I was happy that african americans were no longer enslaved and were more equal that before, and when asked I replied just like that. Everybody did, we were expected to do so. There was another side to it, though... I felt guilty for being white. At the time, I thought that that's how we were supposed to feel, because the only time we ever singled out a person in history for being white was when they had done something terrible to another race. I felt like that was white people's role in the past. Today, I understand that I am not just a white person, but an individual, and that my ancestors were not white people, but people who happened to be white. I grew up mostly in alabama, though my family came from further north, and there was a lot of emphasis put on accepting other races all the time. The goal of this was to promote acceptance and equality, but I think that the result of any program like that targeted at children is a heightened racial awareness, which is more likely to perpetuate the problem than to solve it. I don't mean that they were wrong to try and teach children early on that everybody should be treated equally, only that children leanr mire that just what you're saying. By telling Bob that Tom is different, but that Bob should still treat tom the same, you are not just telling Bob that Tom is just as good as Bob, you're telling him he's diferent. In earlier grades, kindergarten and first and second, I had all different kinds of friends. I already knew everybody looked different, but as soon as I was educated formally about race distinctions, things changed. My friends were no longer just my friends, they were my white friends and my black friends. It wasn't something I really cared about up until that point, but after that, everybody started telling me about how I should think of my black friends as just as good as my white friends. This raised the question for me of why I shouldn't think that. Then people told me that racism was a terrible thing, and that a person might not even know they're racist, that they learned racist things from their parents and aunts and uncles. I realized that maybe I had learned racist things, and just hadn't known about them. After that I was always aware ofthe way I thought about my black friends, and it was very difficult for me, because I was an unusaually smart child. When I thought that my white friends weren't as smart as me, it didn't bother me, because I knew that everybody learned at a different pace and that they would catch up, but when I thought the same thing about my black friends, I worried that maybe I was only thiking that because they were black. I then moved to panama, which was a little rough, because americans got charged more for things, and targeted for cons, and there was anti-american grafitti and stuff and the best way to tell an american was a uniform or white skin. When I moved back to america, I went to NC. By now I wasn't so worried about racial differences, and I had all kinds fo friends. I was actually in "the mofia" which was a school gang, I was always considered a "lil pup" because I never jumped anybody, but my friends just understood that's who I was and they were cool with it. All of them were black, and I was totally comfortably with that, so it surprised me when the kids on the bus woudn't let me sit in the back because I was white (doesn't that just drip with irony?). Now I hang out with white kids, because, unfortunately, there is a lot of racial tension in the black community around here, and white guys aren't welcome in a lot of places. A person might ask "How does all of this relate to the sum of white american culture?" well, I am white... so I guess that it's all very much a part of white american culture. But I honestly hope that one day, when that question is asked about any race everybody will be able to say that it is not about racial culture, it is about their own life, and their own opinions. The truth is, while it is important to be proud of who you are, you are not your race, you are your self, and that is far more important than anything else. When you have read this, and you are thinking about it, remember... I'm not done learning yet, and I am not done growing yet, I am only 16 and my eyes are wide open. Where I am wrong, I am wrong, but wher I am right, I am right, so don't allow my errors to take your attention away from where I may have said something important. Now I have to go make some lunch, because I'm famished!

Date: Friday, January 24, 2003
From: Hemrock, Scott [sohfb801@allstate.com]
Subject: letter to the editor

WHY DO YOU FEEL IT NECESSARY TO UNDERLINE THE SENTENCE " A MULTIRACIAL ORGANIZATION "? WHY IS IT THAT THERE CAN BE ORGANIZATIONS FOR JUST BLACKS AND JUST LATINOS, BUT WHITE PEOPLE HAVE TO BE INTEGRATED AND "MULTIRACIAL"? IF I WERE TO START UP A MAGAZINE CALLED "IVORY", AND JUST SHOWCASED WHITE CULTURE AND WHITE CHARACTERS, I WOULD BE A RACIST. BUT THERE EXISTS EBONY MAGAZINE, WHICH DOES THE AFOREMENTIONED, BUT FOR BLACK PEOPLE. YOUR RESPONSE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Editor's note: The following letter was written in reply to another letter by Aric Calfee dated August 2001. Mr. Calfee posed several questions, to which the current letter writer has replied.

