Atom
Servant
Joined: 02 Sep 2004
Posts: 578
Location: Abaddon
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 Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 7:55 am Post subject: White Pride |
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This topic was recently brought up in discussion with one of my friends on myspace. He was arguing that if a black man says he has Black Pride it is ok, but if a white person begins discussing White Pride, they are labeled as racist.
Is that true, and if so, why?
The reason why people of color feel so uncomfortable with whites speaking about "White Pride" is because that concept has historically been tied to the concept of "White Supremacy." For over 500 years whites have claimed themselves the "superior" race and enslaved or exploited every other culture which with they have made contact. They claimed superiority over the Chinese, over the African, over the Arab, the Persian, the Native American, the South East Asian, the Indian; over the Filipino, over the Inka, over the Aboriginal, over the Aztec and over the peoples of the Caribbean. (And sadly I'm probably forgetting some groups). Wherever the Europeans went, the same pattern of claimed dominance and exploitation followed.
These same Europeans were very proud of their race and their culture. Their pride was aggressive to the point that they systematically attempted to destroy and eliminate all other cultures with which they came in contact. They told the Africans they could no longer speak Yoruba, the Aboriginal that he must speak English and wear western clothes to be accepted, and today they tell the Mexica people that they cannot speak Spanish, even though Spanish is a white language as well. Their drive for assimilation is rooted in the mistaken idea that their culture is superior to all others, and so all others should want to give up their culture in favor of adopting European ways of life. This Borg-like mentality is cleary ridiculous.
The historical context being set, it is now obvious why non-Europeans get uneasy when whites begin to talk about "White Pride." As you can see, White Pride has long been synonymous with ideas of racial prejudice and white supremacy.
But is this always the case?
I argue that certain forms of White Pride are completely acceptable to Blacks and other cultures. We often don't even think about these cases, since they don't bother us. Let's consider the Irish. The Irish have tons of pride in their ethnicity and culture. They wave flags, have parades, and maintain their own ethnic identity, a White ethnic identity. But it's cool. They do not assert their Irish culture as superior to others, nor do they seek to marginalize any other cultures in their display of White Pride. In addition to this, the Irish have historically been discriminated against by other Whites. This allows us to understand why they are so adamant about their display of ethnic pride: theirs is a culture besieged.
The natural reaction to someone telling you your culture is worthless (or a "cesspool" as the Save Our State people would say) is to defend your culture and display your love for it. If you tell me the music of my country is inferior you can only expect me to play it even louder. It is a simple act of resistance.
That being said, we know can see why people accept Black and Brown Pride. These are groups that have been discriminated against and their cultures have been attacked by Europeans since first contact. For a young black man to say he is proud to be black, he is not saying you shouldn't be proud to be white; he is simply saying it is OK to be black. He is countering the white message that it is NOT ok to be black.
When blacks display Black Pride, they are asserting equality; when whites display white pride, they have historically claimed supremacy. That is the difference.
I will again say that I find White Pride acceptable, as long as it is removed from all culturally imperialistic ideas of supposed supremacy. The moment your pride becomes an attack on my culture, then it ceases to be an assertion of equality. It becomes White Supremacy and racism. I had the privilege of attending a Polish fair a couple years back with my ex-girlfriend, who is part Polish. It was great. I didn't feel threatened or put down at all. They simply wanted to say "We love our culture, our people, and our history." And there is nothing wrong with that.
Stay blessed,
Atom
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