Introduction
To be able or not to be able is a question. The critical theory that our class has been studying so far is way beyond simply critical theories; it is about one’s ability to perceive and engage with the complex nature of human beings and society, along with critical theories that reflect and enshrine key ideas at times. In particular, Racism in the United States and worldwide are some of the most problematic and complex social issues.
“CRT is not a diversity and inclusion “training” but a practice of interrogating the role of race and racism in society that emerged in the legal academy and spread to other fields of scholarship” (Americanbar, 2021).
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is one of the approaches that attempt to address the issue of racism by identifying and investigating the perpetual racial injustices, institutional racism, and internalized racial oppression (Walton, Lecture 1). This theoretical framework has originated among activists and social scholars and gained a controversial reputation in the US public discourse.
Thesis: This paper will identify and examine how the key ideas of CRT were formed in North America and how applicable these theories: white privilege, colorblindness, racism, and intersectionality, are in a global context. Upon examination, a more nuanced conclusion can be that critical race theories can travel well in a global context but the individual experiences may or may not be able to truly travel as these personal experiences can hardly be replicated and summed up by the theory itself at times.
Instructor’s thesis template:
In this essay, I would like you to consider at least one aspect of these categories/theories/insights that you suspect will travel well (meaning it will be mostly accurate and relevant without significant modification) and one that might not travel as well (meaning it will likely have to be altered significantly or might not be valid at all). Please explain your reasoning for each.
What is White Privilege?
Order:
- Definition and history of white privilege
- How does white privilege operate?
- What are the debates about white privilege within CRT? Pros and cons?
- Can this concept travel? Why or why not?
White privilege refers to the unspoken advantage that white people have over people of color. It can be defined as comparatively preferential treatment. There are examples of white privilege in the public spheres, encompassing the majority of areas of modern public life and authority over it. White people are viewed as the default race, with other ethnicities being considered a deviation from the unspoken norm by existing power structures. Hence, white people never face complications, additional obstacles, or limited opportunities, which are based on presumptions made about the color of their skin.
White people have the social, economic, and political power to silence the views, beliefs, and experiences of People of Color (POC). Black people, both men and women, are faced with uneven levels of scrutiny and higher expectations when they achieve political power. Not only are they expected to perform to gain visibility, but the performances themselves are also judged more harshly in all areas of life, including politics. Thus, the majority of government officials and politicians are of white origin (Bhopal, 2018), which can be tied back to America’s colonial history. The denial of black people’s political freedom makes the white population enjoy political power; therefore, talking to the racial majority about the issues of race has always been a difficult task since they are in a position to withhold or disengage from the conversation at their own will. White people are often opposing meaningful discussions on the race topic, attempting to shield themselves from the multigenerational trauma her mother has acquired.
Furthermore, white people have economic power by virtue of holding the comparative majority of the capital assets there are. As a result, white people are often conditioned to misunderstand the realities of people of color unless they are actively working against the bias laid into them societally. The social relationship between the races is non-symbiotic due to the significant power imbalance in society and historical trauma.
According to Crenshaw (1991), one of the arguments the white population uses to avoid discussing racism is that it was not their choice to be subjected to the privileges of being white. However, the historical guilt associated with benefiting from or actively enforcing slave labor cannot be effectively overlooked since race is not merely a biological reality but a social concept.
Abuse of power was a common manifestation of vast power imbalance; for instance, women were subjected to forced sexual intercourse with their masters (Crenshaw, 1991). In the United States, black women were not afforded the same bodily privacy as white women. They are often presumed to be more masculine, leading to inappropriate questions and instances of misgendering (Bohal, 018). For instance, police officers took advantage of their power to force black women into sexual intercourse. Although sexual violence towards women is a universal problem, racial inequalities magnify it when the violations apply to women of color. As a group, they were disproportionally targeted by institutionalized sexual violence as a more vulnerable demographic dear (Bhopal, 2018). The practice demonstrates that in the United States, white men took black women as sex objects (Crenshaw, 1991). At the same time, white women were treated with more respect and decency when it came to the matter of intercourse (Bhopal, 2018). Certain racist misconceptions claim that Black people are less susceptible to pain. Their ability to exhibit the deserved empathy towards people of different backgrounds can be compromised by internalized stereotypes. The true unease of the ways racism has intertwined itself within the modern American culture.