Date: Thursday, February 06, 2003
From: Edgar Johnson [edgar4peace@yahoo.com]
Subject: Center for the Study of American White Culture

Dear Mr. Aric Calfee:

First I WRITE TO YOU IN PEACE AND HOPE THAT BOTH OF US COME AWAY WITH A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF EACH OTHER SINCE I'M AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALE, OR BETTER YET, AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN GAY MALE. I accidentally stumbled upon the above mentioned website at subject and found a letter you wrote to letters to the editor section of the website back in August 2001. I would like to entertain your response and the questions you posed to this organization. Before I begin, I'd like to say that I REALLY APPRECIATED WHAT YOU SAID IN THAT LETTER. YOU REALLY MADE ME THINK ABOUT RACE IN THIS COUNTRY. I THINK IT'S AMAZING THAT WE'RE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE AT THIS LEVEL.

Here are some answers to your questions - you may want to refer to your letter to the editor at euroamerican.org.

1. You asked if the term people of color is the same as colored people. "No it's not. The term colored people was used during Jim Crow and can be perceived as derogatory. For example, during segregation we saw signs that read for colored only and those places were substandard compared to whites. However, I have no problem being labled a colored person".

2. This country should support financial reparations for American slavery. Most modern ethnic groups such as Jews and Native Americans received some form of reparations for their holocausT. Why not African Americans?

3. You are correct that during slavery, a large majority of whites were not slave owners. However, slave owners were white and those whites who did not own slaves supported white supremacy and after the civil war many of these non-slave owning whites became members of the KKK and terrorized blacks - (if whites like yourself are so JUST, how come they did not or you do not complain and bitch about the disporportionate injustices against blacks, such as lynchings)? Basically, these nonslave owning whites blamed blacks for their misfortune.

4. Being that #3 is correct in your letter, I feel it is HIGHLY NORMAL FOR WHITES TO FEEL GUILTY. First, whites like yourself enjoy the fruits of the heinous deeds/labor of your white forefathers. This is so due to your SKIN COLOR and not necessarily your ethnic background. In order for whites to overcome the guilt they must accept the TRUTH.

5. I do agree with you that Colin Ferguson was wrong in slaughtering the people on a long island train. I don't believe in fighting fire with fire. However, I do understand the pressure of Mr. Ferguson as a black male in this society....frankly it's difficult - and Ferguson just came to the end of his rope and/or got fed up with America's shit. And, no I don't need your pity. However, he should never had taken it out on innocent individuals.

6. I also agree with you that Farrkhan is wrong referring to whites as white blue-eyed devils. However, he's no racist....he can't be in this society. The term racist has a power component. Therefore a racist/racism is a group or individual who can negatively or positively impact other lives. BLACKS DO NOT HAVE POWER AND CONTROL OF RESOURCES OR THE LAW IN THIS LAND and therefore cannot control lives.

7. Black comedians will continue to poke at the dances of the white man and his practices. It is not boring and keeps the legacy of racism in this country alive until this country (the powers that be) decide to change.

8. Referring to OJ Simpson, again, it amazes me that once in American History a black man was not convicted of murder THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN THIS SOCIETY. Yes, money played a significant role. How come whites don't feel the same about police brutality against blacks (many are not convicted) or past lynchings of blacks. How Many whites walked away from murdering blacks. Oh and for the record, lynchings occurred in the North in places like Duluth, MN, and Upstate NY. Again, I do not believe in an eye for an eye tooth for a tooth.

9. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU ON THE MCDONALDS THING. MAKES ME THINK ABOUT LIQUOR STORES AND THEIR ADVERTISEMENTS DISPORTIONATELY IN BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS. All these things are unhealthy. However, MCDonalds is more fairer to blacks than other main stream businesses and mediums. I find myself downtalking McDonald's but my black colleagues defends the institution. I preach to them how unhealthy the food is regardless of McDonald's treatment of blacks.

10. I see that you are a mixture of many ethnicities. However, it's your SKIN COLOR that is prominent in America - that is what we see and react to first. Therefore, you, based on skin color have more priveleges and rights than me (a strong afrocentric look - dark skinned; flat nose; big lips).

11. Yes America is an idea not "A REALITY" of quality, integrity, honesty, and individual freedom and personal responsibility. Remember America was built upon violence not upon those pure virtues you mentioned!!!

12. Yes, money does matter more than anything in this society. However, blacks who are rich still are confronted with racism. For example, many rich blacks are refused taxi service in NYC. Not too long ago, famous blacks when performing in America had to use the back door. REMEMBER!!

