What Should White People Do? LINDA MARTIN ALOOFF Fr this paper esple wit cep to move cower a proce pasn aga reson ta wl mane moe than soci Be fleng ew:by saat a hein i dis eve ly on: long "hte cwernes waling” mated dnp tr” plies deed by Laie ard Oar, nd a case say of he ‘esstonom bing cred atonpd he Unie of Miss ln the movle Drs ith es (1991, Kev Cerner plays white Union solder satoned onthe Indian esis whe undergoes pollil ssiorm "oo, He come co elite che native peoples hii intends oll ae ‘set he unliled heathens they were pormnyed oe, ain ache ch ivlston is many ways super to his. Thus, he reaies thar he fighting onthe wong side, The emainder ofthe moviechvonicler hist oe ‘uct thi elton mean fi ee hart mer itv mo sent of payhle and pla sage cccuming now inthe se song sgnicanc numbers of white Angle Torovghoue US, history ome vehi people ave joined in common cause with people of color to Fight slaves ais, and iperiaies, om the New York Conpiay ef 1741 co he Joho Brown upeing co whe suport of ei sight and white protetes ‘pit the rac ofthe Vian War (Ignativ and Carvey 1996, 13), “Today, the scope of thi dallegance has expended, ak many whites have gun m dub noc only specific acs inattions or aggression bcs the ‘ncalized leiinarionnaratves of "Western evan apd the pected ‘pero fal dhgs European. ‘Denes uth Wiles, though politically famed, conatheles revealed che significance of this avakenel white consclcunes by winning the seaderny ‘ard for Bes Pictur of 1991! White suport francine siiely flawed: riven with supremacist precentions and an extension ot ies of the Hyp vl 13,003 (Summer 1998) © by Linda Mars Ako sod often easp~to exon the pent rcien in vowed anion co, we need also to ffm that sme of the time in some resp eitn wher ‘nol whites empathic adden wth none sr ow white ns ‘7 hat dsorted hee cal iterations nd ats wl eo mae pcos sacri owand the radiation of white pve For white North Americans, neveheles, cotting to cms with white Brilege exacts a pric, For Comers Capain Dts the efit cots hon > ‘od beating and ner hit if, bt for cantemporsry whites the pice more ‘fen pechologisl. As Jes Bald snd yar op, Ie nat ely a aoe ‘evolution’ uh: i upeting che country. What i ting the county > ‘ee of own ident" (Baldwin 158, 8). Ard one whe alse po "eveannow really have rothink bow Like now el whiee Ife sce (Cillaher 1994, 165). This Yeling white” when coupled wits epusivon of white vile, can dsableapstiveaelémage ay well aval conection ‘to somnmunicy a history and general can dren det maton, Chauviis egitnationnarstives ha portrayed Eucopean bese! alex 1 the progenive vanguard ofthe human race prodused en nor ine Support nuctute for the eoledvesltester fall shove uo could cing, sch a European identi. In the fst Balf ofthe twenied conta ie lily of these saraives was undermined by the praftemosvatl sie, {ence of World War Tand the echnclaialy onchestted penoldesof Word ‘Weel. Asa tesponse wo thatdailsionment new narratives were develope, ‘bed on # thorough repudicon of "ol wotd” thnie hatreds and ood rolical obedience The "ae or nedcan nb lepelmian serine ‘rola that European-uted society elon wali, cv liberes and economic provperiy, wich were ssed se the bihest human good. OF couse, many nonwhites ste ale to parts ve ‘ote nanatves andeoscedhemselvestosome extents patlnclibena, pnguerd. But beonwe was the cura editions snd econsnie methods ot Excope and the United State tht inspired ond guided thirpropen nascale whites were atthe centerand the tne, wahqonwite ses slonde sop roche back . ls the second hal f this century, internal dillsiment wich shove hitesanguard narratives his gown song once nui, prinaly bees the cil its movernent andthe Vietnam Wat, bu alsa light of eens South Afi, Ireland, and now in Central Evrope, which have engenderce outs sbou whether the white rac i ls volen. les "uneilaal rave emocatic than anyother. Asa rel, che cultural mechenoe siphoree shite sefesem are besking down ade growing white backlah borders re8 paca Bclath, however, i not the only contemporary whe report wo the eciningplusbliy of whic supremacee naive, This paper explores other kinds of white responses al of whieh, in one way ct snther, eek ‘canscend white vangundiom and move eovrd a postive postion eit ‘acm tha wil amoune zo more than mee weer. ‘The ue I want to pu center wage, howevet is white Wel. Many race ‘eorsshave argued tac anc srugls