“Talking White”: How Racial Superiority Seeps Into Our Language
by
Christopher Peck
University of Connecticut
Racism is still alive, but some wish to declare it dead. Intellectuals, politicians and TV personalities discuss racial oppression like it’s an endangered species. The denial runs deep; and its roots cling to the foundation of our society: language.
Whenever I ask another white person how they would define racism I get a vague, disjointed and vastly different answer each time. For some, even mentioning racial difference is taboo. Others say racism is illustrated in separate water fountains and sitting in the back of the bus. It happened a “long time ago” and we’ve moved on. Others rant emphatically that racism is when white people are “passed over for a job they gave to a less qualified black guy.” I firmly believe that’s the most persistent impediment to racial equity and justice. Nobody knows what racism is.
We should not lose sight of the symbolic weight that language carries. Whoever controls language holds the power—the power to possess the right answers, to declare oppositions wrong and to alter and diminish the meaning of others’ experiences. This leads directly to the delusion and entitlement of white students. They respond defensively when their worldview is questioned and deflect responsibility because their superiority has been validated by their education. Because we as a society have failed to define racism for them they not only refuse to acknowledge the impact of race, they reinforce the cycle. It represents our nation’s attitudes of ignorance and disregard towards the plight of people of color as a whole that we do not have an impenetrable meaning attached to the word racism. And yet, there are symbols sustaining white supremacy, loaded with racist implications engrained in our everyday speech.
As a white man, I won’t pretend that I hold all the answers. Instead I’ve chosen to develop a compassionate ear. I’ve spent the latter third of my life listening to testimonies from people of color. Unsurprisingly, they have profound things to say about how growing up with darker skin has impacted them across all institutions. While their experiences may differ, there’s agreement on the source of their struggle. The People’s Institute For Survival and Beyond has generated this definition.
Racism—n. Racial prejudice + institutional power. A system of oppression maintained by institutions and cultural ‘norms’ that exploit, control, and oppress People of Color in order to maintain a position of social supremacy and privilege for white people.
It is important to emphasize then that although a white person can be discriminated against individually based on their race, racism is specifically the upholding of white supremacy at the expense of people of color as a group.
The next definition I will share from the People’s Institute is one regarding Internalized Racial Superiority:
n. The acceptance of and acting out of a superior definition, rooted in the historical designation of one’s race. This process of empowerment and access expresses itself as unearned privileges, access to institutional power and invisible advantages based upon race.
As I alluded to, language becomes like the post office worker for delivering this “superior definition.” And our school system has become the USPS of racist codes.
Subtle racist codes were rampant during my high school days and still are from what I’ve observed. As someone socialized as white, I understand how white people are conditioned to not think of themselves as “white.” Race was a non-issue, until a person of color brought it up. My teachers would use the term “race card” as a way of “stopping conflict.” Any racial grievance was unsubstantiated.
Another notion that enforces white supremacy is how white people depict “affirmative action.” Too many college-bound white students see scholarships designed for so-called “minorities” as unjust. Their parents coddle them with accusations of “reverse racism” as the reason they “lost their spot,” instilling the impression that they deserved admission. The statistics don’t support this hypothesis that white students are “losing” spots. White women are the number one beneficiaries of “affirmative action.” The aim of the legislation is not limited to racial quotas, its goal is overall diversity. It’s an unfortunate linguistic consequence that an admirable aim like diversity has been stained by white supremacist discourse as a buzz word for social engineering. Blame is placed on diversification for economic downfall and unemployment. Why would trying to include a range of perspectives, backgrounds and knowledge lead the workforce into decline? As progress has marched on, racism has evolved. The way in which white people express their racism has morphed into this coded language. Except the targets of this hateful rhetoric, and their allies, are not fooled.
Often these codes will be conveyed as compliments, shrouding the stereotypes they are legitimizing. A white youth will tell their black peer that they “talk white.” That white student will further explain that they mean their peer “talks properly,” and “sounds smart.” In other words, to be black is to be improper and uneducated. “Ghetto” still pops into my head after hearing it too often during my suburban upbringing. Its historical meaning as a noun has been warped into a violent adjective. To describe something as “ghetto” is to suggest it is of lesser quality. You’re implying that something looks or functions as if it’s “off the streets.” It’s also a label similar to “hip-hop” that can be attached to any trend or style that is attributed to the black, Latino or urban community. Essentially, it gives white kids an excuse to differentiate their material wealth from that of children of color. Even while more white, middle class teenagers are consuming hip-hop music, clothing and culture than any other racial group, language does them the favor of distinguishing their social superiority. “Black” is just a fad to them, not a rich and tumultuous history of perseverance and innovation. And THAT truly says it all.