Throughout history and due to the colonial paradigm of the UK and France, people of color were primarily the victims of oppression. Those individuals were demeaned by culture, denied, and disadvantaged when it came to equal opportunities and treatment (Sue et al., 2019). Some of the most frequent examples of discrimination involve evictions, difficulties with job-searching and homelessness. Today, cultural monoculturalism encompasses bias against racial, ethnic, or other marginal groups (Bhopal, 2018). Critical Race theory is instrumental in understanding the practical implications of the ongoing test. In my personal experience, microaggressions may occur during therapy if the therapist is too harsh and comments negatively towards the client’s behavior (Sue et al., 2019). A microaggression that I have experienced is an individual mistaking a person of color as a servant. I have also witnessed several female doctors being mistaken as nurses. Knowing that small mistakes can be forms of microaggression, I would discourage people from assuming things they are not sure of to avoid hurting others. At the same time, microaggressions are rarely discussed on public platforms and continue to surround people of color in the U.S. every day.
The Concept of Colorblindness
The term colorblindness refers to the behavioral practice of acting without any consideration for racial inequalities. It is strongly linked to liberalism since its practitioners believe noble outcomes might emerge without opening all of the tests. The paradigm of only judging one’s value based on their character and skills is an enticing one but still far from reality for many children of color. (Yogeeswaran et al., 2018, p. 283). Equality in all rights and responsibilities is absolute within the framework. In a truly united society, individuals should all become the same to create a society where people become indistinguishable from one another (Yogeeswaran et al., 2018).
However, many racial activists and advocates for POC rights do not support the idea of colorblindness and argue that race should explicitly be considered. The reason is that colorblindness tends to ignore the broader social context of implications and experiences unique to a specific race (Yogeeswaran et al., 2018). Therefore, instead of considering the issue from an enlightened position, colorblindness provides white people with a comfortable opportunity of not address the issue further. As Crenshaw (1991) has argued, a problem cannot be addressed while ignored, purposefully or not. It strips people of their right to be heard and to adjust their identity according to the situation. The passive attitude that colorblindness creates can deliberately cause an oppressive system that American philosopher Charles Mills criticizes. Mills may suggest that colorblindness corrodes societies, as a political system is built upon unequal racial hierarchies, such as the U.S. was built upon the history of slavery. He argues that in these instances, colorblindness ignores minorities and the oppression that they face (1997, p. 7). It operates under a largely false premise that promotes a lack of accountability for the history of atrocities. Before deliberate colorblindness can become a viable approach on legal and political arenas, centuries of harm and discrimination need to be addressed. Consequently, colorblindness is a concept that is still discussed and has its conceptual downsides since it ignores the uneven opportunities given at the start. An example of this approach would be a colorblind casting for a fantasy show, where the language of symbolism is rejected in favor of equality rather than equity.
Conclusion
Racism has long been the center of political, social, and economic inequalities in the U.S., which has affected different population groups, such as women. It has extended its influence from white privilege to Many critical race theories that were developed to conceptualize and resolve these issues. However, not all of these theories, though they may be valid and sound in a theoretical context, are equally accepted in North American society and applicable to reality at all times. The concept of colorblindness offers a solution to racism by eliminating the concept of race itself; however, by doing so, the historical context and disparities experienced by people of color may be ignored or forgotten. As the Critical Race Theory suggests, it is not enough to merely acknowledge racism to achieve true equity in American society. As a deep-rooted issue that has integrated itself within law enforcement and the law in general, racism in modern institutions needs a firm and multi-layered approach.
References
Bhopal, K. (2018). White privilege: The myth of a post-racial society. Policy Press.
Crenshaw, K. W. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241-1299.
Jones, A. G. (2018). James Baldwin on Madison Avenue [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Vanderbilt University.
Mills, C. (1997). The Racial Contract. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Sue, D. W., Sue, D., Neville, H. A., & Smith, L. (2019). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (8th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Yogeeswaran, K., Verkuyten, M., Osborne, D., & Sibley, C. G. (2018). “I have a dream” of a colorblind nation? Examining the relationship between racial colorblindness, system justification, and support for policies that redress inequalities. Journal of Social Issues, 74(2), 282-298.