Just leave it to the NAACP: they recently objected to the forming of a "Caucasian club" at a California high school, saying that it would "promote racial division." The strange fact is, this high school already has a Black Student Union, an Asian Club, and a Hispanic Club. Somewhere along our "post-modern" journey, we have come to the conclusion that "race" only matters when it has to do with the minority. There are a surprising number of folks out there who want whites to be guilty for being white: at the same time, they want asians, blacks, hispanics, american indians, etc. to be proud of their heritage.
Never in history has "the majority" been so unpopular. The irony is, the "majority" often is a created monster that has no basis in reality: for example, Caucasians aren't even in the "majority" in California, yet they are treated like the school bully needs to be taken off the playground. So we become obsessed with getting rid of "him," even when it's clear that he no longer rules the roost. Deep down, having an enemy validates one's existence. Even in Reformed circles this is true: if there's no fight around, we have to go look for one, as if controversy is one of the essential marks of the church. But I digress....
I think what most people mean by "white" is "rich." After all, marginalization has something to do with one's economic status. But the solution for the brutal "class system" is not to dispense with obsession for material things: it is to try to get to the top yourself. It's sadly ironic. It's like the feminists I saw on TV the other day who regretted that they waited too long to have children, presumably because they were busy climbing the corporate ladder. Will starting more ethnic and diversity clubs solve our racial problems? Will having a high school for homosexuals make education easier? I for one tend to think that what we're really after is a "sense of place," and that having Black Student Unions and Harvey Milk High Schools is a small attempt to carve out our territory on the playground. But strangely, we're never truly comfortable unless there's a "bully" to keep out.
http://www.channelone.com/news/2003/09/18/ap_club/
Posted by ken-san at September 23, 2003 07:46 PMKen, great thoughts.
We're "looking for community in all the warped places"
Posted by: JosiahQ at September 23, 2003 04:22 PMKen, long time no talk! I read about this caucasion club a couple days ago, and my first thought was that it was just some middle-class high school punk. However, after reading about it, I discovered that actually it was a 14-year old girl who wants to start the club to celebrate and learn more about the various European ethnicities that make up caucasions. I think it's interesting that the NAACP is running a smear campaign against a 14-year old girl (labeling her as a racist), and that she has endured nurmerous threats from minorities in the area.
Posted by: Ben at September 24, 2003 06:24 AMwhat a dork you are
do you not realize that caucasian does not mean white
do you not realize that caucasian IS a minority
The majority of people on this planet are not white