Mr. Calfee - I hope you do not take my response as an attack to you. I did find myself agreeing with some of your thoughts/suggestions. Hopefully, you agree with some of my thoughts/suggestions. I think that it's great that as a black and white man WE can communicate honestly and respectfully with each other without attacking or hating one another - I believe change come about in dialogue. HAVE A GREAT LIFE!!

=====
Edgar

Date: Saturday, March 08, 2003
From: SCamerer@aol.com
Subject: a few thoughts

As I read previous letters to the editor, I am stricken by the negative responses. I hear people saying "why are you promoting such hatred?" and "why do you want us to feel guilty?" and even "yeah, we're white, we have power, so what?" These statements show me that the topic of race is NOT a dead one, and that we have much work to do in the arena of race relations.

Before elaborating, let me say that it is interesting the way perception works. We all have our filters, from which we decode messages. I read something one way, and someone else reads it just the opposite. We all have memories, histories, and items we "bring to the table." That being said, I find it fascinating that a common thread amongst writers is one of "why do you want us to feel guilty?"

From my reading, there is nothing explicitly mentioned about feeling guilty about one's color or more correctly, ethnicity. What is asked is to examine one's role they play in the promotion and promulgation of racism, and more specifically, institutionalized racism. There are stages we all go through in our lives, perhaps a maturation process, when speaking of realization of ethnicity. I myself have gone through these stages: from denial of privilege, to outward hostility towards those who claim there are wrongs that need "righted," to guilt, to a present state of "what can I do personally to ensure I don't continue the chain my forefathers have laid down?"

I believe on this journey (of ethnic maturation), that one must participate in a great deal of introspection; one must thoroughly examine "American Culture" and ask themselves "what does successful (read those in power) America look like?/sound like?" I look at people whose background is NOT of a European heritage (those with power), and without fail see a trend: those "of color" who have "made it" walk the walk and talk the talk of the white man. If one were to be conspiratorial, they might think there were a "white man's club" where admission would be granted after the perspective inductee had learned to play the white man's game (his ideals, his language/intonnations etc.).

Now am I extending this thread of "guilt?" I would (and am) enthusiastically saying "no." I cannot be responsible for what HAS happened. I cannot be responsible for the color of my skin, or for my ethnic background. What I can do, however, is inspect what current role I play if I choose to go along with the institutions that have been laid. If I choose the "safe" course and deny privilege, I'm none the worse: the privilege is still mine (I don't get looked at twice while shopping in the mall, as a small example). If I take the more "dangerous" path, I may find that it is too painful a path, for guilt may indeed rear it's head. After all, who wants to admit they are responsible for contributing to a racist society? I can take a different path altogether, though. I can choose to look at the ways in which people who aren't considered "white" (and we do admit ethnicities into this "club" i.e. Italians, Greeks, Irish, anyone who over time has "acted like" they were white) are thought about, treated, and "handled" in the justice system. If I choose to look at and examine the ways in which people who are not deemed white (those of African heritage cannot "blend" like those in the past like Irish or Italian immigrants), I feel a responsibility; not to the past, but to the present and future. If I want to work towards change and not towards sustaining the status quo, then I must work towards this change.

Steve Camerer

Date: Monday, March 10, 2003
From: Fred Egemeier [f.egemeier@worldnet.att.net]
Subject: Letter to the Editor

Interesting but confusing site. I'm one of those blind people, I think...not even color blind, just blind. Kind of benignly alienated from the whole human race to one degree or another. At times I've been the only white in a restaurant and felt positively afraid; at other times the only white in a classroom and it took me months to realize it; and been in a place where there were no black people and feeling quite out of place after years of being racially outnumbered about 99 to one (Where are all the black people?) to feeling refreshingly safe and comfortable traveling where there were very few blacks to be seen anywhere (years of working in inner city schools included lots of abuse, insults, blame and assaults, for being an adult, a white person, and an authority figure) I got so used to seeing almost no caucasians, let alone blue eyed blondes like myself, around me in everyday life that white people began to look positively exotic to me. I still couldn't tell you what whiteness is like, except that when ethnic pride time rolls around, I more often than not have felt that the only good thing I could do for the world as a White American would be to hurry up and die, since all we ever did was enslave and torture Africans, commit genocide on Native Americans, and generally go around spoiling everything for everyone. I guess I'm still angry when I think of it. Whiteness is indefensible. Whiteness negates accomplishment; everyone knows the system is rigged in our favor. Whiteness diminishes our humanness. We never struggle or suffer, or deserve what we have, and because our skin is white, we approve of the KKK and must be racist, it is assumed...also bland, clueless and a bad dancer. I try to remember that I may have been one of the few, or the only, white person some of these people had ever interacted with on more than a superficial level. I'm now trying, at 40, to develop some sort of racial identity that does not involve feeling like number 1 enemy of the human race. It's slow going. You're right about the lack of a definition of whiteness. Aside from being hated by angry non-white people, I have no idea what whiteness entails.

Date: Monday, June 02, 2003
From: Lpartinz@aol.com
Subject: Letter to the Editor

Dear Sir or Madam:

Recently, I read an artical about poverty in a grad. class. Although there are many poor whites, the artical centered on poverty among minorities. I tried to talk about poor whites (because I am one), and what it means. I felt the author, who was not from a family of poor whites, hadn't a clue what it meant, or what the culture is about. But, even though I attended a liberal college, this conversation was clearly not happening. Later, I applied to the Ph.D program (at the same college), mentioning my interest in white studies, and was promptly rejected. The thing is that I don't know who I am; what it means to be "white." People say it's everything that's not color, but that doesn't help.

Confused in Riverside
Lorie Partin

Date: Saturday, June 21, 2003
From: Eric Fischer [ekreator@hotmail.com]
Subject: White

First, I would like to commend you for attempting to seek justice in American society as I am interested in justice in the U.S. and in Canada where I live.

However, I would like to discuss with you my approach to white guilt. Very often, people associate guilt with responsibility. So, someone could say, "I am not responsible for slavery or another person's racism", just as easily as saying "I don't believe in white guilt." This may be the case with some people, but not all. When I have studied the Bible on this subject, I will summarize my findings; while I am not responsible for the horrible things that whites in history did to non-whites and while I am not responsible for the actions of others today, I am responsible for what I do today, and that means fighting for a form of justice on behalf of the oppressed, against the oppressors. But white guilt only serves to stand in the way of justice. Shelby Steele says, "there is at the heart of white guilt a profound selfishness and preoccupation." (Seattle Times article Wednesday, April 23, 2003.) I try to run from such things that would make me selfish.

People may differ as to how to seek justice. Some people believe programs such as affirmative action is the way to go and others such as Shelby Steele believe that seeking justice doesn't need another government program.

Society says I receivethe benefit of racial privilege. While I am white, I also have epilepsy, (which is controlled by medication), several learning disabilities, I am financially poor and can only afford to live in one room. In a society where money=power I have not any influence. So I wonder, how it is that I am "privileged"? Some say it is because whites and other minorities can get things cheaply, since the European ancestors took the Indian's land. Taking land is disgraceful, but the taker's disgrace, not mine. Does this mean I should be ashamed of being able to shelter myself from the cold and thus not die of homelessness during one of the coldest winters in a long time and buy my life saving medication cheap? My point is, the white privilege theory is a stereotype, as you can see, not all of us fit this mold.

Someone should always show compassion to others, whoever they are, and help them if they can.

Sincerely, seeking justice for the disadvantaged,

John Ward

Date: Thursday, June 19, 2003
From: A. Gregory Wonderwheel [wonderwheel@wonderwheellaw.com]
Subject: Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor:

Dr. Helan Enoch Page's definition of racism is the most absurd load of ethnocentric manure that I have read in a long time. It is racist in its essence by claiming that "whiteness" is the source or basis of racism. The ignorance of world history and cultures involved in Dr. Page's delusion is so astounding that I have to laugh out loud about its content and cry that there are other's who participate in this folly.

When you can appreciate that human skin colors are all shades of brown and you realize that "white" and "black" exist only in your imagination, then you will have some hope of entering a non-racist world view.

Gregory Wonderwheel, M.A, J.D.

Date: Monday, July 21, 2003
From: John Lee [gone2mexico2003@yahoo.com]
Subject: Categories are political

I will soon be teaching about multiculturalism in the United States to high school students in Mexico. I found your website as I searched for truly educational sites (not White supremecy sites) about White culture. In college in the United States, even over a decade ago, multiculturalism was a prominent issue. I can remember the shock I had when I first heard someone mention "White culture" and heard the comment that most White people don4t tend to think in terms of White culture. Most US White people are very much aware that there are other cultures, but they do not think of themselves as having a culture.

I think your website offered some genuinely good thoughts on this subject and was not trying to push an agenda in this regard, though I saw some hopes for the future that are pushing an agenda.

What has been most interesting to me is reading all of the comments. In my personal studies lately, I have found a lot to convince me that it is impossible to form any kind of categories for labelling people without being a little bit arbitrary and without being very political. Your website further proves this. I see on the comments that most people want to identify their category before responding. Why? Categories obviously matter to how people identify themselves. Most of the comments I read posted to the editor were from people who were very emotional in their response. I find that interesting. But if I were to now claim to be Black, or White, or Asian, would that mean that I speak for my race?

Certainly not. In fact, I am not going to identify my race. But I will say that I read comments from other people of my race that I disagree with. So I don4t want them to speak for me.

In closing, my final point is that -- because racial, ethnic, and cultural categories are so arbitrary in their definitions -- we could all be divided almost infinitely into more categories. I say ALMOST infinitely, because in the end we would finally just be individuals.

But I do not wish to discourage your efforts to more clearly identify what White culture is. As a teacher, it is a very difficult thing to teach about culture. There are no absolutes -- nothing I can teach that cannot be argued and disputed. Teachers and writers are forced to present their information having made generalizations about a culture. There are always exceptions to these generalizations. Also, whenever I make a decision to present an article for discussion and not another article, I make a political decision.

The only answer to finding truly objective work on any subject is to study as much as possible about the subject from many different sources. But ultimately whatever conclusion each of us draws is our point of view and not absolute fact.

Dave

Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2003
From: Karen Horton [kyhorton@hotmail.com]
Subject: Letter to the Editor

Sirs and Madams:

Please clarify for me: just what is white American culture? Please, before you think I’m some kind of nut, my request is serious. I was under the impression that whites/ Caucasians of America are from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds; some Norwegian, some Dutch, some German, etc. So, how can there be one white American culture? For that matter, how can there be one definitive culture for America? America began as a nation of diverse peoples – that fact remains true today. Is your website a response to black American’s demand for their culture to be recognized, or Hispanics, the Chinese, etc? The reality is if these cultures had been given their just due in history books used in American schools all long, then there would be no need for the various ethnic and racial groups of America to cry out for recognition. Instead of every ethnic group having its own site, text, courses, etc, why don’t we strive for a compendium of all American ethnic histories and cultures? Why don’t we just tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the history of our nation as a whole – the good, the bad, and the ugly? If we would do that, maybe there wouldn’t be so much dissension whenever some group cried out – for that matter, maybe there wouldn’t be a need for anyone to cry out for recognition. I mean, the members of our own nuclear families are not all the same, do not share all the same tastes and / or beliefs; so why should we expect the members of our social/global family to be exactly the same?

Thanks for your ear.

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2003
From: Ira Woodward [zyglax@excite.com]
Subject: Class?

Hi,

Great site! Thanks for the wonderful work you are doing.

My main comment would be-- where's class in the analysis? I think an understanding of imbalances of power due to class, as well as gender and sexuality is crucial to any program for change in this country. I'll focus on class here, to keep it short, and because I understand it better.

The obvious reason why class is important for anti-racist work is that people of color are disproportionately shunted into the working class and white folks are disproportionately elevated to privileged positions in the class structure. Other, more subtle reasons, have to do with the ideology of racism: it is, (remember, it came out of slavery and imperialism,) similar to the ideologies which justify all forms of oppression: sexism, classism, heterosexism, you name it. All forms of oppression reinforce each other; in my opinion, militarism especially reinforces the mind set that allows people to accept and rationalize violence. Paying careful attention to the effects of these ideologies with respect to race while ignoring their harmful effects with respect to class, gender, militarism, etc discredits and weakens anti-racist arguments.

Frankly, if we seek a society where the race's have equal power because some black and brown folks are just as free as their white peers to exploit poor folks of all colors I think we are going down a dead-end path. And, frankly, I think this describes your desire for a society where "the president" and the "fortune 500" have a proportionate share of people of color. An army with more officers of color will still massacre, pillage and destroy. Colorblind rape is still rape. I just don't see why we should consider decent a society where fewer people of color starve, but many people still starve just the same.

And finally there is the pragmatic side: most working people of color are simply less likely to join a movement that will lead to far greater gains for the few who are elevated within the class structure than for the majority who will be freed from racism but left under the crushing weight of the unjust class system. And white working people will be more likely to oppose racism when they see that it is not only the right thing to do, but that it is in their class interest: racism helps undermine the working class solidarity necessary to undermine class-based oppression.

I'm not arguing a society without racism is not desirable: it would be an amazing thing. What I am arguing is that integrating attention to other forms of oppression into your analysis would do a huge service to its accuracy and effectiveness.