I have attended many lectures, discussions, and forums regarding race. I have learned about a number of minority races within the United States and I have had my eyes opened to a number of examples of discrimination both present and past, institutional and individual. I have often learned about the dynamics of other cultures, where people of a number of races join together to share the distinctive characteristics of their race, what sets them apart from other races. I find it interesting that the dining hall often has themed nights based on these races. This past semester alone, they have featured an African-American cuisine night, an Asian-American food night, and even a Native American dinner. However, in the number of events that I have attended, it seems as though the white race is left without a culture.
The event that most sparked my curiosity towards this topic was a forum on racial identity. Each of the presenters had identified themselves as Latino, Asian, African, and Jewish respectively. However, not one of the presenters spoke about Caucasian culture. In thinking about my own race and my racial identity, I found it difficult to find a distinct culture that encompassed all Caucasians.
The greatest complaint that I have heard from white individuals is that while the cultures of minorities are recognized as distinctive and unique, all individuals who are of a Caucasian race are lumped together. I often wonder does the white race have a culture? As a majority in this nation, is the pop culture considered white culture? How does the ethnical descent of white individuals play into the overall development of their culture?
White culture is seldom talked about because white culture is the default. When we learn about diversity and multiculturalism, it's often with the idea that we are learning about the "other" cultures, when really, we all need an understanding of each other's and our own cultures, regardless of skin color. Not teaching about white culture sends a meta-message that it is the only culture that is not classified as "different," which often gets translated as "better" by students, especially given the racial make-up of the teaching staff (read: people in power) at most schools.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
But i've always thought that as an African American, we dont have our own culture either. I've always asked my mother about that when i was little. How many of us know what part of Africa our ancestors were from? How many of us know the real traditions? They only knew what was taught to them when they were brought here, and that is all that we know now.
Of course im not opposed to adopting the traditions of any of the countries within the continent, but i'd like it to be a little more personal.
"Prefiero morir parada que vivir la vida en mis rodillas"
In America where the main populace is white christian's the creators of the constitution and the first real americans were white christians do you not feel that culture of america itself is expressed in it's culture? especially in the rural south and European countries where the real caucasians started?
Glutenously yours,
Pasta Rasta
I don't think that you can say that a "white" culture exists in America for several reasons. One, "white" is too broad of a spectrum. There are Italian, German, Irish, French, et al cultures, but they are different from one another and cannot be considered "white" culture. The second is that no events have happend in American history focused towards white people. There is a clear black culture that developed during slavery and segregation which is in a drastic contrast to mainstream Americana. Other ethnic cultures are really just the culture of the place of origin, or family background. You have a culture too, and one that is uniquely yours. It is merely your family, and your background that affects you.
White culture is the subtle subtext of every operating system established in the U.S. It's not something overt that gets celebrated during a month or a day during the year, like Black History month or Cinco de Mayo. It's in the way we educate our children, the way we hand out jobs, the way we interact with each other, the things we deem right and wrong and polite and impolite. Like I said above, it's the default setting in U.S. society, so it isn't studied, but it should be, because not having an understanding of the "rules" sets many racial/ethnic minorities at a severe disadvantage.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
But that's not WHITE culture, it's White AMERICAN culture. The default culture here is very much different from the default culture in Great Britain, and we both speak the same basic language, have the same color skin, and, to some degree, have the same historical background (in that before the US existed, we were predominantly English). It's even more different from the default culture in, say, France, where they speak a different language and have a totally different way of doing things, plus a radically different history, even in the past 100 years.
And it's even difficult to say we have a default white American culture, since the 'white culture' in New York is different from that in Colorado Springs, Atlanta, and Minneapolis. The pace of life is different, the accents are different, the attitude about weather is different, the type of house is different, the types of jobs are different, the MIX of races is different. Obviously there are some similarities (there's doctors in all four places, after all), but that certainly doesn't mean that the culture in each of these places is the same, even if you exclusively look at people with the same color skin, whether it be white, black, red, or yellow.
~C
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That's a really good way to look at it. I'd never viewed it from that aspect.
"Prefiero morir parada que vivir la vida en mis rodillas"
The second is that no events have happened in American history focused towards white people.
Maybe not in American history, but there have been other incidents that have impacted America. Although the Holocaust did not happen in America, it did target some people of Caucasian descent. Also, the argument could possibly be made that the September 11th terrorist attacks in part were a response to "American culture" which some suggest is "white culture" in America. Wouldn't that have cultural implications?
This makes me think of national holidays for some reason.
There's a Black History Month (February, right?). There are other random occasions to celebrate certain nationalities/races, but if we had a day for whites would it seem wrong to everyone else.
~ *~
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That's because white culture is celebrated in the U.S. everywhere everyday. Every day is a white holiday.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman