We’re introducing a new concept on the blog today: Derailment Mondays!
derailment (n): a defensive argument, statement, or question that dismisses or seeks to undermine anti-racist arguments in an effort to preserve privilege or the status quo
Each week, in addition to our regular posting, we will feature a common derailment tactic and discuss (with the help of our readers, of course) how to address it. So in honor of our first Derailment Monday, I would like us to look at this article from Human Events by Caroline Rushing entitled White Guilt Awareness Day. (Side effects warning: you may have to hold your nose while you read this, or have a bucket nearby because it may cause severe nausea.)
While Rushing’s essay is steeped in conspiracy theory, her main point about any degree of anti-racist education (especially in the form of diversity training) is : You’re just trying to make white people feel guilty.
My primary response to this as a person who has heard this comment many, many times is, “No, I’m not.” Guilt implies wrongdoing. I think that most white people are not consciously doing wrong on this issue. Most of us are unaware of racism because of the blindness that privilege imposes on us. The wrongdoing occurs when, presented with the truth about racism in our society, we choose to ignore it or walk away and do nothing to change it. In that sense, there are some of us who are guilty, and we should acknowledge that. But guilt is not the end goal of conversations about race.
I can say for myself that any attempt I make to help white folks see their own privilege and the inherent racism that props it up is not an attempt to make them feel guilty, it’s an attempt to free them from a system that makes them unwitting pawns of oppression. I don’t want people to “feel” guilty, I want them to “feel” engaged, empathetic, righteously indignant even, over the injustices in our society.
Guilt itself helps no one. Most of us who have gone through experiences with white guilt know it to be a paralyzing force. Guilt makes you feel horrible and helpless. No one person can bear the weight of mistakes made by generations of prejudice and oppression and no one person can make up for all of that. Rushing feels pity on a man she claims was conned into feeling guilty at this diversity seminar:
A ‘privileged’ man in my group fed right into the liberal agenda of the activity and explained he has been ashamed of being a white man when he sees the terrible things that white men have done, the injustices in the world, and how he has so much while others have so little. This poor guy took the diversity day bait hook, line, and sinker.
Clearly this man was at a point of conviction. He understood the ramifications of our system and he felt compassion and grief over what his privilege costs others. There is nothing wrong with feeling bad about injustice. In fact, we should feel that way. Rushing laments this man’s despair yet at this moment, he is experiencing a revelation that she cannot understand because she entered this learning opportunity mocking it; protective of her own position and defensive toward any new information offered her.
I’m not sure what this man did with his newfound knowledge of privilege. I hope he is doing something productive. Rushing implies that he recognized the needs of others, so I hope he takes an interest in helping them meet their needs or advocating for their cause. If not, it could be possible that he forgets what he has learned and reverts back to being a guardian of the status quo. As for the author, she has confused guilt with conviction, and thus remained unchanged.
I feel less pity for this man who is experiencing a crisis of conscience than I do for Rushing who appears to have no conscience or consciousness at all.
I love this post so much. Also, remind me not to piss you off, ever.
I have so far failed miserably at convincing most of my white friends and family members that people of color – myself included – aren’t interested in their guilt, and that “creating guilt” is NOT a goal any committed anti-racist person has on her list. Guilt by itself is unproductive, as you state above. It gets us nowhere. Most white people just resent it, and thus feel justified in refusing to cooperate with or even listen to anti-racists and people of color.
I love this post too. It ties back into a key point in “A Beginner’s Guide to Anti-Racism for White People.”
It also reminds me of a lovely portion of Bill Moyers’ interview with Sister Wendy. They were talking about art and religion, of course, and not racism, but this point Sister Wendy made also resonates here:
Sister Wendy: I don’t think being truly human has any place for guilt, which I think is a No-No.
Bill Moyers: You don’t?
Sister Wendy: No. Contrition, yes. Guilt, no.
Bill Moyers: And the difference is?
Sister Wendy: Contrition means you tell God you are sorry and you’re not going to do it again and you start off afresh. All the damage you’ve done to yourself, put right. Guilt means you go on belabouring and having emotions and beating your breast and being ego-fixated. Guilt is a trap. People love guilt because they feel if they suffer enough guilt, they’ll make up for what they’ve done. Whereas, in fact, they’re just sitting in a puddle and splashing. Contrition, you move forward. It’s over. You are willing to forgo the pleasures of guilt…. [Confession and reconciliation] enables me to start afresh trying to love [God] more.
This brings up an interesting point, for me anyway – contrition and reconciliation are concepts so familiar to many Christians in America. Catholics have the sacrament of reconciliation, of course, but we aren’t alone in the need to feel sorrow over sin and mend broken relationships (with our fellow human beings, and with God).
As such, you would think it would be a natural step for practicing Christians to see the need for and embrace racial justice and reconciliation – as opposed to stagnant and bitter guilt. But you often find Christians on the complete wrong side of this issue (as we have often discussed on this blog) or ignoring it completely.
I’m wondering why that is. Do you think it’s simply the dogged allegiance of some American Christians to the political right? Or do you think there are other major contributing factors to this kind of blindness?
For many white people, at least, I think the last word really hits the nail on the head: Blindness. You don’t think you need to fix what you really can’t see.
Then there’s Rushing’s problem: when white privilege is made visible to her, for a brief moment, she doesn’t address it in a spirit of repentance. She blame shifts (oldest trick in the book: Gen 3:11-13) and puts the blinders back on.
But there are other problems thrown into the mix. I think the tradition of American individualism (rooted in problematic philosophies & theologies) makes it harder for us to recognize the reality of structures of sin as well as individual sin. So contrary are such things to our individualist convictions that we cannot bring ourselves to acknowledge their reality.
What do you think?
I <3 the Sister Wendy comment. "Contrition" is such a good word.
I think the tradition of American individualism (rooted in problematic philosophies & theologies) makes it harder for us to recognize the reality of structures of sin as well as individual sin.
I agree with this. American individualist-obsessed conservatives love to condemn “the culture of victimhood,” which is ironic because they portray themselves as victims of liberalism/”socialism” run amok. But they are often quick enough to recognize and condemn the collective sins of other nations and cultures. Look at how many people are ready to call socialism an evil system (I don’t disagree) despite knowing very little about how it actually functions. What is racism if not an evil system? And should white people really have to experience it personally in order to believe in or condemn it?
I don’t mean to place too much blame at the feet of American conservatism, because there are a lot of other factors at work here, but it seems that, among many Christians I’ve met, talking/thinking about/wanting to change racial injustice is seen as the realm of “those liberals” (Cushing clearly sees it that way too – oh, man, too bad the liberals got to this guy!). Our current polarized and highly inadequate two-party political system makes it even more difficult to discuss these issues without throwing more fuel on a partisan battle. But it shouldn’t be partisan.
I agree it shouldn’t be partisan, but it often is.
American individualist-obsessed conservatives love to condemn “the culture of victimhood,” which is ironic because they portray themselves as victims of liberalism/”socialism” run amok.
I have a BIG problem with the individualist tendencies of Christians in America. It flies in the face of several tenets of the faith, particularly dependence on God and the call to community. Most of my conversations about race (or the poor, or any other group whose plight causes us to examine privilege like this) result in a regression to “Well I worked hard for everything I have,” as if their effort was the sole provider of their lifestyle. As if their blessed situation was not built by generations who went before, or given to them through the muscle of invisible contributors to their prosperity (be those contributors human beings ignored by the greater society or the invisible and mighty hand of God working all things to their good).
Yes, you may have pulled up your bootstraps on occasion, but who furnished and fitted you with those boots in the first place? Grr. I’m getting into a whole ‘nuther derailment now (one of the affirmative action ones), so I’ll just end my comment here.
Indeed – “No one has done ME any favors” is a topic we’ll have to tackle in a future Derailment Monday post.
In fairness, American individualism is rooted in classical liberalism. What we call “conservative economics” over here in the States (unregulated free market stuff) is elsewhere known as “economic liberalism.” Both sides of the political aisle here in the States are liberal, they’re just different flavors of liberal.
I love this… looking forward to Monday!
[…] handicaps all Americans in our struggle to overcome our collective racist history. To echo Cayce’s Derailment Monday post of last week, conversations with white people about race often get sidelined by the white person […]
This certainly seems like a blog worth following. I’m on Blogger, but I will mark your page for future reference. I’m working on a blog on which I express my opinion of social issues, and you’re welcome to take a look (only one entry thus far :( )
~*~ Pretty Star, OA
Thanks Alexandria! Feel free to tell your friends. ;)
[…] community to deepen our cultural awareness and sensitivity.” This exhibits true Christian contrition and repentance: Instead of wallowing in guilt, they are turning from wrongdoing, striving to put things right, and […]