requir whites acoledgment (hat chey ae i: ha i that che experience peceptions and economle postion have been profoundly afacted by bring constituted white (Frankenbeg 193). Roce may bea socal cnstetion witht Blog ‘ald ye is el aed power enagh to ate the fndamentl spe of allo lives (Gooding Wiliams 1995; Tpoe 1996, Alot 1996) Par of white Frege fas been prcsely whites ability eo ignore the way white ral ensity ha berfived them. But at sieeoacknowlaige one whites! Isc to acknowledge that one ‘inherent tied to structures of domination and opreion that one le ‘meveably onthe wrong sds In aher words, can the scknowledpment of whiteness proce ony sels, even shame and elon? Is i posible coer ckay abut beng white! Ever indvidal, 1 would age, neds to fe a cannecrion to community, toahistory and oa human soject larger than hisr her ova ie, Without this connection, we are bere of concer for dhe fture oan invesent In the fate of our commeune. Nalin che esl; and we se abundant sign ofall atound, fom the unchecked fey of eanturption that ‘gnosis likely long-term efecs othe anarcolibereaianiem thai fe In the cororate Une Sttes a al levels and that values ony init ‘aii Sate. ican i conectand verre dons uel we el sores orsmuncy with Both past ed fone, what ae North Aeian whiter do? Shoold the asinine ike Captain Jan Dabar ie Done ih Woe, fa 2 posible nto non-Buropean cultures a some New Age advocates age? ‘Should they become, as Nel Igatiev snd John Garvey argu, nce aors ‘who disavow all eains oF tes to whitenes? Cana beraleepediaion of racial deny and an syowal of "clor-lindneu” produce the conslout rut f white pevilege tha antieacim reer Cana derciaied indivi vals provide che ene ofiorial eontinuity that moral action seems sequin! Feminism bas wily problematned the notion of a monolithic white ‘ten by king nus of gender and sometines cate In the next ei | ‘wl anal white feminist? ssesen of whiteness. Thin nthe following theresa wllexpowe three farther "anes" wo the white question: che ‘ily fen ntact "white awareness eiing” methods ss developed ‘yuh Katssnd other he ace alee pois developed by gute and Linde Manin Alco ° Garvey, snd finally, a kindof as sly af white evisionion being ters sa the University of Misisip. Each of chase & an example of reponse developed by whites fr mbites, Befoce Igo any further, 1 need wo cll omeshing stout my om Henn, which ke an ncesingrumber of eher im tha oun scaly complen, In some places in he United State, am perceived to lok "wite™ a am ‘sumed tobe white. This means that, inthe contexs in ane pa hie, and therefore know something about hie pee fom the nse ‘Moreover though born in Panazd, wae aeed inthe wauthern United States (Froid), where conditions of Jin Crow serepation elgned either ofealy ‘or uno fox mcf my eildhond My mother nd epacer ar white southerners, with ll dae that can imply. However, my fcher was Lacing with sine Spanish, dion, and Afccan heritage is fly, and hos thot are of my family neve lft Prnam, and hs ow sojoura hee wae manly ‘sa college audent. Growing up In Flerida, my ser and Lwere generally Introduced to newcomers as my mothers "Latin daughters." So Save leo known somaching about white chauvisem, mostly ofthe cleral sort for example, "You muse bes hankl to bein hi county” end otet ated eles asumeins). once heard the legal corse Gerald Tones joke that Latinos have » tendency tomard arogance abou rail matters: bese Larios at sul racially mined, they often ase chat they know whe elo lin, be ‘whe and tobe Black! Laine a sometimes aut curselves incapable of snibbleck or antlodan acim because mot of ts have sme Black stb Indigenous foes Ido noe want eo ake thie sumptions and iy ska ‘olor erin compels gant chem. But Pave ried ute my ntesectonal locaton as resource fer consdeig the mulile “sed espesienes™ of ‘esl Wey nthe United Sats ere Women ano Wire IoeeriTY Whicenes i both homegencous and ecru, Unlike Latino identi, which understood abe mixed, and unlike ican American vent under ‘he rears ofthe one-drop ule whiteness aconsedonly othote who are (supposedly) “pure” whit, in the recent historia pr tht wae not 0 cles 2%, 25 Jeu, Ish, Iellns, and other southern Europeans were somes ‘xsloded fom whiteness and at edhe mes enjoyed hala sass leat white, bt no que (ule those with il Ain heiage ro mater light) Bur eed, in mainstream white bread America ce bodes around whiteness ace asumed be clear In another sens, whines har alway eon fut by clas, cede sexs hole age, and sblebodiness. The pveges whence betowed were ‘dicate themselves and ther eades onthe “re” hitry of the Col War snd the neleced legacy of whe esiance to acim, The can alo develop ‘ek cel analy of current social phenomana ich ar mulleloraligm andthe increasing earl cronoves of whe Youth Journal dts Noe! lenatiey and John Oarey ae anita, and they tellove hat we muse wing oak up arms Their pices roby bet huifled ss iberarin anarchist, and is och anarhit ours and See ‘hor svn owt fn to ein ef: Rag Tasan Tae cleat se fk song woking cla politcal penpactiv, aod they have managed to Seren las inlusvenesasiong the ourals writer 2 cararrate oo ey ound tn lee joural of ay ye. In a intresting way they have pu es eft ‘ozo making ales among fein or ge atv perhors Dee hey do ‘not view these sues cenalycoonecerd wa white mpremscy This fll from an anal found relly tthe journal that “white supeenecy” hat lagly Been an ideology wed by the meaty and pose o fol the white oer no belag ore race-lyal than cls-lya, nding them 0 thelr oem ‘cere As we have een, however, ar cae could Se made fr bite women ad al for white gy, The mor interesting spect of chi approach ei ecard fosut on wiles Unlike othe ls publications harhave red o develop multe groups, ace Tator seems believe haca pola nervarkf white eto isncedel Linda Manin Aloft Is £9 focus on reiving white andiacit hiton,despeing the anal of ‘whiteness ind mii, and encouraging th sul br grog endcnysong White youth to rebel agains met ula herrhis and enfnced ea, ‘lon, Consider the eeu repor ofthe allowing new te According toques reports a our on sateen, the hte moe is dhowing ls of face i dhe ual sides ‘Sever ferme sents at North Newton Junior Snir igh Schoo! near Morocco, lediana, who cl thomeles the “Ps 0 Be Me” grup, reconriy arid hong tee ha teadlocks and weg bgey en and cu rt sgh ‘ena with HipHop clue. Moocen ie nna fing comunity seventy miles south of Cheapo ofthe 850stalen at the school, two are black, Whites inthe towa acese the up of “ating bac,” and male mudets have reacted hy falling tern nates, ply a them, ponchang an esi them nto lockers and shretening them with ther volence Since mi-Novenber sete have ben dsth threat,» bom’ ‘eae, anda Ka Kae Klan ely the schoo. “Th communie” sid one snten-yearold male suet I they dontt wane to be wie they should lave” (lgatiey and Garvey 1986, ea) [Not only have the sudens encountered violet opposition, but school of inks have suspended therm with the excuse of “dems codevilaons” Thi ‘vample which received wide pict on the Mot! Willans Stow cley {he kind of spontaneous “in You ac” reelion that Rate Trotor hopes to ‘encourage. The ites comment, “This incident evel the wcmensons ‘ower of cover culture to undermine bath white slaty and male Suthoiy” ” : eis imporant wo andentand ysis sort of event what Ree Tai de ‘> hopefl rather than the more common aad cerainly ere tae tecur fences of white antacstcnanising on ellege campus and white oppor for sich politcal efforts asthe Fee Momia AbwJrsal campaign ion daw 8 sense of enilesent Whit superncy may be all tnt pac whites have to hold on ein order to maintain sense of slGivs. The vecy genealogy of shitenss as enovined rom the beginning wha aca irre whieh cn ‘be found in every major extra raacve fom Chester Colum t2 [anise Dany tothe Space Rae andthe Compote Revolution, Staying ia the vanguard squteefien inconwenien requ warand reat erie 1 ‘remain “ahead” But its pursed everhles,pecsely tesa ee necesny Linda Manin Alef rr forthe pou ofselove So here ithe predicament we must eh fall so of whe rac nal it eompleney. an heel cn he fly sesoved through a las ena tha sequester the ply a nly among the ich, Yee fcing the rely of whist mara clgelicyshvesens vet ery ability to be moral teday, because ic hrestes their bly so magne them selvesasvinga social coherent ation oa pat tnd aftue toad which anyone could fe an atichmene ase Tato’ sttenton to crossover culture may be mova by this oncom, inthe hope that amit earl nt esd wae ates sd thereby avid is moral lgney. Paradoxically although ts conto Aucribe nd ndereand the loaton af chose whe elong odoinn: groupe {eter he ual smangion and entation of those groups. The dca ‘os begins agai the backgroud five archeyps of owes: he dst Todd spectator the ouside wih, and the citer. It ser out Sandia Fading (1991 acount of watrous dena Then, takes sue with her poral of walt at inde who aba seule of ait the way they Uindestand he wed "become marginal” Tague that Hading desrgon iermislenting and thai fa to capt her tended meaning. The paper ‘fe analeernativechaacerttion of waters ha sess prone 0 misine- estan, Cefinga dicron betwen "priilege-cogian” ad "pegs ‘ralve” white seni, charter oe tat a plege-cogntont es ‘ho refer animate he eit whites re expected to eorm, and who ste Unis to worldviews whiter ae expected t hold. Fall she per Gevlops he acon of itrour sept and explains how eimating them sips co calves ears charset Using Anite view of character {Sxncen (1960) an Marl Loner (1987) concep of "wri uaveling 1 ‘ty skrch whac i might meant ave acorns chaste. Distusoois SreCTATORS, OUTSIDERS WITHIN AND TRAITORS Feminist epitemalogias have long been attentive t the relationship Letween knowing bec loetont aed thee understancings ofthe word. Diastsiction wih Enlightenment account of knowing sbjecso fcees, Bremerton ho hover wor he Caesanlndeap ha ed stewie ro consider owes embodied subjects suated in lca ‘Senulabe soll Ineo or contents Aention to knovers 2 socal “nnedreses nem angle von that slows eo conider she semaine ponenie racures seve sted abject fer aescia Hi Coline (1939) shi Sunda Haring (1991 hve wns epee the vanes comet seandpoine decry Rave in ind hee. peer this approach becuse 1 is srenave tothe cil and polidelectuen symbole stems and cesuce that gan pile to some groupe at the expense of oes, Ir the archeiplkrover in Cartesian piste dramas the dsembodled spect then the staring tle finite tarpon theory splayed by dhe ‘user within. Colinas dergtion of Black female domes ofr eleat istacon ofthis cond archerype (Callin 19861415; aio 1990, 11-13) ‘As ousiers within, Back women working as domests have an unclouded ‘Alien Bailey » view ofthe contradiction between the setions and ideologies of white fami Tie This uniqe angle of vison rote in the contador locaton of he domes, who nat once worker, piv othe most intimate secrets white ‘celery anda Black woman explttedby and exchel from pve rane ‘by white pascal ule. Her "Blackness malas her a perpetual ove” but Ihr work of caring or white women “allow her an tide’ wie of some of the condo beeweenwhive women chinking tha they areruning their liver snd cheat sure of power in white patackal Roehlis" (lis 1960, 1-12). Ose wihin ae chought to have an advantageous eit viewpoint that offers tote complete azoune of the world than inde or cer ppectves alone. Thee contradictory Ieaton giver ite to what WE 8. DuBois refer eo a a “doubleconseioumesy” Sse of being able 1 se themselves through ther own eyes and ehcugh the eyes of thers (DuBous 1942). Extending Call analy, Harding args at women ents’, ‘Afcan Arpetcan women soiclogies, or lion iteray cece ding ite! lect! work in the predominantly we, betercueusl male academy also have “enti al] sppeae to defy lope. for ‘Who we ris in a feast two place at once: outs and within. atin and center” (Hawling (991, 25). ‘Aratangrto the social ode ofthe academy they brig unigue combine ‘on of eames and remoteness to thet subject mater tat help to maximise ‘sect (Harding 1991, 124), Becaue ines hae fe Incentives or cpportuite to cliate air cated conslousnes, helt ensts are understood a eles to peducing felable accounts ofthe world. For example, cst pepe makes fe 3 Challenge for thave with money to uederstand why moving out of poverty {seo difical che povlege forded to white people by teclem makes hard for whiter to grasp te perarvenet. Sima, heterosexuals ae ately ina postion 9 analyte either heterosexual privilege of isiitonal 2nd er onal homophobia" Fo ll of the ell benefits afforded so isders some merbers of these dominant groups er the asumpeions mest oftheir ello rider ake for ‘gente. Prine standpoln denny hus Been les atanive ty wh st Fovcons han to dembadid pectatort and outaders within. However nthe chapter of Wee Sac? Whe Pre 1991), Harding makes + comelling exe for expanding the insight of wandpein therm emer Jw uitorous dencies might serve asses fr lieratory know edge: Reach Ing depen the lope ofandpoine chery she explains (One can begin detector Keni for koe... so Ing tn the shadows behind the ones [ents] on hich feminist and other Ubeatry thought has focused entities ‘that are raging to emerge as especed and egtimate po